Dr Kevin Chua

That is an excellent question. There are 3 processes that happen during a tattoo removal process. 1. Photo-thermal effectAs soon as the pigment absorbs the laser energy, some of it is burnt up. 2. Photo- acoustic effectLight waves behave like sound waves. Some of the pigment shatters upon contact with the light waves. 3. LymphaticsThe fragments of pigment are cleared by the body. The location, colour, age of the tattoo and amount of ink involved determine the difficulty or ease of removal of the tattoo. The best method remains the laser.

Acne leave behind mainly ice-pick or box-car scars. The base of each scar is held down by connective scar tissue. My preferred method is to use a combination of laser treatment and Rejuran Injections to improve the overall texture of the skin. The PicoWay has an attachment called the RESOLVE handpiece. When the laser enters the skin, it creates areas of cavitation under the skin called Laser Induced Optical Breakdowns. This helps to disrupt the connective tissue holding the base of the scar down.

The gold standard remains the Q-switched laser for tattoo removal. However, my preferred method is to use the PicoWay laser because: it spares the thicker hairs from turning white is generally accepted to be less painful and has a quicker recovery time compared to Q-Switched lasers It also generally requires fewer sessions. You will need to bear in mind that you are now dealing with 2 layers of ink (from the cover-up) and will likely require more sessions compared with if you had started treatment before the cover-up was done.

Melasma is relatively common skin problem where there are brown to grey-brown patches on the face. Treatment and response depends on the depth of the pigmentation. Treatment can be quite challenging. I personally prefer the PicoWay because it has the RESOLVE attachment which helps to further break up the pigmentation in question as well as stimulate rejuvenation. There is also very little social downtime since recovery is relatively fast.

I personally love the Hydrafacial since I first installed it in my clinic nearly 10 years ago. It gives an immediate glow to the face after each treatment. I encourage my patients to get regular treatments with an initial treatment goal of 1 every 1 to 2 weeks for the first 6 weeks to load the skin up with moisture and anti-oxidants. With the newest Antiox+ serum combined with Glyseal prep, you get the best results possible. Unlike other microdermal abrasion treatments, the Hydrafacial does not use any harsh salt crystals.

Many patients are eager to see immediate results, but it is important for you to understand that the tattoo removal s a long drawn out process and it takes time. Patience is key! Some factors that will affect how quickly your tattoo clears include: Your body’s immune system (ability to breakdown the ink and repair itself) Body placement of your tattoo Type of ink colors Amount of ink used Is there it over an existing scar or a pre-existing tattoo Whether or not you smoke Technology also plays an important role in the rate of complete removal.

Information is easily available online. It is also in the palm of your hands. I would do a search on your favorite search engine either on your smart phone or computer and read a few reviews before making a decision on the ideal person to help remove your tattoos. You also need to consider the laser technology used as well as the person operating the laser. This is going to be a long process and you will need to be comfortable with the person who is doing the treatment. The current gold standard laser remains the Medlite C6.

Most black ink tattoos take about 3 to 12 months depending on the type of laser technology used. Colorful tattoos such as yours are harder to treat. On an average, each laser treatment is spaced out between four to six weeks as stacking the treatments too closely together can cause damage and possibly leave you with scars. The colour and amount ink being treated also determines the number of sessions required. Green and sky-blue inks are especially difficult to remove using the traditional lasers. Such lasers include the gold standard Medlite C6. Look to newer technologies such as the PicoWay.

Hi Jie Sheng, Your skin needs time to heal. Attempting to remove a tattoo whilst it is still healing only increases your chance of scarring. I advise all my patients to wait at least 4 weeks before going for treatment. In my experience, tattoos that are less than a year old are much harder to remove when compared with a tattoo that has been there 10 years. Your body tries to get rid of the ink as soon as you get it. Older tattoos means that your body has had more time to remove when compared to a fresh tattoo.

Hi Ges Shu, Tattoo removal typically doesn't cause scarring. However, there is still a chance that your skin will scar because it's fighting against the trauma of tattooing and laser removal. There are also instances where patients scratch the wound while it’s healing and dig out the good skin cells, which leads to scarring. There are also some treatment methods are slightly less prone to scarring. For example, I often recomend the PicoWay treatment to my patients because it lowers the chance of scarring much more than the Medlite C6 that I also use.

Your skin needs time to heal. Attempting to remove a tattoo whilst it is still healing only increases your chance of scarring. Minimally, I would advise four to six weeks between each laser treatment as stacking the treatments too closely together can cause damage instead. You might need to wait a little longer if you are a smoker as well.

Hi Mei Siew, The best method for tattoo removal remains the laser. Choosing the right person to do the job is just as important as the laser technology used. The PicoWay treatment remains my favorite laser for this purpose because of the range of colors it can treat in addition to the speed at which it clears most tattoos.

Hi Sising, Before the PicoWay arrived, it was green and sky blue. I would say that the hardest colour to remove is now red/brown. Black ink is the easiest and most straightforward colour to remove. However, I have seen an increasing trend in metallic black ink being used. This makes the removal process much more complicated as the metallic pigment tends to reflect the laser energy away. This results in additional sessions to completely remove the tattoo. In a tattoo removal process, the part that absorbs the laser energy is called the chromophore.

I’m afraid that it would not be possible unless your tattoo has very little ink to begin with. Most tattoos usually require 3 to 12 sessions depending on the laser used and the person using it. Some factors that will affect how quickly your tattoo clears include: Your body’s immune system (ability to breakdown the ink and repair itself) Body placement of your tattoo Type of ink colors Amount of ink used Is it over an existing scar or a pre-existing tattoo? Whether or not you smoke Technology definitely plays an important role in the rate of complete removal.