How does laser tattoo removal work?

Laser tattoo removal is the most effective method for removing tattoo pigment without damaging the surrounding skin. Your immune system stimulates and sends WBC's to the area to filter as many ink particles as possible. Larger ink particles that the WBC's are unable to break down are left , leaving the tattoo on your skin.

In laser tattoo removal, the laser energy breaks up the pigments, with an high-intensity light beam. The pigment breaks down into microparticles, which are then carried out by WBC's and eliminated from the body through the liver. Laser tattoo removal works based on the principle of selective photothermolysis. This means that the darker the color, the more wavelength is absorbed by the laser, and the easier the ink gets destroyed.

Laser Tattoo Removal Treatments at Clinique

The most popular and safest laser is called the Q-switched laser, a gold standard in laser tattoo removal. The Q-switched laser is a high-intensity pulsed beam light that pushes the laser into the skin in short bursts of energy. When the laser is delivered on the skin, the pigment absorbs the energy of the laser which is then converted to heat. Chemical bonds in the tattoo pigment break down and small pigment particles are removed from the skin through blood vessels and the lymphatic system. The same laser technology is also effective at removing pigmented lesions, brown spots, sun spots, and age spots from the face and body.