Laser removal of tattoos in vegan and omnivore patients.

BACKGROUND Clinical outcomes of tattoo removal vary widely among different patients ; it is known that tattoo-related features (such as pigments' type or quality, the use of multicolored inks, tattoo location size, location, layering and duration) and personal habits (as smoking or skin phototype) could influence the clinical response to treatment, the possible role of nutrition in affecting the laser treatment of tattoos has never been investigated. AIMS This study aims to compare the clinical response of tattoos removal between omnivore and vegan patients treated with Q-switched laser (QSL). PATIENTS/METHODS Twenty omnivore and twenty vegan patients treated for professional black tattoo removal with Nd:YAG QSL were enrolled in this study. The number of laser sessions and the median days required for complete healing were recorded; clinical improvement was evaluated 4 weeks after the last laser session. RESULTS The two groups were not different at the baseline in terms of sex, age, skin phototype, tattoos' age, location and density. Vegans needed more laser sessions (p<0,001) to achieve the best outcome, showed worst clinical responses (p=0,001) and needed more days for complete healing (p=0,006) compared to omnivores. CONCLUSION The results of this study point out the influence of vegan diet on QLS removal of tattoos.