Laser Surgery Service at Our Clinic

At the tatto Clinic, we offer different types of services for our patients.

1. The Day Surgery Procedure

Here are some of the procedures that can be performed on a day surgery basis:

* Laser treatment of certain skin growths and warts and birthmarks
* Surgery to remove skin, scalp and nail lesions and tumours
* Electrosurgical treatment of skin lesions and tumours

2. What are the side effects and possible complications of laser surgery?

Pain: You will feel some pain during treatment. The pain is mild and it is similar to snapping the skin with a rubber band. Some areas are more sensitive than others.

Healing wound: Laser surgery may cause a superficial burn on the surface of the skin which takes several days to heal. This may result in swelling, weeping and crusting of the treated area. This usually takes 4 to 10 days to heal.

Pigmentary changes: In most patients the treated area loses pigmentation (hypopigmentation) and becomes lighter in colour than the surrounding skin temporarily. This type of reaction tends to gradually fade away and return to normal over a period of 2-4 weeks. With repeated treatments the pigment loss may become more persistent and take time to heal, up to 6 to 8 months. There is some risk of permanent pigment loss in the area of treatment, leaving a white shape similar to the original tattoo or pigment lesion being treated, but this is rare and usually avoidable by allowing adequate healing time between treatment. There is some risk of increased pigmentation (hyperpigmentation) as a healing reaction. However this type of change is very rare. If this should occur the increased pigment usually fades away over a 2-6 month period.

Scarring: Scarring is a very rare occurrence but it is a possibility. To minimize the chances of scarring, it is important that you follow the post-operation instructions carefully.

Persistence of tattoo or pigment: Some tattoo ink or pigment is located too deep in the skin to be removed completely in spite of repeated treatments and may leave vague spots of colour remaining after treatment. There may be some ink colours that change colour prior to removal and others that simply will not respond to this laser. eg. Green tattoo). This means that it may not be possible to completely remove all tattoo and skin pigmentations with this laser. If this situation arises, there may be other treatment alternative available.

3. What is Skin/Laser Surgery?

Skin/Laser Surgery refers to the treatment of certain skin disorders by surgical means. It also includes the surgical treatment of certain conditions of the scalp and nails.

4. What are the methods used in Skin / Laser Surgery?

There are various methods in Skin/Laser Surgery. Besides removing skin lesions by cutting with a surgical knife, other methods used include: cryosurgery, electrosurgery and laser surgery.

In cryosurgery, a cold substance (usually liquid nitrogen) is used to destroy the skin growth by a freezing process.

In electrosurgery, various forms of controlled electric currents are employed to destroy tissue.

In laser surgery, a precise and intense light beam is used to burn and destroy tissue. All of the above methods are usually performed under local anaesthesia, in some cases, no anaesthesia is required at all. Usually such surgical procedure will take less than 30 minutes to perform. The patient will usually be able to return home immediately after surgery and often, be able to resume work in a day or two.

5. What skin disorders can be treated by Skin / Laser Surgery?

Certain lesions on the skin or just beneath it can be treated by Skin/Laser Surgery. These include:

* Growths of infectious origin, eg Viral Warts
* Birthmarks, eg: port-wine stains.
* Growths associated with ageing, eg: Rough spots, usually brownish, that look as if they are ‘stuck’ on the skin. They commonly occur on the face of people over 40 years of age. Skin tags are soft, fleshy growths most commonly seen around the neck and in the armpits.
* Skin cancers which present itself either as sores (ulcers),growths (tumours) or pigmented patches.
* Tattoos for removal.
* Other benign growths on the skin. Some of the above-mentioned lesions can be treated by one or a combination of the skin/laser surgery methods. Your doctor will select the treatment method most appropriate for the specific lesion that you have. Besides the removal of skin growths, skin/ laser surgery is used to treat other conditions of the skin and some problems of the nails and hair.