Systemic review: effectiveness of picosecond laser for tattoo removal

Aim of the study. To select and analyse the data about Q–switching picosecond laser efficacy for tattoo pigment removal. Objectives. 1. To compare physical parameters of picosecond lasers. 2. To compare research methods and effectiveness of different colour tattoo removal with picosecond laser. 3. To evaluate pain level during picosecond laser procedure, the average number of procedures required to remove the tattoo and clearance side effects. Methods. Systematic literature review was performed by using PubMed from October 2016 to January 2018. Keywords “picosecond” , \"laser\" and \"tattoo\" was used together for the literature analysis and 37 articles was found. 14 articles were included in the study based on the inclusion and rejection criteria. Results. It was noticed that Nd: YAG lasers (8 publications), with pulse duration of 375 – 450 ps, 700 – 750 ps, or 750 ps are commonly used to remove tattoo pigments. According to the authors, picosecond laser efficiently removes various colour pigments and clearance usually takes from 2 to 8 procedures. Also, patients reported pain score from 1 to 5 points by using different analgesia methods. The adverse effects of picosecond laser procedure could be edema, erythema, pinpoint bleeding, purpura, crust, blisters, hypopigmentation, hyperpigmentation or pruritus. Conclusions. The pulse duration of picosecond lasers varies 375 – 450 ps , 550 – 750 ps or 750 ps. It always achieve good result achieve > 70% black pigment clearance but it is difficult to remove blue and green pigments with picosecond laser. 2–8 procedures are needed to accomplish best results. Unfortunately, clearance could be painful and could cause 1–5 points pain on the average. Finally, there are chances of edema, erythema, pinpoint bleeding, purpura, crust, blisters, hypopigmentation, hyperpigmentation or pruritus manifestation after tattoo pigment removal procedure