Tattoos were once considered permanent. Today, PicoWay lasers are changing all that, along with thousands of unwanted tattoos! Gone are the days when you had to worry about the safety and effectiveness of laser tattoo removal. At Ingrid E. Trenkle, MD in Redlands, CA, we are tattoo removal experts. Read on, and we will shed some light on how PicoWay lasers can help you get rid of your unwanted tattoo.
What Is Laser Tattoo Removal?
Laser tattoo removal is the use of laser beams of various wavelengths to target areas of the skin that have unwanted ink. It has been considered the best means of removing tattoos for decades, and the science has benefited greatly from numerous technological advances. Today, 89% of people who choose to remove a tattoo say that they feel they made a good decision. Referring specifically to the PicoWay process, 100% of users on RealSelf.com said the treatment worked out well for them.
12 Facts About Picoway Lasers and Tattoo Removal
1. Picoway Lasers Are the Safest and Most Effective Removal Option
To understand why Picoway lasers are such an important innovation, it is important to understand how tattoo removal works. The ink of your unwanted tattoo is deep in the dermis of your skin. The dermis is the second layer of your skin. It is below the first layer, which is called the epidermis. When you choose to remove a tattoo with lasers, the beams go beyond the surface level and into the dermis where they fracture the ink into small particles that your body can absorb.
Picoway lasers are special because they emit wavelengths in picoseconds. A picosecond equals one trillionth of a second! This wavelength is powerful enough to blast the ink in your tattoo while being short enough to spare your surrounding tissue from being damaged. That’s some good science! Older kinds of lasers emitted longer wavelengths that were less precise.
2. Picoway Lasers Mobilize Your Dermal Macrophages
What are dermal macrophages? They make up part of your immune system, and they are responsible for clearing your skin of toxins and foreign elements.
Tattoos stay in your body despite your immune system’s best efforts because while your macrophages can absorb the ink, they cannot let it go.
Older lasers were not as effective at removing tattoos because when one macrophage was shattered, the ink that was released was simply absorbed by other macrophages. Older technology was not able to get around this problem. Today, PicoWay lasers can blast ink molecules into pieces so small your macrophages can finally get them out of your system. This new technology works with your body and not against it.
3. Tattoos Are Becoming More Popular; and So Is Tattoo Removal
You are certainly not alone if you want to remove one or more of your tattoos. According to a tattoo research survey conducted by Dalia Research in 2018, 40% of adults age 26 to 40 have at least one tattoo. With the stigma against tattoos becoming less and less strong, more and more people are choosing to get inked. Tattoos are now popular among people of every ethnicity, gender, age, and other demographics.
Statistically, 1 in 5 people who choose to get a tattoo will regret their choice. It is normal to wish you could undo your tattoo. Many people got their ink done when they were in their teens or early twenties, only to find that their tastes evolved over time. Regardless of the age you were when you got a tattoo, designs that served your sense of aesthetics once might not suit your style anymore.
4. PicoWay Lasers Can Treat All Ink Colors
When it comes to tattoos, some colors are easier to remove than others. Blues and blacks do not pose a big problem, but greens and pastel shades can be difficult to clear. Counterintuitively, lighter colors are tougher than darker ones. Not to worry! The PicaWay laser can handle the full spectrum of ink color. This is especially good news now that pastel colored tattoos are becoming more popular.
5. PicoWay Lasers Are Safe for All Skin Types
With older forms of tattoo removal, people with darker complexions were more at risk for side effects than lighter-skinned people. Fortunately, the PicoWay laser is FDA approved, specifically designed for cosmetic use, and safe for people of all skin types.
6. Before PicoWay Lasers, There Were Continuous Beam and Q-Switch Lasers
The history of tattoo removal shows that progress towards safe and effective techniques happened slowly but steadily. Before the 1990s, continuous beam lasers delivered wavelengths that were longer. They succeeded in removing a lot of unwanted ink, but they also damaged great amounts of surrounding skin tissue in the process. Back then, getting a tattoo removed was a decision that merited careful, painful deliberation.
Later on, Q-Switch lasers came into play. They offered shorter pulses of light that could eliminate tattoo ink more effectively and with less damage. PicoWay lasers take these improvements even further, offering more complete, risk-free tattoo removal than has ever been possible before.
7. Before Lasers, Tattoo Removal Methods Were Questionable
Looking back even further into the history of tattoo removal, we find some strange practices. Dermabrasion, the application of acid, salabrasion (rubbing the body with salt), skin grafts, excision, and surgical techniques have all been practiced. People have even tried injecting their skin with lemon juice! These approaches ranged from fairly effective to not effective at all, with a host of unwanted consequences.
Fortunately, the time for considering strange and inadvisable methods of tattoo removal has passed! Technology has officially caught up with our desire to get rid of tattoo ink in a way that is safe and permanent.
8. PicoWay Lasers Can Be Used on Tattoos That Are Partially Removed
Do you have the remnants of a tattoo that was partially removed? If you tried an older method of tattoo removal with results that were less than ideal, you can try again with PicoWay lasers. PicoWay lasers can pick up the slack of previous attempts and get rid of your tattoo more completely. Why live with a lot of tattoo residue when you could enjoy clearer skin?
PicoWay can be especially beneficial when a tattoo was only partially removed due to the fact that previous methods could not address certain ink colors. PicoWay lasers are effective against a broader spectrum of color and can remove areas of the old tattoo that were left behind before.
9. PicoWay Can Provide a Clean Canvas if Your Tattoo Will Be Altered
If you have a tattoo that you would like to revise (as opposed to remove), a talented tattoo artist can update your art. Many people who have a tattoo just want to change its design, either by modifying symbols to better reflect who they are or by enhancing the art for a greater aesthetic effect. If you still like the idea of having a tattoo but wish it were different, altering it could be a good choice for you.
If you choose to alter a tattoo, you want the work to look clean, as if it were an original as opposed to a modification. Most likely, you want to avoid the look of ink on ink. PicoWay lasers can eliminate aspects of the original tattoo that you don’t like. Afterwards, your tattoo artist will have more available canvas to create a design you love.
10. PicoWay Lasers Are Less Likely to Result in Scarring Than Other Methods
The process of tattoo removal does not need to be traumatic for your skin. We all know that getting a tattoo is painful, and living with a tattoo that you don’t like is painful in another way. PicoWay lasers were designed to minimize the stress they put on your body. The treatment is non-invasive and will not affect the tissue surrounding your tattoo. While other methods of tattoo removal can leave scars instead of clear skin, PicoWay lasers are the safest means of saying goodbye to ink.
11. There Is No Down Time With PicoWay
After getting tattoo removal with PicoWay lasers, you can resume normal activities the same day. This includes going back to work.
12. Fun Fact: Many Celebrities Have Opted for Tattoo Removal
If it weren’t for tattoo removal, we’d be seeing more ink on the red carpet. The most famous case involved Angelina Jolie. She previously had a tattoo on her left arm with the name of her ex, Billy Bob. After getting this tattoo removed, she replaced it with a different tattoo listing the coordinates that mark the birthplaces of her children. Other celebrities that have chosen to remove tattoos include Heidi Klum, Mark Wahlberg, 50 Cent, and Johnny Depp.
The Importance of Being Comfortable With Your Body
Your appearance is undeniably an expression of you. You choose everything from your clothes to your accessories to the color of your hair. You may even spend time at the gym achieving your perfect form. For many people, an unwanted tattoo is an interruption to their positive outward portrayal of self. Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be. With today’s technology, you can take control over your appearance, including your tattoos.
If you are uncomfortable wearing short sleeves, backless dresses, or shorts because you don’t want to show an unwanted tattoo, PicoWay lasers can provide a solution. They can take the stress out of getting dressed in the morning, planning clothes for a vacation, or choosing outfits for special events. After you get an unwanted tattoo removed, you can be proud of your body instead of feeling like you have something to hide.
Get a Fresh Start With Laser Tattoo Removal
When your tastes have evolved beyond the look of your old tattoo, it’s a good time to consider laser tattoo removal. If you feel a tattoo is preventing your outer image from reflecting how you feel on the inside, PicoWay lasers can remedy the situation. If you have a tattoo you regret, there’s no need to live with it forever.
PicoWay lasers are the safest and most effective means of removing your tattoo. They outperform all older technologies, including continuous beam lasers and even Q-Switch lasers. Unlike skin grafts and other invasive measures, they do minimal damage to your skin with the least risk of scarring.
Whether you want to clear canvas for a tattoo revision, polish up a past attempt to remove your tattoo, or simply get rid of an image that you don’t like anymore, laser tattoo removal with PicoWay lasers can update your appearance to best reflect your truest self. Contact Ingrid E. Trenkle, MD in Redlands, CA for more information on laser tattoo removal. We are happy to help you say goodbye to unwanted tattoos for good.
