Evaluation of Amateur and Professional Tattoo Removal by the Q Switched Nd:YAG Laser

Abstract

Background: A tattoo is visible and permanent pigmentation of the skin secondary to the deliberate or accidental deposition of exogenous pigment within the dermis. A variety of procedures have been used to remove tattoos, such as laser therapy, surgical excision, and dermabrasion. QS laser treatment can result in good cosmetic outcomes and complete or near-complete removal of many unwanted tattoos.Objective: to evaluate the QS Nd:YAG laser effects for amateur and professional tattoos removal.Materials & Methods: The study was done on 293 tattoo lesions from 176 patients (in both genders) , there were 239 amateur tattoos (136 patients) and 54 professional tattoos(40 patients). Tattoos on a wide range of body sites (limbs, feet, face, chest, shoulders and legs) were treated. Ages were between 17- 60 years. In this work, tattoos were divided to amateur and professional tattoos. A Q-switched Nd:YAG laser system was used throughout this study. All tattoos containing black and blue pigment were treated at 1064 nm. Tattoos containing red pigment were treated at 5 32nm. Treatment was scheduled at 4-6 weeks intervals and continued until maximum clearance of the tattoo was achieved, and the number of sessions varies from one to five sessions. For assessment of degree of lightening the method proposed by Lanigan was used: grade 1, complete response (> 95% lightening); grade 2, excellent response (76–95% lightening); grade 3, good response (51–75% lightening); grade 4, fair response (26–50% lightening); grade 5, poor response (0–25% lightening).Results: Amateur tattoos were often more numerous than professional tattoos. Eighty per cent of tattoos (198 of 239) were clinically clear at the time of analysis, this included 70.7% (169 of 239) which were ? 95% clear. Overall 56.6% of amateur tattoos were clinically clear after two treatments, and 82% (110 of 134) were clinically clear after 2-3 treatments, while the clinical clearance rate was 40% after six treatments for professional black tattoos. It is anticipated that response rates will increase when tattoos at an early stage of treatment receive further treatments,and P value was (0.004) which mean that there is significant difference between two groups.Conclusion: Amateur tattoos generally require fewer treatment sessions and the response is better than professional tattoos.