Tattoos have been in existence since the origin of humanity. They are composed of
exogenous pigment of various chemical composition introduced into the dermis. In the
past, many various methods of tattoo removal have been used, including chemical peeling,
mechanical abrasion and various methods of surgical excisions etc. On the other hand,
lasers are the treatment of choice for tattoo pigment removal. Today Q-switched lasers
have been used for more than 10 years with a pulse duration in the nanosecond (10–9s) range, and have proven their efficacy in tattoo removal. Despite this, caution
must be taken as some colours may resist more than others. We must also be careful
with laser parameters to avoid any type of hypopigmentation or scarring. Finally,
we should be aware of the potential complications related to the specific use of Q-switched
lasers, the most frequent one being darkening of flesh colour pigment.
