Blue, yellow, red and black tattoo,..Picosure or Revlite laser?

I suggest a multiple wavelength laser.  It is likely you will need a planned out multiple treatment approach.  Best, Dr. Emer.

Tattoo removal has been revolutionized with picosecond and nanosecond technology. It all comes down to technology and the ability to break down the ink particles into a size that your lymphatic channels are able to carry away from the skin and get rid of the ink. Black ink is the easiest to remove and comprise most tattoos. Red is second and yellow/green are last in terms of ease of removal. With these technologies, tattoo removals are more effective and usually require 40% less number of sessions. It is going to be important to find a practice that a physician does the treatments (required by OH State Medical Board) and has good results/experience with pictures. Good luck.

Thank you for your question.  Currently picosecond lasers are superior to the traditional Q-switched lasers but one limitation with the PicoSure is its single wavelength which is not ideal for red ink.  I would look instead for an Enlighten or PiQo4 laser.Good Luck!

Pico lasers are the most advanced technology. For colorful tattoos I prefer and utilize the PiQo4 laser which has 4 Pico wavelengths making it possible to remove 96% of ink in as little as 4-6 treatments on average. Tattoos are removed faster and safer with Pico lasers and there is less risk of scarring. I feel that it is important not only to seek the best technology but also an experienced laser tattoo removal provider. I have been practicing laser tattoo removal for almost 20 years. 

Thanks for your question.  Q-Switch or nanosecond lasers came out about 20 years ago. Picosecond laser came out about 3 years age.  If you are choose a Q-Switch laser, you could expect to have 15 to 20 treatments.  The majority of former Q-Switch patients we see have significant hypopigmentation (ghosting) around and under their tattoo.  The Q-Switch lasers have trouble differentiating between the melanin in your skin and ink.  The technology uses heat to burn the pigment out of your skin.  In addition, we have seen patients with raised scars as if they have been branded.  Both of these condition are irreversible.Picosecond lasers fire 1000 times faster, using a pressure wave rather than heat to shear the ink molecules apart.  After using the PicoSure for almost 2 years, we have only seen pinpoint hypopigmentation in a very small number of patients usually of darker skin tones.  We cannot say it is impossible to get burned with a Picosecond laser, but it is highly unlikely.  The 755 nm works well on almost all ink colors.  For PicoSure, the 532 nm wavelength is an upgrade over the original models and was added specifically for treating some red inks.  We tell every PicoSure tattoo patient to expect at least 6 treatments, but don’t be surprised if it takes 10 to 12.  Patience is the key for our patients.  We typically see our tattoo removal patients every 6 to 8 weeks initially.  If they have more time than money, we encourage them to come every 6 months as the tattoos seem to continue to fade while they wait.We recommend finding an experienced physician in your area with a picosecond laser with both the 755 & 532 nm wavelengths.  Treatment prices vary by market.  The cost for picosecond treatments will be higher, but you should need less than half the treatments compared to a nanosecond laser.