Brown Spots and Tattoo Removal

Although the appearance of age spots might seem like an obvious indication of aging skin, they are instead our body's attempt to protect itself from sun exposure by overproducing melanin. Also called liver spots or sun spots, age spots are blemishes that range in color from dark yellow to black and locate themselves in exposed areas of the body, such as the face, hands, shoulders, arms or forehead.

Only occasionally do age spots pose a serious medical risk. They sometimes obscure detection of skin cancer, and, rarely, can indicate accumulated wastes or a bodily dysfunction.

            

             <-Before                                                      Melasma                                            After -->

Even when harmless, these blotchy brownish patches pose a tough cosmetic challenge that can make us look and feel much older than our years.

Conventional strategies for eliminating age spots include cryotherapy, acid washes, bleaches, pulsed light or traditional laser treatment. Too often such techniques will fade but not completely remove age spots.

There are many treatment options, below are the various types of technologies that are available, consult Dr. Kendall to find the one best suited for you.

Fortunately, there are several methods for tattoo removal which have proven successful. In most cases, however, some scarring or color variations remain. The conspicuousness of these blemishes depends upon several factors including size, location, the individual's healing pro-cess, how the tattoo was applied, and length of time it has been on the skin. A tattoo performed by a more experienced tattoo artist, for example, may be easier to remove since the pigment is evenly injected in the same level of the skin. A tattoo that has been on the skin for a considerable length of time may be more difficult to remove than a new one.

Methods of Tattoo Removal

There are several excellent methods of tattoo removal available today. The method that the physician chooses will depend upon the size of the tattoo and its location as well as the length of time it has been on the skin. How the patient heals may also be a factor in the decision.

Excision

Another popular method of tattoo removal especially when the dyed area is small is by excision. The advantage of this method is that the entire tattoo can be removed. With larger tattoos, however, it may be necessary to excise in stages, removing the center of it initially and the sides at a later date.

Excision involves an injection of a local anesthetic to numb the area after which the tattoo is removed surgically. The edges are then brought together and sutured. With this procedure, there is minimal bleeding which is easily controlled with electrocautery. In some cases involving large tattoos, a skin graft taken from another part of the body may be necessary.



Dermabrasion

Another method of tattoo removal is called dermabrasion in which a small portion of the tattoo is sprayed with a solution that freezes the area. The tattoo is then "sanded" with a rotary abrasive instrument causing the skin to peel. Because some bleeding is likely to occur, a dressing is immediately applied to the area.



Laser

In recent times, many physicians consider laser surgery one of the best methods of tattoo removal . Today, the Q-switched Nd:Yag, Q-switched Alexandrite and the Q-switched Ruby are among the most frequently used lasers today for the removal of unwanted tattoos. They are all employed in a similar manner. If necessary, a cream to numb the skin can be applied prior to the treatment. Pulses of light from the laser are directed onto the tattoo breaking up the tattoo pigment. Over the next several weeks the body's scavenger cells remove the treated pigmented areas. More then one treatment is usually necessary to remove all of the tattoo.


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