Objective monitoring of laser tattoo removal in human volunteers using an innovative optical technique: A proof of principle

Abstract

AbstractObjectivesAssess the suitability of the technique for objective monitoring of laser tattoo removal by an extended treatment protocol.Materials and MethodsOne half of the tattoo in the first volunteer was treated with nanosecond and the other half with picosecond laser pulses at 1064 nm. In the second subject, four test areas were treated repeatedly using different radiant exposures from 1.5 to 6 J/cm2. Measurements of diffuse reflectance spectra and photothermal radiometric transients were performed 4–20 weeks after each treatment session. Inverse Monte Carlo analysis based on a three‐layer model of tattooed skin was applied to assess the tattoo characteristics and analyze their changes.ResultsThe results clearly indicate a gradual reduction of the ink content and an increase of the subsurface depth of the tattoo layer with all treatments at a radiant exposure of 3 J/cm2 or higher. The observed dependences on laser pulse duration, radiant exposure, and a number of treatments are in excellent agreement with visual fading of the tattoo.ConclusionsThe presented methodology enables noninvasive characterization of tattoos in human skin and objective monitoring of the laser removal treatment.