Laser Tattoo Removal at Forever Institut

Tattooing

A tattoo is the introduction of mineral, botanical or synthetic microparticles into the skin. Tattoos can be accidental, decorative or tribal. Tattooing is becoming increasingly popular among men and women of all ages, origins and social strata.

In principle, people get tattoos for life, as the inks injected are indelible. But in some cases, you regret it to the point of wanting to remove your tattoo. The main reasons for tattoo removal are :

• a poorly executed drawing ;
• a first name that is no longer relevant;
• the tattoo was done under pressure from a third party;
• the design no longer appeals;
• an occupational handicap, when the tattoo is on a part of the body that is easily and frequently exposed to the eye;
• with age, the contours of the tattoo have faded and lost their definition;
• because it's considered a youthful mistake.

Laser tattoo removal

The principle of laser tattoo removal is based on the pigments in the tattoo absorbing the light energy emitted by the laser. The laser concentrates so much energy in the coloured particles that they fragment and become invisible. The body will then gradually reabsorb the ink in the weeks following the session.

Until the end of 2013, we mainly used the Q-Switch Alexandrite, Nd:YAG and Q-Switch Ruby lasers; the Nd:YAG to erase the colour red or treat dark skin and the Q-Switch Alexandrite and Ruby to target other colours and black.

While these lasers offer excellent results (disappearance of the pattern and absence of scarring), they do not resolve all cases. Some colours are resistant to treatment. For example, orange, violet and turquoise absorb the light emitted by these lasers very poorly, so these colours were impossible to erase.

What's more, until now, laser tattoo removal has been a lengthy process, requiring numerous sessions to achieve a satisfactory result.

The technological revolution

The laser Picosure represents a major innovation in the field of tattoo removal. This new laser emits a picosecond pulse - 100 times shorter and more powerful than before. Forever Institut was the first centre in Switzerland to have this new laser.

The ultra-short pulse duration of the Picosure goes beyond thermal action by creating an intense mechanical impact. This phenomenon results in better destruction of the target for an optimal result with fewer treatments and less fluence. The tissues surrounding the treated area are also better preserved (less risk of side-effects). The fact that Picosure technology requires less light absorption explains why coloured particles that absorb little light (such as yellow and turquoise) can still be destroyed.

The advantages of this new laser:

• It is effective on certain stubborn colours and inks, where previous generation lasers failed;
• It removes permanent make-up, such as eyebrow make-up;
• it delivers better results in fewer sessions;
• the skin recovers better between two sessions.

Results of laser tattoo removal

Since 2014, we've treated thousands of cases at Forever Institut, and we've seen fantastic results, particularly on tattoos that no longer responded, or permanent make-up. For example, in the case of eyebrow tattoo removal, we often noticed that the colour of the pigments turned black after the laser treatment. This is no longer the case with the Picosure laser.