Whether it’s a regrettable tattoo or stubborn skin discolouration, treatment with the Enlighten laser quickly clears the skin of unwanted tattoos and skin discolouration.
Developed and manufactured by Cutera USA, Enlighten is a laser treatment that uses a combination of nanosecond and picosecond technology to target tattoo ink, pigmentation (in the form of brown spots, age spots, freckles and melasma).
“In my experience, Enlighten achieves a significant improvement with fewer number of treatments. It is highly effective in shifting stubborn pigmentation and for treating skin types at greater risk of hyperpigmentation from laser,” says Sydney dermatologist Dr Liang Leow.
Tattoo removal
Traditionally, tattoo removal has been very challenging due to diverse range of tattoo colours and particle sizes. However, Enlighten’s pico and nano technology combination allows the treatment of all skin types and all tattoo colours.
This is due to its multiple wavelengths (532nm/1064nm), high power and its ability to target and treat at different depths of the skin.
US plastic surgeon Dr Rick Green says, “For tattoo removal, the laser has two wavelengths 
which allows treatment of the broadest range of ink colours. In addition, I can treat both large, dense ink particles and also very small, less dense particles which results in total clearance of the tattoo.”
Enlighten delivers premium clearance of tattoo ink and is a completely customisable treatment. It is efficient and flexible and is easily adapted to offer different treatment parameters for different ink colours.
“The 1064nm wavelength is absorbed well by black and blue ink, while absorption by melanin is significantly less. This helps reduce the risk of de-pigmentation. At this longer wavelength, deeper pigment can be targeted easily,” says Dr Leow. “The 532nm wavelength offers flexibility to treat various colours used in tattoos.”
In terms of the number of treatments required, Dr Leow says he has been able to make darker tattoos barely noticeable within only one or two treatments.
In terms of complete removal Dr Green says, “We are averaging 6-8 treatments for complete tattoo removal, which is a vast improvement from older technology.”
Pigmentation
Enlighten is a quick and effective treatment for a wide range of skin concerns, including benign pigmented lesions, and can be used on all skin types due to its dual wavelength (1064nm for all skin types; 532nm indicated for skin types I-III).
Typically between two to three Enlighten Pico Genesis treatments will achieve the best results, and ongoing maintenance treatments may be required.
“The number of treatments required for skin rejuvenation depends on the patient, although my patients have invariably noticed an improvement following just a single treatment,” says Dr Leow.
“We have had a really good response to treatment with Enlighten, and I have particularly been seeing some great results in the treatment of melasma (something which traditionally has been very challenging), using what is known as a “PicoGenesis” technique,” says Dr Green.
Offering no downtime and minimal discomfort, Enlighten is a highly effective solution to tattoo removal and Pico Genesis for stubborn skin discolouration.
“The main advantage of the Enlighten laser is that we can achieve very impressive results in benign pigmented lesions using the Pico Genesis modality and the complete clearing of a tattoo in the vast majority of cases. This was not always the situation with older technology and, in my opinion, this is what makes Enlighten stand apart,” Dr Green concludes.
