Efficacy of laser treatment of tattoos using lasers emitting wavelengths of 532 nm, 755 nm and 1064 nm.

Abstract

Multifunctional laser devices can be used to treat tattoos successfully. To report the efficacy of laser treatment in professional, amateur, accidental and permanent make-up tattoos from our own experience and to compare it with the literature. We retrospectively studied 74 consecutive patients with professional, amateur, make-up and accidental tattoos between June 1998 and November 2000. Patients were treated with a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser (wavelengths of 532 nm and 1064 nm), a Q-switched alexandrite laser (755 nm) and a variable pulse Nd:YAG laser (532 nm). Fourteen patients (19%) achieved a complete response (>95% lightening of treated tattoos), 23 (31%) an excellent response (76-95% lightening) and 21 (28%) a good response (51-75% lightening). Sixteen patients (22%) showed only a slight improvement (< or =50% lightening). Make-up tattoos and blue-black professional tattoos were most successfully treated. Multicoloured professional tattoos needed more treatments (mean +/- SD 5.7 +/- 5.4) in comparison with single-colour tattoos (3.5 +/- 2.0). The amateur tattoos needed fewer treatments (2.8 +/- 1.1) in comparison with professional tattoos. With accidental tattoos the results depended on the particles which had penetrated the skin. In contrast to literature reports, newer tattoos showed a trend to better treatment results than older tattoos. Using modern Q-switched lasers, tattoos are removed successfully with minimal risk of scarring and permanent pigmentary alterations. Even multicoloured tattoos can be treated successfully and with a low rate of side-effects.