Laser Therapies for Tattoo Removal

Ten to twenty percent of our population has some sort of cosmetic tattoo. Traumatic tattoos may occur when you fell off a bike and got asphalt and gravel ground into your skin, or when a school pencil accidentally punctured your skin leaving a permanent lead deposit. Patients are impressed by the way that our lasers eradicate tattoos without scarring. We can treat all colors of tattoos, and some can be removed in only one session. Amateur tattoos respond more rapidly than professional tattoos.

We love treating your tattoos since there is a story attached to every one: Your days in the military, your college days, peer pressure from your teenage days or your loving relationship that turned sour.

Let us help you eradicate your unwanted tattoo in a gentle and non-scarring method. No dermabrasion, no salabrasion, no surgery and no scars. The tattoo is vaporized by laser.

We use multiple lasers including the Versapulse C, Medlite C6 and our newest addition, the ALEXlazr by Candela. Laser experts attest that we have the finest array of tattoo removal lasers in the state of Oregon.

Case Study #1 - Decorative Tattoo

Susie was madly in love. So to profess her undying love, she anointed her body with a 'BRAD' tattoo. Some years went by, she is no longer with Brad, and she hates the ground he walks on.

Excising the tattoo would cause a large scar. The doctors at DLAM used the VersaPulse C laser to vaporize the tattoo.

Tattoo before treatment / Healing tattoo immediately after treatment.

The tattoo resolved almost 100% without a scar.  One session was used. 

Case Study #2 - Chest Tattoos

Laurel is a flower child. To get her parents attention, she enlisted a tattoo artist to place a large bird of paradise on her chest.

Now she is married, and a grandmother. Styles change, but tattoos do not.

The staff at DLAM recognized this one was a challenge! A large tattoo on the chest was more likely to scar compared with other body sites, and half a dozen colors were used in this multicolor tattoo.

Before & After

The tattoos were vaporized with the VersaPulse C three state-of-the-art lasers. Topical Emla with Saran Wrap occlusion served as anesthesia. Portions of the pigment were removed at 1 to 3 month intervals. After 6 sessions the tattoo is vastly lightened and less noticeable. After the procedure, Laurel was able to comfortably wear a tank top for the first time in 20 years.

Case Study #3:  Traumatic Tattoo - Upper Lip

Mabel was 50 years old, and she was trying to stay active. When riding her mountain bike she fell and scraped her upper lip on freshly laid asphalt. Excising this scrape would have resulted in a noticeable scar.

The doctors and staff at DLAM used the VersaPulse C laser for this accidental dermal tattoo. The pigment was nearly gone in one session. A touch up was done one month later.

Before & After

Case #4 - Traumatic Pencil Lead Tattoo

When in junior high school, Doug was accidentally pricked twice with a #2 lead pencil. His palm was left with permanent traumatic tattoos. Luckily the stabs were not on the face or in a cosmetic area, but (nonetheless) Doug did not like them.

In one session the VersaPulse C vaporized the tattoos without leaving a scar. Using a 'triple shot', one second you could see them and the next second they were gone. Doug felt a lightening fast 'pins and needles' sensation and then the dark blue pigment was gone.

Although a trivial example, this case illustrates how the VersaPulse C laser eradicates accidental or intentional tattoos:

a) 'Dynamites' the foreign particles into minute particles so the body can process them through the lymphatics. 

b) Vaporizes the colored particles into 'nothingness'.

c) Alters the dermal ground substance (the glue of the skin) so the tattoo is invisible (most of the graphite pigment lies in the dermis - the middle layer between the epidermis and fat).

d) Alters the tattoo pigment so it is not so visible from the skin surface.

Case #5 - Chemical Blast on Face

John Malkow was one week shy of his 21^st birthday on a day he will never forget.  As a pharmacy technician in a hospital he mixed silver nitrate and picric acid together.

He blew off his right thumb, blinded both eyes, and when he woke up he was told that he had black pigment peppering his face, ears, neck, hands and wrists.

His baby was born 3 weeks later, but he would never see her since he was blind.  In a tragic moment, within the time it takes a heart to beat, his life had been altered tragically.

John was pretty much resigned to his fate. But medical and laser advances were racing ahead. Although having a prosthetic right eye, the ophthalmologist did a corneal transplant on his left eye! He could see his baby daughter (now in her 20's) for the first time ever!

Could dermatologists do as masterful a job on his skin as the eye doctors had done on his left eye? The doctors and staff knew this was as dramatic and poignant a case as they might ever face.

A skin biopsy showed the dark tattoo pigment from the explosion penetrated only superficially into the dermis -  less than 3 mm from the surface. The range of the VersaPulse C is twice that. 

Test spots with the 1064nm Q switched laser were done. We acheived dramatic results with 35 treatments. John has written a book about his life and his dramatic recovery.  You may purchase it on amazon.com.

Case #6 - Gang Tattoos

Gang tattoos are prevalent in our society. No matter how small and how safe your city or town is, you do have crime and you probably have some gang activity. Typical gang tattoos include '3 dots', '13', 'Irish', 'Irish Pride', 'skeletons', 'skull and crossbones' plus many four letter expletives. 

The Rogue Valley Youth Correctional Facility in southern Oregon houses 100 juvenile offenders, many with gang related tattoos.

The doctors and staff at DLAM have volunteered to remove these gang tattoos at no charge to the kids.

Using the VersaPulse C laser, it has been gratifying to remove these criminal signatures. The kids vow to leave the gang both verbally and in writing. Upon removal of the tattoo, these young men and women are issued a diploma. Austin and Sean have a new lease on life.

Before & After

Upon release from jail, they can get back in the mainstream of life without threatening people or displaying unsightly tattoos. Many are now employable and they become useful productive members of society. 

Before & After

Case Study #7 - Welfare to Work Program Tattoo Removal

In Southern Oregon and northern California, all too many young women are unemployed, they are unmarried with several children, and they have no job skills. Their prominent tattoos make them unemployable even in entry-level jobs.

The doctors and staff at DLAM have volunteered to get these ladies back into the mainstream of life. Using our modern lasers, these unsightly amateur and professional tattoos are erased. In most cases, there is only mild discomfort.

One to six sessions may be required. Amateur tattoos resolve the fastest, professional multicolored tattoos are more challenging but also can be vaporized without a scar.

Upon job training, and upon removal of the tattoos by laser, many of these women are employable and get out of the dependency cycle of welfare and no job and no self-esteem. Sara will enjoy the chance to get into the mainstream.