Study shows that a Rapid Acoustic Pulse device safely enables multiple laser passes to be performed in a single tattoo removal session.
Wausau, WI (October 10, 2019) – The number of people with tattoos has grown steadily in recent years, and so has the demand for tattoo removal. Q-switched (QS) lasers are the treatment modality of choice, however the ability to achieve tattoo fading using multiple laser passes in a single office visit is limited. This study showed that when the Rapid Acoustic Pulse (RAP) device, an accessory to the QS laser, is applied for 1 minute after each laser tattoo removal pass, that additional effective laser passes can be immediately performed. Since multiple laser passes can be effectively performed in a single session, a tattoo that might take 10 office visits under the current standard of care to remove could be done in as little as 2 to 3 office visits using RAP.
The clinical report of this study, published in Lasers in Surgery and Medicine (LSM), the official journal of the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery, Inc. (ASLMS), was selected as the October 2019 Editor’s Choice.
The study, led by Michael S. Kaminer, MD is titled “Increased Tattoo Fading in a Single Laser Tattoo Removal Session Enabled by a Rapid Acoustic Pulse Device: A Prospective Clinical Trial.”
“Currently, removing a tattoo can take up to 5 to 15 laser sessions over a 1 to 2 year period. We were looking for a way to speed up the process by reducing the number of office visits required to remove a tattoo. A faster removal process will improve the laser tattoo removal experience and improve the ultimate satisfaction of both patients and clinicians,” said Kaminer.
The RAP device, applied as an accessory to the 1064 nm Nd:YAG QS laser, safely enables multiple QS laser treatments in a single office laser tattoo removal session by clearing the whitening caused by the previous QS laser pass. Enabling multiple QS laser passes results in a statistically significant increase in tattoo fading in a single office laser tattoo removal session compared to the clinical standard single‐pass QS laser tattoo removal session.
Michael S. Kaminer, MD, is known as a leader, innovator and talented cosmetic surgeon at SkinCare Physicians in Boston. Dr. Kaminer is one of the pre-eminent educators in cosmetic surgery in the nation, and is Associate Clinical Professor of Dermatology, Yale Medical School, and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Medicine (Dermatology) at Brown Medical School. He has lectured at many national meetings, including national meetings of the American Academy of Dermatology and the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery, the Hawaii Dermatology Conference, and the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery. He has also lectured at numerous international meetings and symposia, serving as Co-Chairman of the Anti-Aging World Congress in Paris, France.
Editor’s Choice is an exclusive article published in LSM, the official journal of the ASLMS. View the complete manuscript.
The American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery, Inc. (ASLMS) is the largest multi-disciplinary professional organization, dedicated to the development and application of lasers and related technology for health care applications. ASLMS promotes excellence in patient care by advancing biomedical application of lasers and other related technologies worldwide. ASLMS membership includes physicians and surgeons representing multiple specialties, physicists involved in product development, biomedical engineers, biologists, nurses, industry representatives and manufacturers. For more information, visit aslms.org.