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There are several reasons why someone might want to remove tattoos.
Perhaps they no longer believe in what the tattoo represents.
Or maybe they want to remove tattoos to get a new tattoo.
Sometimes military service or employment might require tattoo removal.
In any case, the best tattoo removal technique is to go for laser treatment.
If you don’t have time to read the complete article, here are our top picks.
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Newest Professional Picosecond-Laser-Pen - Removing Tattoo Skin Tag Scar Freckle Mole Skin... | Buy on Amazon |
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This is a product offered by various sellers. The package we chose comes with protective goggles that block light and glasses that filter the laser light’s wavelength. The seller includes English instructions and offers to email instructional videos.
Also important, they offer a one-year warranty and a six-month refund policy.
The blackout goggles are convenient for when someone else is using laser treatment technology to treat your face. Then, the yellow glasses are useful for when you are treating another part of your body yourself.
This tattoo removal laser pen is battery-operated and rechargeable. It comes with an adapter that has a US plug, but it runs on voltages worldwide.
It’s about seven and a half inches long with a barrel that’s less than an inch and a half in diameter. It weighs about 20 ounces.
As for the specifics about how it works, it emits 450nm light in picosecond bursts. This targets melanin and tattoo ink. It comes with a Pulse duration of < 70 ps with average power 0.7 mW at 40 MHz.
It stings, but apparently not as much as having the procedure done in a clinic. There should be no bleeding and no burning if you follow directions.
The manufacturer recommends starting with the lowest frequency and intensity to avoid damaging the skin, though it might be different for different skin types. Oddly, level 9 is the lowest setting.
Don your protective glasses and prepare yourself for the loud beeping noise the laser emits.
Perform one laser treatment then wait as many days as it takes for the wound to heal before you do another. In the meantime, protect the skin from sunlight.
They anticipate a minimum of six sessions to remove a tattoo.
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The Beemyi Picosecond Pen appears to be a clone or re-brand of the NEATCELL laser.
It also features nine frequency levels and four intensity levels.
The 2021 edition is rechargeable by way of the included micro USB cable.
The package we selected includes blackout glasses, simple English instructions, and the offer of an operational manual by email.
Unfortunately, there are no operator glasses included.
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Another blue laser picosecond pen offers two wavelengths with four levels of intensity.
It comes with a one-year warranty and a six-month refund policy. There’s also an English manual and a pair of protective eyeglasses that appear to be blackout goggles.
This model is somewhat bulkier, and it isn’t rechargeable as it requires you to plug it in to operate it. It comes with a power cord.
Red light lasers break up dark-colored tattoos ink and remove freckles and age spots.
Komwell makes this red laser pen. It comes with a one-year warranty and a six-month satisfaction guarantee.
There are four intensity levels and three different wavelengths.
The laser systems itself is rated for 2 million pulses before it no longer functions.
Although there is a pair of protective glasses in the package, they block light instead of filtering it. That’s only convenient if someone else is working on you and you need to cover your eyes. Consider buying a separate pair if you plan to treat yourself.
Please protect your eyes when performing laser tattoo removal.
Those pulses of light may look pretty, but they can burn your retina, and you’ll go blind. Obviously, you should never look directly at the laser light even with safety glasses on.
Besides eye protection, invest in the materials you need to keep your skin healthy.
This pair of safety glasses filter out a wide range of blue light like that used by picosecond lasers. In fact, they protect against blue, green, and violet lasers.
When you wear them, you’ll still be able to see to perform the treatment.
The package includes a case and a cleaning cloth.
If you’re using a red laser for tattoo removal, you’ll need safety glasses that filter out the appropriate wavelengths. This pair takes care of red, yellow, and green laser light.
Take note that the polycarbonate lenses are mounted on an adjustable frame that fits over eyeglasses.
They come with a case, too.
We’ve mentioned a few times that laser tattoo removal is painful. But you can get around the problem by using numbing cream.
Lidocaine is a topical anesthetic that’s FDA-approved for regular folks to use at home as long as it’s in a 5% or less concentration.).
Not only can you numb your skin before tattoo removal, but you can desensitize it before you get a new tattoo.
Plus, a numbing cream is useful for all sorts of bites, stings, and even hemorrhoids.
Nivagen manufactures this cream in an FDA-licensed facility in the USA.
It’s not greasy or sticky, but soothing and moisturizing with natural ingredients. There are no parabens or nasty chemical additives in it.
You’ll begin to feel the full effect about 20 minutes after you apply it. Then your skin will stay numb for up to two hours.
Another option is Dr Numb. It claims to work a little faster and last a little longer than Ebanel. In as little as 15 minutes, you’ll be pain-free. Then the effects last up to four hours (if you apply it like the instruction below suggest).
Since it’s not oily, many tattoo artists won’t mind if you prep your skin with it before getting inked.
This cream with a 5% concentration of lidocaine is used by professionals across North America. The brand is FDA-certified and also approved by Health Canada.
The famed Cosco Green Soap is a staple item in many tattoo studios. You’ll find it listed in our reviews of the best tattoo aftercare products.
It’s a strong disinfectant for the skin.
This package includes a pint-size container of soap and a squeeze bottle. The extra bottle is handy since you’ll need to dilute the soap before you use it.
Sanibalm is made by Saniderm, the bandage manufacturer. It comes with a 100% satisfaction guarantee.
It’s a quick and easy way to keep injured skin free of infection during tattoo removal.
The formula is rich in healing omega-7 fatty acids from sea buckthorn.
Rapid pulses of light emitted by the lasers heat ink particles.
Each blast only lasts a tiny fraction of a second, but it heats the particles up to almost 2000° F.
As you can imagine, this destroys cells immediately. Then the body eliminates what’s leftover
If you remove a tattoo on a part of your body where you have good blood circulation, the process works faster. You’ll probably need fewer laser treatments to finish the job.
For example, your chest and back are easy to clear, but your feet and lower legs take longer.
The key is to be patient, as you may need six to twelve sessions or more for laser treatment. And in between each session, your skin needs to heal.
Currently, the best tattoo removal lasers are picosecond lasers these are always considered over Q switched lasers. An important thing to keep in mind is that laser technology has evolved over the years.
That’s because they’re faster and they hurt less when compared to Q switched lasers, But the Q switched lasers are effective and were preferred years ago for treating blue-black tattoos and these are used for amateur tattoos as the job becomes easy through a Q switched laser removal.
But before 2012, the standard for tattoo removal was nanosecond lasers, which produce slightly longer pulses of light.
Both are Nd YAG laser with a crystal called neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet. Q switched nd yag laser is perfect for treating dark tattoo pigments, such as dark blue and black inks. Also, the Q switched nd yag laser is not likely to affect the skin pigment.
You might also hear of something called Q switched lasers. That’s where the laser has two different wavelengths: infrared and visible light. (This function isn’t necessary for tattoo removal.) Under the Q switched lasers technology, the ruby laser removal was the first laser treatment to be developed to remove dark tattoo pigments
Out of all tattoo removal machines out there, the Q switched lasers are getting outdated but Both nanosecond and picosecond lasers break down the ink in tattoos and are much faster than the Q switched ones delivering high energies, But the Picosecond lasers are considered expensive when compared to others.
Dermatologists say that laser treatment for tattoos with black and dark blue tattoo ink is the easiest to remove.
Light blue and green aren’t too hard, but purple is difficult.
Red isn’t impossible to erase, but yellow and orange are very challenging.
As you shop for your own laser removal at home, you need to know some numbers.
Lasers that emit 1064nm wavelength light are ideal for erasing black and dark tattoos also preferred for darker skin types. Along with 1064nm, 694nm light works on black ink.
Meanwhile, 532 nm light removes warm tones like red, purple, and brown. Then, 755 nm erases green and blue ink.
Usually, all the commercially available picosecond lasers come with wavelengths of 532 nm, 1064nm, and 755 nm.
Some inexpensive laser removal machines emit two wavelengths, 650nm or 585nm. Typically, these colors are created with dyed filters. This makes them less powerful.
Laser tattoo removal can be risky for People with tanned or darker skin types as they run the risk of removing their own pigment along with the tattoo ink. Even persons with pale skin type may see white patches where a tattoo was removed.
Doctors say that while depigmentation is common during laser tattoo removal, but it improves with time.
However, if you are treating tattoos on the body you might need fewer treatments to get the job done. But for the darker skin type, there is a high probability of side effects of removing their own pigment along with the tattoo ink as mentioned above.
Just like when you get a tattoo, professional tattoo removal creates an open wound.
Yes, it hurts.
When your session is over, the doctor will bandage it and give you instructions about caring for it.
In the days to come, you’ll probably have blisters, bruising, and scabs.
Don’t pick – treat it like you would a new tattoo.
Keep it clean and use an ointment to speed up the healing.
If you are planning for a laser removal of tattoo, please keep things sanitary as possible.
Use antibacterial soap to cleanse your skin.
Follow the directions that come with the equipment to avoid injuring yourself. And don’t try to rush things.
If you suspect that laser tattoo removal isn’t for you, there are other options. We also reviewed products that fade tattoos.
But if you’re ready to press onward, let’s look at the top laser removal of tattoos.
IPL lasers that remove hair are likely to burn your skin and scar it. It is different for different skin types.
It’s because they put out millisecond pulses to destroy the hair follicle. The long exposure to intense heat heats up the ink particles without breaking them up. It will damage your skin, perhaps irreparably.
You’ll end up with blisters and burns at a minimum.
In this case, more is not better.
Before you perform laser tattoo removal, wash your skin thoroughly. Use antibacterial soap if you have it for laser tattoo removal, it is extremely recommended.
Don gloves to avoid numbing your hands (unless you need to do ink removal there).
Then apply the numbing cream in a generous layer. Massage it in until it disappears.
Now put on a thick second layer and cover with plastic wrap.
Wait at least one hour for the cream to penetrate and activate. You can test it by pressing on the wrap over the skin. If you have no sensation, you’re ready.
Remove the excess cream with a dry paper towel and get to work with your laser pen on the tattoo.
Laser tattoo removal is the most effective way to erase ink under your skin.
While this procedure is usually done in a clinic, it may cost thousands of dollars to complete.
But luckily there are home-use laser removal for tattoos.
They are also useful for treating freckles, age spots, and acne scars, so it’s never money down the drain.
Follow the directions to protect your skin and be patient as results take weeks or months depending on the tattoo.
In the comments below, let us know about your success in removing your tattoo.
Resources:
1. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/306088185_NdYAG_1064-nm_picosecond_laser_vs_NdYAG_1064-nm_nanosecond_laser_in_tattoo_removal_A_randomized_controlled_single-blind_clinical_trial by F. Pinto, et al.
2. https://www.dermnetnz.org/topics/ndyag-laser-treatment/ by Anoma Ranaweera,
3. https://www.mdedge.com/dermatology/article/147787/aesthetic-dermatology/picosecond-lasers-emerging-go-tattoo-removal by Doug Brunk,
4. http://info.astanzalaser.com/blog/why-laser-wavelengths-matter-for-removing-tattoos by Opal Taskila
5. https://disappearink.com.au/ipl-laser/ by Peter Poulos
6. https://www.insider.com/everything-you-should-know-about-tattoo-removal-2019-7 by Janaki Jitchotvisut
Last update on 2024-10-09 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
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