[A laser surgery procedure in the treatment of tattooing with the argon ion laser].

A laser surgery procedure for treating tattoos using argon ion laser is described. The epithelial changes during continuous radiation are land marks for laser surgery procedure: 1. The coagulation zone, 2. its bubble-like rise, 3. its breaking, 4. the beginning of the carbonisation zone and 5. setting of a decreasing coagulation zone for smoothing the edges. From the very onset of the carbonisation zone radiation is discontinued and continued only in the periphery producing a decreasing coagulation zone. Punctiform and line-pattern laser application is employed; the untreated areas in between are treated in the following session. The average time between the sessions is 7 weeks and the average number of sessions for a tattoo is 3.1. The observation time is on an average 2 years and 1 month. 134 tattoos of 43 patients are treated by this technique. In 18.6% of the tattoos very good results are achieved, in 51.5% a good result, in 28.4% a satisfactory result and in 1.5% an unsatisfactory result. Hypopigmentations are seen in 19.4%, atrophic scars in 12.7%, hypertrophic scars in 14.9% and a rest of tattoos in 8.9%. Keloids are not seen. Using this argon laser technique for treating tattoos you will obtain better results with fewer side effects than in those studies which are accomplished treating tattoos with argon lasers and described in literature up to now.