Laser tattoo removal is getting better and better every day, according to two studies published online in the Archives of Dermatology.
In one report, a Q-switched laser successful removed tattoos for 47.2% of participants after 10 treatments and in 74.8% after an additional five sessions. The tattoos had been in place for about 4 years, had a median size of 50.5 cm2, and were most commonly located on the trunk or extremities.
Certain factors increase the chances of success, including not smoking and the use of black or red ink only. In addition, better outcomes were seen when the interval between treatment sessions was longer than 8 weeks, the new study showed.
And in a second small study, treatments with an experimental picosecond alexandrite laser also yielded high success rates.
According to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, there were 40,801 tattoo laser treatments performed in 2011.
