Is IPL the most effective laser for color ink?

Question

I have a tattoo on my arm of my ex and I need to laser it off. Is IPL laser the best technique to get rid of the colored ink (lots of it)?

Anil R. Shah, MD · Answer

Tattoo removal via LASER
Specifically targets color of tattoo ink and breaks it up into smaller particles.Proven by countless studies to be the treatment of choice and effective Your skin will eliminate the smaller particles with 1 of 3 ways (evaporation, removal via lymphatics, and macrophage elimination)The only safe and effective practice to remove tattoos is to see an expert with the latest technology laser.  For patients who can not afford tattoo removal here options:
Try a payment plan and space out your treatment sessions.  If a tattoo session is $200 and you finance it over 6 months, it is less than a haircut. Once your tattoo is light enough, either tattoo over your existing tattoo with skin color ink or have another tattoo placed over it.Wear skin camouflage make up to help conceal it.Try and cover with clothing (not possible for all tattoos)In our practice we utilize the currently most powerful Pico laser on the market called the PiQo4 by Lumenis.  The main advantage of a stronger tattoo laser (combining nano and pico wavelengths at greater power) is faster breakup of the tattoo.  The science of tattoo removal is complex but essentially the greater power will photo acoustically break up tattoo particles in smaller pieces. 
Best, 
Anil Shah

Ron Shelton, MD · Answer

Ultrashort pulse duration (the fraction of a second that each laser energy pulse is fired on the tattoo ink) needed is needed to shatter the pigment of a tattoo which then allows the body to "carry" it away via the immune and lymphatic systems.Q-switched and now Pico second pulse duration lasers are used such as PicoSure, PicoWay, Enlighten. IPL is a light source of multiple wavelengths and does not have an ultrashort pulse duration.

Richard H. Tholen, MD, FACS · Answer

Lasers used for tattoo removal are single-wavelength, very high energy, very short pulse duration machines that deliver enough energy to cause the tattoo ink granules in the skin to vaporize, causing a bit of epidermal damage in the process. That is why there is healing involved after treatment, and why multiple treatments are needed. The minimal damage to skin allows maximum ink removal with minimal skin damage and scar risk.

	IPL machines are essentially full-spectrum, moderate high energy flashlamps (some with filters that block a portion of the light spectrum for somewhat more selective treatment) that are used to treat fine skin vessels, mild skin discolorations (like sunspots), or rosacea. IPL will not remove tattoos. If an IPL machine is used at very high energies, it could induce a burn, but will have little to no effect on tattoos except to cause a blister and a waste of money!

	Infrared coagulators (IRC) are used by some doctors for tattoo removal, but this is more likely to leave a scar or pigmentation changes, but may require fewer treatment sessions (if you are willing to accept scarring or skin color changes).

Nelson Lee Novick, MD · Answer

Lasers and other light therapy devices, such as the Infrared Coagulater (IRC), are the treatments of choice today. Lasers work by emitting short, intense pulses of light that pass through the skin and target the ink. The energy from the laser light fragments the large particles of tattoo pigment enabling the body&rsquo;s natural immune system to more easily scavenge the pigment and carry it away. This process usually takes several weeks, and multiple treatment sessions are often necessary to achieve maximal clearing.

	
	Since black pigment absorbs all wavelengths of light, it is ironically the easiest pigment to remove. Colors, such as green, do not absorb as well, and sometimes a variety of lasers, with varying wavelengths, are needed to effectively treat a multicolored tattoo. Usually multiple lasers are needed to handle multicolored tattoos.

	
	Potential complications include permanent scarring, temporary or permanent loss of pigment or excessive pigmentation. Fees for laser treatments may range from $1000-$3000 or more, depending upon the number of treatment sessions required, and the size, shape, colors, and location of the particular tattoo.

	IRC uses non-laser infrared light to heat the area containing the pigment. It is quick and easy to perform, and generally requires fewer treatments than lasers. Most small tattoos can be treated successfully in one to three sessions. Very importantly, IRC&rsquo;s efficacy also does NOT depend upon the particular color of the pigments involved. For these reasons, it is my favorite method for dealing with small tattoos.

	The procedure is quick and simple. The area is first numbed with local anesthesia. Next, very short pulses of infrared light are directed at the tattoo in a gridlike fashion, leaving tiny spaces between each treated site. Since each burst of energy is just a fraction of second, an entire treatment session requires only a few minutes to complete. It is within the course of the next few weeks, as he wound heals, that the pigment is extruded.

	
	To complete the removal, the intervening spaces are generally treated between two to four weeks later. Fees for a series of three sessions generally run about $1500. As with laser treatments, potential complications include scarring and temporary or permanent pigmentary changes. Most people, however, are quite gratified and relieved to be free finally of their tattoos.

Edward Rohaly, MD · Answer

Lasers have been the standard treatment of tattoo removal for several decades. Just released to the world market in 2013, the PicoSure is the best laser technology for removing tattoos! An IPL produces a broad-spectrum of light that is filtered. This technology is excellent to treat diffuse discoloration of sun-damaged skin. An IPL is not a laser and as such, it is not designed to remove tattoo pigment.

William Kirby, DO, FAOCD · Answer

IPL should never been used for tattoo removal. Using this modality can lead to scarring, ink retention and dyspigmentation. The gold standard and widely recognized means by which to remove a tattoo is via Q-switched laser technology. An attempt to remove a tattoo with an IPL device is the sign of an uneducated health care provider and is a major source of liability.

Jerome Potozkin, MD · Answer

IPL would not be a great treatment for your tattoo. You need to seek the care of an expert who has a Q-Switched laser. There are many different types. We typically use multiple laser wavelengths of light to treat different colored tattoos.

Hisham Seify, MD, PhD, FACS · Answer

Different types of lasers will be useful depending on the color of your tattoo. You will require a Q-switched ruby or YAG laser for black and blue tattoos, a Q-switched KTP laser for red tattoos and/or a Q-switched Alexandrite laser for purple and orange colors. In general the darker the tattoos the easier to get rid of it as the pigment absorbs the laser energy better. Best of luck!

Is IPL the most effective laser for color ink?

Answers (8)

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