The development of highly specialized lasers has made this possible without scarring. Laser removal of tattoos works by guiding a highly-focused laser beam across the tattoo, fragmenting the pigment particles. These particles are then carried away and reabsorbed by the body. Q-switched lasers are the principle types of lasers used for tattoo removal. These include the Nd:YAG (neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet), Ruby, and Alexandrite lasers. The YAG laser is often chosen first because it penetrates deeper into the skin. Alexandrite and Ruby lasers are effective on green dyes, but red, orange, and purple pigments are more difficult to treat. Yellow is the most difficult color to treat because it is out of the wave length spectrum for all of the current-day lasers used. For some tattoos, a combination of lasers may be required.

Laser removal of tattoos feels like a hot snap of a rubber band and usually requires more than one treatment to obtain excellent results. In our skilled laser surgeon's hands, laser tattoo removal is a safe and simple procedure. Call us for details at (707) 725-8770)