Unwanted tattoos, beware: Picosecond pulse duration lasers shatter tattoo particles with lower fluence and fewer treatments than nanosecond pulses, according to Dr. Emil A. Tanghetti.
“Picosecond pulse duration lasers open a new mechanism for breaking up tattoo particles that is not currently accessible using nanosecond laser pulses,” he said at the meeting held by Global Academy for Medical Education.
Courtesy Dr. Tanghetti
Dr. Emil Tanghetti
The targets in tattoo removal treatment are the individual tattoo particles, which generally range from 40 to 100 nm and are loosely packed, said Dr. Tanghetti of the Center for Dermatology and Laser Surgery in Sacramento, Calif.
When using nanosecond pulses, “Graphite particles common in tattoo removal have a larger absorption at 755 nm vs. 1064 nm,” he noted. Although the fluence is greater for the 1064 nm, the energy absorbed in the target particles is greater (16%-40% higher) for 755 nm, combined with epidermal and dermal screening.
By contrast, the picosecond pulse provides a sufficiently powerful impact to shatter small tattoo particles, and the picosecond pulse duration is 7-10 times shorter than a Q-switched Nd:YAG and 70-100 times shorter than a Q-switched Alexandrite laser, Dr. Tanghetti explained. The greater photomechanical impact means that less fluence is required.
The picosecond laser allows for fewer treatments with “significantly better clearance,” including stubborn green and blue tattoos (with only the 755-nm devices) and previously treated but hard-to-clear tattoos, he said. Clinical data show effective treatment of tattoos with one-half to one-third of the fluence and one-half the number of treatments needed to achieve the same result with a nanosecond laser, he added.
“These devices work in different ways and have different powers,” he said in an interview. “The one strong point about Alexandrite technology is that it works much better for green and blue.”
Dr. Tanghetti noted that the picosecond Alexandrite nonablative laser with the fractional optic focus lens array can be useful because of the minimal downtime with no need for anesthesia, and the focus lens allows for targeting of pigment as well as acne scars. “This type of device can be an important asset in a practice with active working clients, as well as patients with darker skin, and those with acne scars and dyspigmentation where downtime and postinflammatory hyperpigmentation is a concern,” he said.
The picosecond devices, “add a new dimension to what we can do,” he remarked.
Dr. Tanghetti disclosed serving as an advisor for Cynosure and receiving discounts on equipment from the company.
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