Dr. Michael Tirgan, MD - New York City

Quality medical Tattooing and Tattoo Removal at Affordable Rates

general information about tattoo removal:

Tattoo removal is a very tedious work and takes time to work.  Quite often, patients require numerous treatments, spanned over months to years, to achieve results

Skin is made of different layers. The epidermis, or the top layer of skin, is constantly being replaced by new cells. Tattoo colorings are pushed under the epidermis, into the deeper layer of skin, known as the dermis. By doing this, the tattoo does not fade as epidermal cells shed, but remains intact for the entire life of the person. 

Some individuals desire to have their tattoos removed.  The old fashion way of tattoo removal was to simply  burn the skin with a hot stone.  This method is still practiced in  some parts of the world and some of us have seen it with our own eyes. The problem with the burning method that a permanent scar formation at the site of the burns

Laser Tattoo Removal:  Most commonly used method to remove tattoos is by Laser. High energy laser beams are directed at the tattoo.  This results in disintegrating and simply burning the skin tissue that contains the tattoo pigments.  Although effective in some cases, laser is not as effective as one would like it to and can cause Skin burns, skin discolorations, scar formation and even darkening of the tattoo may result.  Most tattoos require 20-30 treatments.  A very common problem with Laser tattoo removal is the pain and discomfort that is felt during and after the treatment.

Below is a typical reaction to Laser Tattoo Removal.  Skin ulcerations, loss of skin integrity, bleeding, infections, etc.  Much of this can be simply avoided by using cryotherapy.

Laser cannot be used on tanned skin or dark colored skin. Laser tattoo removal requires numerous treatments, at times as many as 20 or 30 treatments.  Most importantly, Laser treatment can be very painful and also leave a scar that may look worse than the original tattoo.

Treatments for tattoo removal:

Cryotherapy, the method I use for tattoo removal, is a very safe and effective alternative to laser tattoo removal.  Instead of burning the tattooed tissue, cryotherapy induces frostbite in the tattooed tissue.  The frozen tattoo tissue is destroyed and gradually replaced with normal tissue.  This process takes about two to three weeks.   During this time, part of the the dermal layer of skin that contains the tattoo coloring falls off and normal tissue grows from underneath.  Cryotherapy is much easier to apply and less harmful to skin. 

Length and number of treatments required to achieve the desired results depend on the size and location of the tattoo as well as the depth of the tattooed ink.  Often the tattoo ink is injected so deeply in the skin that almost a full thickness of skin must be removed in order to get to the inked layers of the skin.  As tattoo ink is injected deeply into the skin, it will take several cryotherapy efforts to gradually reach to the deepest levels without causing damage to this skin.

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Copyright © 2011 Michael H. Tirgan, M.D., all rights reserved.