ND YAG TATTOO REMOVAL

HOW IT WORKS

Tattoo ink particles are too large for the body’s immune system to remove naturally. When tattoo pigment is placed into the dermis, it becomes locked away by a wall of collagen fibres. Q-switched lasers produce very short bursts of high energy laser light. The light is absorbed by the large ink particles, generating heat that shatters the tattoo pigment into tiny particles which the body is then able to remove. The tattoo ink selectively absorbs the laser energy, therefore the surrounding tissue doesn’t overheat and there is no lasting skin damage.

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Our ND Yag Q Switched Laser produces 2 wavelengths. One in the infrared range 1064nm which works on dark pigment and the second produces a 532nm wavelength which works to treat lighter coloured pigment. 

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HOW MANY TREATMENTS WILL I NEED?

Clients will usually see a reduction after the first treatment. To completely remove a tattoo we would recommend between 6-10 treatments on average, with intervals of 6 weeks between treatments. Depending on the tattoo, a higher or lower number of treatments may be necessary for complete removal. Cover up tattoo's will usually require more treatments in order to achieve complete removal, due to a greater amount of ink being present in the skin.

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WHAT COLOURS CAN WE REMOVE?

In principle the Nd Yag lasers can remove all types of tattoos. However, since all tattoos are not the same in terms of colour, depth of ink deposition and their chemical composition, some may respond differently to others. Black, dark orange and dark blue tattoos will typically respond better to treatment with laser. Red, brown, purple, light green, light orange, neon pink and light blue colours are slightly harder to remove and will require more sessions.

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WHEN WILL I SEE RESULTS?

The body will continue to heal and remove small ink particles during the six weeks following the treatment, however many clients will see a reduction from their first session.

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AM I SUITABLE TO HAVE LASER TREATMENTS?

We can safely treat all skin types with our ND Yag Q-switched technology. If you are in good health (no serious health concerns) and do not have hypo/hyper- pigmentation, tanned or Keloid scarring in your family or personal history then you should be suitable for this treatment, however all clients must have an in person consultation and patch test before beginning their course of treatments.

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DOES IT HURT?

The level of pain felt will depend on the type of tattoos, the amount of treatment required and your own pain threshold. Some clients would describe it as no more than uncomfortable, where others will describe it as an elastic band flicked against the skin. The truth is that you will only know how painful you find it until you try it. We can offer advice on pain relief, which will be given during your consultation.

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DOES LASER CAUSE SCARRING?

Although there is a risk of scarring with any laser, in most cases, scarring is not a significant risk for tattoo removal. Tattoo removal has become associated with scarring because the older generation of lasers used were very aggressive and carried a very high risk of scarring. ND Yag lasers does not heat the surrounding skin significantly so the risk of scarring is greatly reduced. The risk of scarring is mainly associated with a genetic pre-disposition to forming scar tissue and the presence of resistant, green pigment. To reduce the risk, we carry out an extensive medical evaluation to identify high-risk clients. Please be aware that scarring can occur if the aftercare advice is not followed correctly by each client, for example, knocking or picking scabs off too early may result in scarring.

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