Traumatic Tattoos Research Articles

Effective treatment of traumatic tattoos with a Q‐switched Nd:YAG laser

Background and Objective It is well known that the Q-switched Nd:Yag (QSNd:YAG) laser works well in the treatment of blue-black tattoos and benign pigmented lesions. It is less well known that this laser can also treat traumatic tattoos after accidents. Materials and Methods Twelve patients with traumatic tattoos were treated with a QSNd:YAG laser, 1064 nm. Results Gravel, mascara, high explosives, and older tattoos responded best with total clearance after 2–5 treatments. Hard materials such as asphalt, amalgam, and metal needed 6–11 treatments, and there was not always complete clearance. Transcient hypopigmentation but no scarring was seen. Conclusion QSNd:YAG laser treatment of traumatic tattoos is effective, atraumatic, and a good alternative to mechanical dermabrasion or other conventional therapies. Lasers Surg. Med. 22:103–108, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Effective treatment of traumatic tattoos with a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser

It is well known that the Q-switched Nd:Yag (QSNd:YAG) laser works well in the treatment of blue-black tattoos and benign pigmented lesions. It is less well known that this laser can also treat traumatic tattoos after accidents. Twelve patients with traumatic tattoos were treated with a QSNd:YAG laser, 1064 nm. Gravel, mascara, high explosives, and older tattoos responded best with total clearance after 2-5 treatments. Hard materials such as asphalt, amalgam, and metal needed 6-11 treatments, and there was not always complete clearance. Transcient hypopigmentation but no scarring was seen. QSNd:YAG laser treatment of traumatic tattoos is effective, atraumatic, and a good alternative to mechanical dermabrasion or other conventional therapies.

Successful treatment of traumatic tattoos with the Q-switched neodymium

We report two patients with traumatic tattoos on the face which were successfully treated with the Q-switched neodymium-yttrium-aluminium garnet (Nd:YAG) laser with excellent cosmetic results.

Q-switched laser treatment of tattoos

In the last decade, Q-switched lasers have expanded the clinician’s ability to treat decorative, cosmetic and traumatic tattoos without scarring. Previous methods of gross tissue removal with resultant scarring have been replaced by the highly selective removal of tattoo pigment with minimal changes in skin texture or pigmentation. This article reviews use of the Q-switched ruby, Q-switched neodymium-yttrium-aluminum-garnet and Q-switched alexandrite lasers in the clinical management of patients with tattoos.

Treatment of Traumatic Tattoos With the Q-Switched Neodymium:YAG Laser

Treatment for traumatic tattoos often results in incomplete removal of the pigment or produces unacceptable scars or textural changes. Successful results using Q-switched ruby lasers have been reported. The Q-switched neodymium:YAG laser, with a wavelength of 1064 nm and a pulse duration of 5 to 7 nanoseconds, penetrates deeper into the skin and has less interaction with melanin than the Q-switched ruby laser. The present study documents 32 cases of traumatic tattoos involving 51 sites of the face, trunk, and extremities in patients ranging in age from 6 to 58 years. All patients were treated with the Q-switched neodymium:YAG laser. Excellent results were noted for 50 of 51 treated tattoos. The number of treatments to achieve excellent results ranged from 1 to 6, with an average of 1.7. No scarring, atrophy, textural changes, or hypopigmentation was noted in any of the cases. Transient postinflammatory hyperpigmentation of 3 months' duration was noted in 1 patient. The Q-switched neodymium:YAG laser was effective in removing traumatic tattoos without any significant side effects.

Traumatic Tattooing: Treatment with the Q-Switched Ruby Laser

This case report details the successful treatment of extensive, facial traumatic tattooing in an adult male. The Q-switched ruby laser was utilized. It is demonstrated to be an excellent tool for the treatment of traumatic tattooing. The results achieved are superior to other methods and complications reported with other treatment options are minimized.

Lentigo benigna. Removal with the Q-switched ruby laser

The Q-switched ruby laser (wave-length 694 nm, pulse duration 25 ns or 40 ns) causes selective damage to natural or artificial pigment. This laser has produced very good results in the treatment of amateur, professional and traumatic tattoos and of a number of benign pigmented lesions. We report on two patients with lentigines treated effectively with a Q-switched ruby laser.

Behandlung von Gefäßmalformationen und Pigmentstörungen an Gesicht und Hals durch gepulsten Farbstofflaser, Photoderm VL und gütegeschalteten Rubinlaser

Two new types of lasers, the pulsed dye laser and the Q-switched ruby laser, have shown good to excellent results in the treatment of vascular malformations and benign pigmented lesions of the skin. A new and very effective alternative to pulsed dye laser is the recently introduced Photoderm VL. This device is based on the use of a wide-band non-coherent intense pulsed light source which emits a continuous spectrum in the range of 515 nm to 1200 nm. More than a 1000 patients with a variety of lesions of the skin were treated by these new laser systems and the Photoderm VL. The Q-switched ruby laser (wavelength 694 nm, pulse duration 25 ns) is suitable for the treatment of benign lentigines, café-au-lait macules, seborrhoic ceratosis, tattoos, and traumatic tattoos. The pulsed dye laser (585 nm, 0,3-0,45 ms) treats nevi flammei, capillary hemangiomas, telangiectasias, xanthelasma, hypertrophic scarring, and adenoma sebaceum. In addition we present the facilities of the new Photoderm VL (515 nm-1200 nm, 0,5-20 ms) for the treatment of nevi flammei, benign hemangiomatous malformations, telangiectasias, erythrosis interfollicularis colli, hypertrophic scarring, and hypertrichosis. the Q-switched ruby laser, the pulsed dye laser, and the Photoderm VL show excellent results in the treatment of lesions of the skin, which otherwise would have been difficult to treat of untreatable. The efficiency of the laser types presented is based on the theory of selective photothermolysis. Scarring is almost never seen and hypo- or hyperpigmentation is in most cases transient.

Successful Elimination of Traumatic Tattoos by the Q-Switched Alexandrite (755-nm) Laser

Traumatic tattoos are very difficult to eradicate because of the resultant deep penetration of foreign body particles. Previous treatments, such as surgical excision and dermabrasion, commonly resulted in incomplete removal or significant scarring or both. Three patients with traumatic tattoos were treated with the Q-switched alexandrite laser (755 nm), with complete lesional resolution observed after one to four treatments. No adverse sequelae, such as scarring or pigmentary alteration, were noted in the laser-irradiated skin.

Cosmetic Use of Lasers

During the 35 years of their existence, lasers have assumed an ever-expanding role in cosmetic surgery due to their reproducible precision in effectively managing a number of cutaneous conditions and disorders for which no acceptable form of treatment has been developed. Current medical lasers can be used to fade or remove many vascular and pigmented birthmarks, decorative and traumatic tattoos, solar and rosacea telangiectasia, and many acquired pigmentary disorders, without a visible scar or change in texture. In order to provide their patients with the best possible aesthetic result, cosmetic surgeons should be familiar with the advantages, disadvantages, and potential complications of lasers.

The use of microsurgical planing to treat traumatic tattoos.

A traumatic tattoo results from an abrasion in which dirt, carbon, tar, asphalt, or other particles have become embedded beneath the superficial layer of the dermis. These embedded particles are difficult to remove completely. Under a microscope, rectangular epidermal and upper dermal grids including these pigments are made, and each section of the grid is removed. The microsurgical planing technique has the following advantages: it saves the maximum possible amount of normal skin, and the particles are completely removed. Twenty patients have been treated with this technique and have obtained excellent results.

Options for laser selection in the treatment of cutaneous vascular and pigmented disorders and tattoos

A confusing array of new lasers is now available in the treatment of cutaneous vascular and pigmented disorders and tattoos. This article describes the physiology and clinical usage of currently available cutaneous lasers (excluding the C0 2 laser). Clinical indications for each of these lasers are summarized. Cutaneous vascular malformations such as port wine stains, hemangiomas, and telangiectasia may be treated using argon, neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Nd:YAG) krypton, argon-pumped tunable dye, copper vapor, or flash lamp pulsed-dye (585 nm) lasers. Automated scanners have extended the use and safety of continuous-wave lasers. Melanocyte disorders such as epidermal lentigo, cafe au lait spots, age spots, and dermal melanocytosis (nevus of Ota) may be treated by argon, flash lamp pulsed-dye (510 nm), argon-pumped tunable dye, copper vapor, or Q-switched Nd:YAG, ruby, or alexandrite lasers. Professional, amateur, and some traumatic tattoos can be treated with Q-switched ruby, Nd:YAG, and alexandrite lasers, resulting in marked lightening of most colors after a series of treatments.

Treatment of traumatic tattoos by Q-switched ruby laser.

The Q-switched ruby laser is currently used in the treatment of amateur and professional decorative tattoos. The present study documents the clinical management and follow-up of 12 subjects with traumatic tattoos treated with the Q-switched ruby laser. The results of this study indicate that an excellent clinical outcome can be achieved with substantial removal of the targeted foreign pigmented matter while potential adverse effects are significantly reduced. Hypopigmentation, which occurred in four patients (33.3 percent), was temporary and resolved spontaneously in all subjects within 6 months of laser exposure. There was no hypertrophic scarring, atrophy, or induration seen in any of the subjects treated with the Q-switched ruby laser.

Facial Injuries from Falling

A retrospective analysis was undertaken of 108 patients with facial injuries from falling who presented at the Plastic Surgery Unit of the Toyo-oka Public Hospital from 1988 to 1990. Facial injuries from falling were common in little children, in those < 6 years of age comprising 45.4% of injuries. Age-dependent characteristic injury sites were found (i.e., in those < 2 years old, the forehead; in small children, the chin; in students, the lip; and in older persons, the cheek); this disparity can be explained by the mechanism of injury. The injury pattern also depended on age, varying activities, and tissue strength. In children of < 6 years of age, small lacerations on the forehead or chin were most common, but even conservative treatment could achieve good results. On the other hand, inadequate suturing by emergency room physicians brought on poor results. In adults, abrasions and traumatic tattoos occurring with late-night inebriation tended to develop some sequelae.

Rapid Response of Traumatic and Medical Tattoos to Treatment with the Q-Switched Ruby Laser

Traumatic tattoos can be very difficult to remove. Excision is often not possible because of the extent of the tattoo, and dermabrasion may not be able to reach the area of pigment without significant scarring. Six patients with traumatic (n = 5) or medical (n = 11) tattoos were treated with the Q-switched ruby laser with complete or nearly complete resolution after one to six treatments without cutaneous scarring or permanent pigmentary alteration.

Treatment of traumatic tattoos with various sterile brushes

Various types of brushes are efficient for the removal of foreign material accidentally projected into the skin by explosive or abrasive trauma. To evaluate how different times between injury and treatment influenced esthetic results, we retrospectively evaluated 14 patients subjected to the brushing technique. Two groups were identified. Group I had been treated within 24 hours of injury. In group II debridement had been performed later. Cosmetic results were strikingly better in group I. Our results demonstrate that debridement of traumatic tattoos should be carried out as soon as possible to achieve favorable cosmetic results.

Contribution to treatment of traumatic tattooing of the face

Contribution to treatment of traumatic tattooing of the face

Traumatic tattoo removal: Comparison of four treatment methods in an animal model with correlation to clinical experience

The acute or emergency treatment of traumatic tattoos has been based on the principles of immediate and thorough removal of all particles. The delayed treatment of traumatic tattoos has classically been with overgrafting or dermabrasion. We developed an animal model for traumatic tattoos. Two levels of wounds were made (shallow and deep). Each group consisted of five guinea pigs with one consistent level of wounding. Four treatment methods were applied: carbon dioxide laser, argon laser, overgrafting, and dermabrasion. The results were evaluated by trained observers on a gross basis. Although no statistically significant differences were found within these small groups, clinical experience in a small group of patients suggests that carbon dioxide laser may prove to be useful in the delayed treatment of traumatic tattoos. Eight patients have been treated over a 4-year period. Satisfactory total or subtotal foreign body removal of various agents (road tar, cement, cooper particles) has been achieved.

Dermabrasion of traumatic tattoos: simple, inexpensive, effective.

In this article we describe the use of an electrosurgical cautery tip scratch pad for the treatment of traumatic (adventitious) tattoos. This inexpensive item is available in most surgical operating rooms. The pad is flexible yet firm and obviates the need for power equipment. Most important, the technique is simple, easy to learn, and highly effective.

Management of acute facial powder burns.

To evaluate the management and outcome of acute facial powder burns, 10 patients admitted to a burn center (1980-1985) were reviewed. Facial burns resulted from black gun-powder in 7 and fireworks in 3 patients. Most burns occurred in teenage boys (6) and all but 1 were the result of carelessness on the part of the burn victim. While most facial burns were treated conservatively, 2 patients sustained traumatic tattooing and underwent immediate debridement using a variety of surgical techniques in sequence. Good aesthetic results were obtained and the details of this approach are presented.