Abstract

Lasers have been employed in the removal of tattoos for the past three decades. During this time period, advances in the procedure allow ″lightening″ of tattoos with minimal risk of scarring. The most important development was the concept of selective phothermolysis. This concept lead investigators to examine the effects of employing very short pulsed or q-switched lasers with different wavelengths in treating small tattoo pigment particles.

© 1997 Optical Society of America