Evaluation of the Efficacy of Tattoo-Removal Treatments with Q-Switch Laser

Laser therapy is the gold standard for tattoo removal. With laser removal, tattoo pigment particles can be selectively destroyed without harming the surrounding tissue by means of selective photothermolysis. This requires the correct choice of laser parameters, including wavelength, radiant exposure, and pulse duration of the applied laser. Q-switch Nd:YAG lasers are very effective in the treatment of tattoos; for effective and safe clearance, the laser system must be able to deliver nanosecond pulses with very high pulse energy and a uniform beam profile. In our study 10 patients requesting tattoo removal were treated using Fotona’s QX MAX Q-switch Nd:YAG laser, which offers four different wavelengths in a single system; 1064 nm Nd:YAG was used to treat and remove dark pigments, 532 nm KTP for red, purple and orange tattoo inks, 650 nm dye for green tattoo inks and 585 nm dye for sky-blue colored inks. Being aware that multiple treatments are needed for successful tattoo removal, we predicted the number of required treatments using Kirby-Desai scores and evaluated the efficacy of the prediction of the required number of sessions by comparing the Kirby-Desai score assessment with the real number of required sessions. We also propose a version of assessment method of tattoo removal efficacy after treatment with a visual decrement scale. Satisfactory tattoo removal of all tattoos was achieved. We were able to provide a good assessment of the number of treatments required to achieve complete tattoo removal, thus matching patient expectations and establishing realistic goals.