More and more people are rethinking the decisions they made in the past. This has led to a boom in the tattoo removal industry, as people from all walks of life search for safe ways to remove tattoos without scarring their skin.
However, there are a few things that every tattoo removal practice should have in their toolbox to ensure they provide the best service to their clients and run efficiently.
1. Q-Switched laser
Today, one of the few safe methods that work to remove tattoos without scarring the skin is done with a Q-switched laser. Q-Switched lasers work by emitting pulses of energy that destroy the ink used in tattoos without harming human skin. When these high-energy pulses hit the ink, the particles that make up the ink break down and disappear.
There are two main types of Q-switched lasers: active and passive. Everyone in the tattoo removal industry should give preference to active Q-switched lasers. By passing waves of energy through modulators, active Q-switched lasers can deliver faster and stronger pulse repetition rates than their passive counterparts.
2. Multi-wavelength capability
Regardless of which laser option you choose, you need to make sure that you can treat tattoos at a wide range of wavelengths. The reason for this is that different colored inks require different wavelengths to be effectively removed.
When removing dark inks like blacks and blues, wavelengths greater than 1000nm are needed to effectively break down the ink. When dealing with brighter colors like reds, yellows, and pinks, wavelengths just above 500 nm are required. If your current machine doesn’t give you a wide enough range, you may need to consider upgrading or purchasing an additional machine.
3. YAG laser
A type of Q-Switching laser, the YAG laser is one of the best tattoo removal tools. Most lasers on the market work by emitting pulses of high thermal energy, or what are known as photothermal pulses. YAG lasers, however, use photoacoustic pulses. Photoacoustic pulses are not only safer, but have been known to reduce tattoo removal session times to less than ten minutes.
4. Fractional laser
Although not traditionally used for tattoo removal, a fractional laser can be a great little tool to keep in your practice. Fractional lasers work by focusing on only small fractions of skin at a time and are widely used in scar treatment, sun damage, and anti-aging.
A fractional laser can be used to treat scars that your clients have received from subpar tattoo removal jobs done at other practices. You can also use a fractional laser to upsell your clients with additional treatments, such as removing skin pigment discrepancies, removing wrinkles, and treating scars left behind from injuries.
5. PICO’s second Q-Switch laser machine
Only available on the market in the last few months, PICO Q-Switch machines are already heralded as a revolution in the tattoo removal industry. Promising to outperform even the popular YAG lasers, PICO machines have the incredible ability to remove tattoos in less than half the number of sessions required with regular Q-Switch lasers.
While machines like YAG lasers emit pulses in nanoseconds, PICO Q-Switch lasers work in picoseconds. That’s trillions of pulses per second, which means you’ll be able to remove your clients’ tattoos faster than anyone else.
The more advanced and far-reaching tools your tattoo removal practice has, the more services you can offer your clients and the more efficiently you can safely carry out tattoo removal. So make sure you have one or all of these tools working for you, so you can rise to the top of the tattoo removal industry.