Would you treat someone with PicoSure 6 weeks after a C Section and 2 years following 6 months chemotherapy (FOLFOX)? (photo)

Question

I explained my medical history (6 weeks post c section, 2 years post colon cancer (extended right hemicolectomy and 6 months chemo). Despite this, I was told it would be fine to proceed. After 6 picosure treatments I'm left with awful scars/scar tissue and faded tattoos, which I worry will never go. What do you think?

Harold J. Kaplan, MD · Answer

Hi Re.  Your health history would not have prevented us from offering treatments - unless you were still breastfeeding.  We use a 6 month washout period for chemotherapy before offering any laser treatments and do not treat breastfeeding or pregnant women.  Neither one of these would have been an issue in your situation.Although tattoo removal can be a long and frustrating process, you should get through it.  Picosure is a great laser for green ink but is not the best laser for dark blue or red, so you may have been better suited to a q-switched Nd:Yg laser.  If the practice does not have a q-switched Yag, you may want to consider finding someone that does as the ink gets harder to remove the lighter it gets.  To see examples of before and after photos Los Angeles and Orange County patients that were treated with the Medlite (Yag) laser for tattoo removal, click the link below.

Mark Taylor, MD · Answer

PicoSure is a great laser with 755 red light.  Tattoo inks are color specific and need the right laser for each tatto ink color.  It may be that you need treatments with one of the other laser light colors such as 585nm on the QX Max Laser or 532nm on the new Cutera Enlighten PicoSecond laser.  We have four different tattoo removal lasers and often mix and match the different lasers to get optimum tattoo removal of all tattoo inks.

Karen Stolman, MD · Answer

I treat a lot of tattoos with laser.  I have multiple tattoo removal lasers, and recently got PicoSure.  Your history would not predispose to increased risk for scar.  That pink scar you have in the center of the flower can occur with any tattoo laser treatment in a person with no significant medical past.  I see that kind of scarring more often when the settings on the laser are a little too aggressive.  I would recommend you continue your treatments of the rest of the tattoo at a gentler setting (lower joules).  The lowest setting that will give the white steam bubbles is best.  If that scar doesn't fade within a few months on it's own, a few treatments with a fractionated 1540nm would improve it.

Would you treat someone with PicoSure 6 weeks after a C Section and 2 years following 6 months chemotherapy (FOLFOX)? (photo)

Answers (3)

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