Side Effects of Tattoo Removal

Overview | Treatment | Before and After Pictures | Cost

If you want to get a tattoo, finding a place to get one isn’t that hard these days. Tattoos are becoming more and more commonplace. And as you might guess, the number of people seeking laser-assisted tattoo removal for various reasons is rising too. Picking someone to treat your unwanted tattoo with a laser is a lot like picking a tattoo artist. You need to ask questions, see examples of their work and learn about their previous experience before you just go ahead and sit down in that chair.

Laser tattoo removal is a very safe procedure if it’s done by an experienced practitioner who’s using the right equipment. Just like disastrous tattoos, there can be severe, permanent and disfiguring side effects from laser tattoo removal. So, you need to do your homework!

The lasers that are used to remove tattoo ink are very powerful. They use a method called q-switching, which is a fancy way of saying their energy sources are amplified as they’re delivered into the skin. This is necessary because these lasers deliver a shockwave that is absorbed by the ink, breaking into many, smaller bits. These smaller pieces of ink can be digested by the body’s immune system and over time, the tattoo disappears. However, these powerful lasers can create some serious, lasting changes in the skin if they’re used incorrectly.

The three most common types are hypopigmentation, texture changes and bumpy scars known as keloids. Hypopigmentation is a lightening of the skin. It can happen if your treatment is done too aggressively, damaging the natural pigment cells in the skin. Texture changes like bumps and raised areas can also form from an overly aggressive treatment where there is a lot of blistering and scabbing. Lastly, keloid scars are significantly raised areas of scarring that extend outside the borders of the original injury. Again, these can happen if you are over-treated and your skin is burned by the laser. Unfortunately, if any of these occur, it’s permanent!

This is why choosing your laser tattoo removal practitioner is so important. No one wants to trade an unwanted tattoo for an unwanted scar! Here at Celibre Medical, we only use the most advanced, FDA-approved laser equipment to treat our tattoo patients. All our tattoo laser practitioners are licensed physicians, nurses or physician assistants with extensive experience, education and advanced training in the use of our lasers for tattoo removal. Our laser tattoo treatment protocols follow strict guidelines that are reviewed and updated regularly to follow the latest and safest laser tattoo removal techniques.

We’ve successfully treated tattoos of various sizes, locations and colors on almost every skin type (Asian, Caucasian, African American, Hispanic). We’ve helped thousands of people with unwanted tattoos in the southern California area, and we’d love the opportunity to help you too. Please give us a call to schedule your free consultation with us today!

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