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Role of the alexandrite laser for removal of tattoos
Author(s) -
Stafford Timothy J.,
Lizek Robert,
Tan Oon Tian
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
lasers in surgery and medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.888
H-Index - 112
eISSN - 1096-9101
pISSN - 0196-8092
DOI - 10.1002/lsm.1900170104
Subject(s) - dermatology , ruby laser , pig skin , medicine , laser , blue light , surgery , materials science , optics , biomedical engineering , optoelectronics , physics
Background and Objective: The development of the Alexandrite laser for the removal of blue‐black tattoos is described. Study Design/Materials and Methods: The responses of an animal study, using professionally tattooed skin and a human study involving 22 (professional and nonprofessional) blue‐black tattoos, to the Alexandrite laser are reported. Results: Histopathologic evaluation of tattooed pig skin biopsies demonstrated the method of removal of dermal tattoo pigment. An average 11.6 treatments were required to remove completely the ten human blue‐black professional tattoos compared to an average of 10.3 treatments to reach the same endpoint in six subjects with nonprofessional tattoos. Conclusion: Of significance was the fact that unlike the Q‐switched Ruby and Nd: YAG lasers where punctate bleeding and tissue splattering have been reported to occur during laser tattoo removal, epidermal integrity was maintained during exposure of tattooed skin to the Q‐switched Alexandrite laser at therapeutic fluences used. © 1995 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.