01 May QX MAX For Tattoo Removal and Melasma
RefinedMD will now be offering laser treatment of unwanted tattoos and stubborn brown discoloration on the skin. This European designed and produced laser by FOTONA offers four wavelengths of treatment technology and high energies to effectively treat most tattoo colors in safe, effective sessions and be able to deliver those high energies without damage to the surface of the skin. The energy is delivered deep to the level where the pigment lies.
What Is QX Max
When people describe scarring to the surface skin they are describing a direct injury to the surface of the skin caused by excess heat created with pigment destruction as well as surface scatter of laser energy that occurs when the delivery tips are not able to deliver clean columns of laser energy deep to the dermal tissue. The QX MAX solves this with the cleanest column of energy in the market as well as being able to deliver the energy so precisely that there is a photomechanical breakup of the tattoo particles without any heat being generated. You can now safely treat tattoos, brown spots, and melasma with no risk of epidermal scarring!
Many browns can be treated in a single setting. Tattoos and persistent melasma will take additional treatments.
WHAT KIND OF TATTOOS respond best to QX-MAX? All tattoos will respond. Despite all new technology including the picosecond technology, certain tattoos will respond better than others. The colors balck, blue, gray, red are the easiest colors to treat. Tattoos with more superficial placement of pigment and ones which do not show the oily, inky dark colors are among the easier to treat. The more exotic colors that include lavender, yellow, white are certainly the most challenging but with new filter tips, we can definitely lighten these to the point that ‘the casual eye’ does not see them
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENS WITH TREATMENT? The process of eradicating pigment in the skin is unique to nanosecond/picosecond technology. The energy is delivered in order to break up the pigment particles using photomechanical energy rather than photothermolytic energy(which causes heat damage). This effectively breaks pigment granules into small pieces, thus allowing ones skin scavenger cells to pick up the smaller particles and dispose of them. Tattoos are based on the fact that if granules are large enough and place in the correct layer of skin, the skin’s cells actually wrap around the pigment, holds them in place and protects them from being moved away from the skin. Over time, tattoos do naturally get processed as evidenced by tattoos becoming more blurred over time.
DOES IT HURT? There is no longer a heat sensation to tattoo treatment as there is much less heat produced. What you do feel, the tattoo granules expanding and then breaking up, pushing on the surrounding collagen bundles wrapped around them. It is a strange expansion feeling. With cold air being applied to the skin, most people can tolerate a treatment. If needed, we can inject some fast acting local anesthesia.
HOW MANY TREATMENTS ARE NECESSARY? This varies based on depth of the tattoo, amount of pigment and the color of the pigments. Crude ‘gang’ tattoos often are clear within 3-6 treatments. The deeper, more exotic and colorful tattoos can take 10 or more treatments. We now offer a new system using PFD fluid and silicone treatment pads that allows for multiple treatments in the same day, thus decreasing the number of treatments needed for clear of the tattoo.
HOW OFTEN ARE TREATMENTS? We like to have the skin go through at least one full cycle of repair and replacement, so treatments can be done every 4-8 weeks, based on body location. Face/neck: every 4 weeks, trunk/proximal extremities every 6 weeks, outer extremities/hands/feet every 8 weeks.
WHAT HAPPENS AFTER TREATMENT? There is no real breakdown or injury to the surface of the skin. The treated area will feel tender and a bit swollen. There can be an occasional blister, particularly in red tattoo areas. There is very little crusting to the skin. Within a week, you may see some microflaking to the skin.
ANYTHING TO APPLY AFTERWARDS? We have two products we recommend and have available for use. One is a post laser gel that very quickly cuts down the inflammatory reaction(redness) that occurs and the other is a very soothing emulsion which protects the outer layer of skin and keeps the skin moist and comfortable in the recovery phase. For those on a budget, plain old Vaseline or Aquaphor works as well.
WHAT ABOUT BROWN SPOTS? Most browns are quite superficial in nature, so treatment is done with the 532 wavelength. We literally paint the brown spots out with a find point of light. These lesions initially ‘frost’ then darken and peel off a week or two later. Deeper pigment and pigment on darker skin is treated with the 1064 wavelenth. During this treatment, you can literally hear the pigment granules ‘pop’ with each pass of energy. Once there is no longer a faint popping sound, it indicates that most granules have been broken up.