| By :
Nick Messe
Angelina Jolie did it. Johnny Depp did it, too. So did Charlie Sheen. Even Tommy Lee and Brittany Spears did it. What do all these celebrities have in common? They all had unwanted tattoos lasered off. We've all made mistakes in our younger days that we wish we could undo. The rose tattoo with vines and leaves trailing down to your wrist was a great idea when you were 17, but not such a good idea when you've become an investment banker. Not so long ago tattoos had to be creatively covered up with another, possibly larger, one. It was impossible to remove a tattoo unless the skin was completely scraped off, and some foolish people actually had them sanded off. Some clever ladies covered them with makeup, but that caused activities to be very limited. Swimming was out, and any activity that caused perspiration was also ill-advised if you wanted that tattoo to stay under wraps. A Band-Aid was always a last-resort choice for covering that unsightly tat. With the advent of laser technology, tattoo removal is an affordable way to erase a bad idea that was formerly permanent. Lasers offer a low-risk, noninvasive alternative to traditional tattoo removal. The procedure is accomplished on an out-patient basis, requiring no hospitalization. Anesthesia may be used if the removal is too uncomfortable, but many people do not need it. A laser specifically developed for tattoo removal is called Q-switch, a reference to the short, high-energy pulse of the laser. Depending on the color of the tattoo, one of three Q-switched lasers may be used, ruby, alexandrite, and Nd YAG. Nd YAG is the newest laser developed and is excellent in removing red, blue, or black ink. Lasers produce short pulses of intense light. These pass through the epidermal tissue, or top layer of skin, and are absorbed by the pigment of the tattoo. The laser energy stimulates the pigment to fragment and break and the tiny pieces of pigment are then removed by the body's immune system. The laser only targets the tattoo pigment, and will not harm the skin's natural pigment. Because it can be uncomfortable, before treatment you should take an ibuprofen product such as Tylenol, and your doctor may apply a prescription anesthetic cream shortly before session begins. People have likened the laser's effect to that of spattered bacon grease landing on your arm or being snapped by a rubber band. Black tattoos are easiest to remove since they absorb all laser wavelengths. Other colors absorb only part of the laser light spectrum and therefore are more difficult to remove. A tattoo applied by an experienced person will be easier to remove since the pigment will have been applied to the same depth of the skin. A newer tattoo is more difficult to remove. Most people, 95 percent, have no scarring at all. The area will probably feel sunburned for a few days, and may appear red for several weeks following treatment. The site will fade gradually and continually as it heals. Most tattoos require several visits.
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