AN INTEGRATED TATTOO REMOVAL SYSTEM
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UCLA Technology Available For Licensing |
BACKGROUND:
Interest in tattoo art has steadily increased over the last decade, and in the United States alone, approximately 5-10% of the population has some type of tattoo. This increased demand for tattoos has been correlated with an increased demand for tattoo removal. Current removal techniques are far from optimized and suffer from the inherent problem of not knowing the chemical and optical properties of the pigments they are attempting to remove. This often results in the unfortunate consequences of tissue damage, drastic tattoo darkening, and incomplete pigment removal after numerous repeated treatments. A guaranteed safe, completely removable tattoo has a wealth of cosmetic and clinical applications. The entire cosmetic market could explode if a recipient was confident knowing that a safe removal procedure exists and that the tattoo they were receiving was no longer permanent.
INNOVATION:
The inventive concept is an integrated, completely reversible solution for tattoo use in both cosmetic and clinical applications. The researchers have identified various pigments that have chemical, optical, and biocompatible properties that are ideal for tattoo removal.
The inventive concept includes, 1) a control set of tattoo pigments having known optical and physical properties; 2) an innovative detection system that measures the exact depth and optical absorption peak of the pigments present in the skin, which allows for ideal, real-time selection of a continuously wavelength tunable laser source for optimizing the photo-fragmentation of the tattoo pigments; and 3) a laser system that is specifically tailored to optically remove these tattoo pigments.
POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS
- Cosmetic applications such as permanent make-up/micro-pigmentation and body art could benefit from this technology.
- This integrated tattoo removal system could be used in the clinic to mark incision regions for the removal of tumors and during long-term post-surgical follow-ups.
ADVANTAGES
- This set-up allows for tattoos to be removed completely.
- The invention provides a standardized system for the removal of tattoo pigments.
- The system is safe and reversible.
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Reference: UCLA Case No. 2004-110
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PCT Patent Application: WO2006020605
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For additional technical details and current licensing
availability,
please contact the following UCLA office:
UCLA Office of Intellectual Property
11000 Kinross Avenue, Suite #200
Los Angeles, CA 90095-7231
Tel: 310-794-0558 Fax: 310-794-0638
email: ncd@research.ucla.edu
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NCD URL: http://www.research.ucla.edu/tech/ucla04-110.htm
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UCLA Technologies Available for
Licensing
http://www.research.ucla.edu/oipa/industry
Copyright © 2006 The Regents of the
University of California.
keywords: medical devices
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