Comparison of argon and carbon dioxide laser treatment of decorative tattoos: a preliminary report.

Seven patients with either homemade or professional decorative tattoos have been treated with both the argon and CO2 lasers and studied clinically as well as histologically. The argon laser is absorbed by dermal pigment and vaporizes this pigment out of the skin. The CO2 laser vaporized tissue layer by layer and must be accompanied by mechanical debridement. Results and complications of treatment with the two lasers were markedly similar, as were histological studies.