title: Muscle relaxation for individuals having tattoos removed through laser treatment: possible effects regarding anxiety and pain.
abstract: Effectively managing pain is vital for the well-being and satisfaction of patients undergoing dermatologic treatments involving lasers. This study investigates the potential outcome of using muscle relaxation techniques to reduce pain among people having their tattoos removed with laser treatment. This study consists of 56 participants (mean age 18.1 ± 2.1 years) that had tattoos removed using the principle of selective photothermolysis. These participants underwent muscle relaxation before receiving the laser treatment. Their peripheral skin temperatures (PST) were measured both at the beginning and the end of the muscle relaxation period. Then, the Beck Anxiety Inventory was applied to evaluate anxiety levels. Once the laser treatment was completed, pain levels were measured using a visual analogue scale. A total of 125 person-sessions of laser treatment and psychometric assessments were performed in this study. The muscle relaxation method significantly increased the PST of the participants while reducing the levels of anxiety and pain throughout the course of the laser treatment procedure. The PST, anxiety scores, and pain scores all showed significant correlations with one another. According to the results obtained, this study proposes that muscle relaxation techniques be considered possibly auxiliary treatment options for individuals having tattoos removed through laser treatment. Additional studies with a comparison group and a larger sample size are required in the future to confirm the effectiveness of such intervention.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic Surgery, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Faye
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, 123, Ta-Pei Road, Niao-Sung District, Kaohsiung, 83301, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Wen-Jiun
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Chou
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic Surgery, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Tien-Hsing
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Ching
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, 123, Ta-Pei Road, Niao-Sung District, Kaohsiung, 83301, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yu-Lian
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Hsieh
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Mian-Yoon
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Chong
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chi-Fa
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Hung
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic Surgery, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Shu-Ching
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic Surgery, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Hsiu-Huang
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.affiliation: Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University College of Medicine, 123, Ta-Pei Road, Niao-Sung District, Kaohsiung, 83301, Taiwan. wangliangjen@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Liang-Jen
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001007:Anxiety / Q000628:therapy*; D001676:Biofeedback, Psychology / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007834:Lasers; D008297:Male; D009126:Muscle Relaxation; D059408:Pain Management / Q000379:methods*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D012881:Skin Temperature; D013653:Tattooing / Q000379:methods*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Anxiety; Biofeedback; Laser treatment; Pain; Tattoo