Ernst Eibler

Q-switch laser and tattoo pigments: first results of the chemical and photophysical analysis of 41 compounds.

In the Western world, there are at least 20–30 million people with tattoos. Improved self‐image and social stigmatization are the main reasons for removing tattoos from skin. Q‐switched lasers are applied to destroy the tattoo compounds in the skin. The treatment of tattoos containing ink often gives excellent results, whereas the results of treatments for coloured tattoos are not predictable and usually are worse. The chemical structure and the absorption spectra of the tattoo pigments are usually unknown. However, the efficacy of the treatment by using light of different Q‐switched lasers (wavelengths 510, 532, 694, 755, 1064 nm) is correlated to both the chemical structure of the tattooed compounds yielding specific absorption spectra and the laser wavelength used.