How It Works

A tattoo is made up of ink particles that are inserted by a needle into the deepest layer of skin, the dermis. The needle puncture is detected by your immune system as a wound which triggers your body to send bacteria eating blood cells called phagocytes to heal the puncture site and remove the foreign ink particles. However, the ink particles are much larger than the phagocytes, allowing only small amounts of ink particles to be removed. Over time the phagocytes continuously work to remove the ink particles which is why tattoos naturally fade and lose color.

Laser tattoo removal works as an aid to your immune system by breaking up the large ink particles so they’re easier for your body to remove. During treatment, our Astanza Trinity laser emits ultra-quick flashes of light onto your unwanted tattoo. The light energy is absorbed by the tattoo ink particles, causing them to heat up and shatter into tiny fragments. These tiny fragments are small enough to be consumed by the phagocytes and naturally flushed out through your lymphatic system.

Multiple treatments are needed for virtually any tattoo. With each treatment, the laser targets the shallowest layer of ink and works its way down to the deepest layers until no ink is visible. Six to eight weeks of healing time is necessary between each treatment to give your immune system enough time to flush out the fragmented ink particles and heal the skin before your next laser session.

If you’re interested in removing your unwanted ink, call Monique’s Body Art today to schedule an ExtINKtion laser tattoo removal consultation.