Laser Tattoo Removal: PicoSure and PicoPlus

Tattoos are meant to be permanent, so removing them is difficult. Unfortunately, what can seem like a great idea at the time can be hard to deal with as one ages and one’s professional and personal situation changes.

Fortunately, the doctors at MDLSV have various lasers that can be used to lighten and fade tattoos for our Maryland tattoo removal patients. As of 2013, PicoSure is now available to completely remove some tattoos that could only be faded previously.

About the Colors in Tattoos

Some colors of tattoos are harder to remove than others; professional tattoos are usually harder to remove than amateur tattoos.

It is much easier to have a small tattoo removed than a big one. The risk of scarring is always present. Both getting a tattoo and having it removed can be uncomfortable. The impact of the energy from the laser’s powerful pulse of light has been described as similar to getting hot specks of bacon grease on your skin or being snapped by a thin rubber band.

Because black pigment absorbs all laser wavelengths, it’s the easiest to remove. Other colors, such as green, selectively absorb laser light and can only be treated by selected lasers based on the pigment color. Red tattoos are the most difficult to treat with laser. The PicoSure laser tattoo removal offers innovative treatment for these colors.

About Tattoo Removal Treatments

Topical anesthetic creams are usually applied approximately an hour before the treatment. Some patients prefer to have a local anesthetic injected into the tattoo prior to laser therapy. Pinpoint bleeding, crusting and occasional blistering can be associated with the procedure. Pulses of laser energy are directed onto the tattoo, breaking up the pigment. Over the next few weeks, the body’s scavenger cells remove pigment residues.

Tattoo Removal with PicoSure

PicoSure is the world’s first safe and effective picosecond aesthetic and tattoo removal laser. This breakthrough in laser technology delivers ultra-short pulse bursts of energy to the skin in trillionths of a second, which is 100 times shorter than nanosecond technology available in most lasers, enabling unmatched photomechanical impact for better clearance with fewer treatments.

Advantages of PicoSure Tattoo Removal

Picosure laser tattoo removal requires fewer treatment sessions, offers better results, and has faster patient recovery times compared to traditional tattoo removal lasers.

Number of Treatments

More than one treatment, (each treatment actually only takes minutes), is usually needed to remove an entire tattoo — the number of sessions depends on the amount and type of ink used and how deeply it was injected. Four to six-week intervals between sessions are required to allow pigment residue to be absorbed by the body. Anywhere from 6 to more than 10 treatments may be necessary to achieve maximum lightening. With the PicoSure laser, available at our office, tattoos may be removed in fewer treatments than traditional tattoo removal.

Patients must not be tan during their treatment sessions. Following treatment, wound care and sun protection of the treated area is necessary. A change in the color of the treated area is likely and may be permanent. If the area gets infected, there is a risk of a scar. Please schedule a consultation with one of the providers to see if laser tattoo removal is right for you. Also, please read about the latest tattoo removal technology by CynoSure, now available at our office, the PicoSure device.

Testimonials

RealSelf PicoSure Patient Reviews

Visit the RealSelf community for patient reviews of PicoSure laser tattoo removal treatments and see actual before and after tattoo removal images. Visit RealSelf’s PicoSure page.