There are a wide variety of factors that make laser tattoo removal the safest, most effective method to remove that unwanted ink. Here’s everything you need to know about the tattoo removal process.
Why are tattoos permanent?
The tattoo process deposits ink in the dermis, which is the inner layer of skin. Depositing ink particles in this layer ensures that they won’t be absorbed into the subcutaneous tissue below or leached out of the skin as the epidermis regenerates naturally.
When ink is deposited in the dermis, the body’s immune system reacts to it the same way it reacts to any other foreign body—white blood cells attempt to absorb and eliminate the foreign body.
Over time, the white blood cells eat away at the smaller ink particles, but most are still too large for the white blood cells to grab onto and remove from the skin. Because the ink particles are too large for the white blood cells to absorb, the skin cells heal around the particles and the ink becomes permanent.
How do lasers remove tattoos?
Lasers work to remove tattoos by breaking up the larger ink particles into pieces small enough for white blood cells to absorb them. To break up an ink particle, you need to heat it to make it expand due to thermal expansion, but the zap has to be quick enough so that half of the particle remains cool. The opposing cool and hot forces then separate the ink particles into smaller pieces.
Once the lasers break the ink particles apart into small enough pieces, the white blood cells can absorb them for transportation to the liver and elimination.
Does laser tattoo removal hurt?
Having a tattoo removed can be quite painful, often more so than getting a tattoo in the first place. The lasers heat the ink particles to thousands of degrees to break them down, but it happens so rapidly and in a concentrated area that the energy instead collapses into a Shockwave.
This Shockwave vibrates through the skin and causes the upper layer of skin to lift up and appear white, or to “frost.” Though temporarily painful, this effect usually lasts just a few seconds.
There are ways to manage the pain of laser tattoo removal. At EradiTatt, we do not offer local anesthesia or topical numbing creams (which most find to be ineffective when treating tattoos). We instead opt for a cool air system, the Cryo 6 Cool Air Device. This system helps to minimize pain with a stream of 30°C cold air. Cooling air also helps minimize thermal damage and work toward a smooth healing process.
As the tattoo site heals, you might experience some swelling, tenderness, and minor pain, similar to a sunburn. Proper laser tattoo removal aftercare can reduce discomfort.
Cost From: NGN 100, 000
CONTACT
Daisy Signature Aesthetics Service, Lagos.
Head Office: 15 Olawale Dawodu Street, off Ajayi Aina Street, Ifako Gbagada, Lagos, Nigeria.
Branch: 1 Nwora Close, off Oghosa crescent, off ihama road, GRA, Benin city Edo, Nigeria.
