9 Tattoo Removal

Richard L. Lin, Alexa B. Steuer, Andrea Tan, and Jeremy A. Brauer

Summary

The prevalence of tattoos continues to increase, with the rising popularity and shift in cultural attitudes regarding body art and self-expression. Concurrently, tattoo removal procedures have also seen an increase in demand, due to either regret or changes in personal or professional life events. Over the past few decades, laser procedures have become the gold standard for safe and effective tattoo removal. Quality switched, or Q-switched, nanosecond pulse duration lasers have long been considered state of the art; however, more recently, picosecond pulse duration lasers have become the new standard of care. Additionally, adjunctive treatment modalities, such as the perfluorodecalin-infused silicone patch, have been shown to aid in rapidly reducing laser-induced opaque whitening, thus allowing for an increased number of passes in rapid sequence without increasing the risk of adverse events. These advances hold promise for improved treatment experience and enhanced clinical outcomes in laser tattoo removal moving forward.

Key words

tattoo removal - laser - Q-switched laser - nanosecond - picosecond - perfluorodecalin

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