Introduction:
Cosmetic tattoos have become increasingly popular these days.There are many methods of tattoo removal including dermabrasion, radiofrequency ablation, surgical methods, chemical peels and Qswitchedlasers.In a resource poor setting or in patients who cannot afford lasers, both dermabrasion and radiofrequency ablation work well.
Aims:
To study the efficacy of dermabrasion and radiofrequency ablation for the treatment of tattoos.
Methods:
We selected twenty patients with tattoo for the study. The patients were divided into two groups of ten patients each. In group I patients tattoo removal was done using dermabrader and in group II patients, radiofrequency ablation was done for the removal of tattoos.
Results and Discussion:
More than 80% reduction in tattoo pigment was seen in 50% patients in group I and 40% patients in group II, 51-75% reduction in tattoo pigment was seen in 40% patients in both group I and group II patients, 26-50% reduction in tattoo pigment was seen in 10% patients in group I and 20% patients in group II. Regarding the post procedure complications, hypertrophic scar formation was seen in 10% cases in group I and 5% cases in group II, hyperpigmented skin was seen in 5% cases in both group I and group II, incomplete pigment removal was seen in 5% cases in group I and 10% cases in group II, pain and swelling was seen in 20% cases in group I and 10% cases in group II and acceptable scar formation was seen in 35% cases in group I and 10% cases in group II.