1064nm lasers prove most effective for tattoo removal in study
In a pre-clinical study comparing four types of lasers for tattoo removal, 1064nm came out on top due to their ability to recruit macrophages, the white blood cells that play an essential role in pigment metabolism.
Tattoo models with black ink were treated with 1064nm nanosecond, 1064nm picosecond, 755nm and 595nm lasers for one session.
The study evaluated and analysed the clinical photographic, melanin index and hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining and demonstrated that increased macrophage recruitment plays an essential role in laser tattoo removal.
The preclinical report, titled ‘Comparative study of 1064nm nanosecond, 1064nm picosecond, 755 nm, and 595 nm lasers for tattoo removal: An essential role by macrophage’, was published in Lasers in Surgery and Medicine (LSM), the official journal of the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery (ASLMS).
The authors, led by Xiao-Jie Du MD, investigated whether superior tattoo clearance was associated with increased macrophage recruitment.
While there was no significant difference between the effectiveness of 1064nm nanosecond and picosecond lasers for 1064nm lasers proved most effective for tattoo removal in study tattoo removal, the 1064nm nanosecond laser had the strongest macrophage recruitment.
The authors concluded that the 1064nm nanosecond lasers are the most effective for black tattoo removal due to higher macrophage recruitment, which plays an essential role in pigment metabolism during laser-tattoo removal.
