Summary of Laser Treatments for Tattoo Removal

This systematic review includes the following study designs- 7 randomized controlled trials, 2 non-randomized controlled trials, and 27 case series. A total of 33 studies had the quality appraised using specific assessment tools and were given a high, moderate, or low risk of bias. The table provides details for each study, including the associated risk of bias. The primary endpoints of our study were to collect data on laser parameters, treatment methods, patient and tattoo characteristics, clearance rate, and adverse effect rate while providing a qualitative analysis on the results. Our study found that lasers continue to be the gold standard for tattoo removal. Q-switched and picosecond lasers are both effective and safe with black tattoos. However, picosecond lasers demonstrate superiority with blue, green and yellow colors. Lastly, novel techniques (R20 and R0) successfully reduce treatment time while maintaining good efficacy.