Why are some tattoo ink colours so difficult to remove?

Posted in Interesting stuff

Anyone performing laser tattoo removal will know that certain colours are a nightmare! But why is this? What is the science behind this problem?

Well, it all comes down to ‘absorption coefficients’. These are the probabilities that an ink colour will absorb any particular wavelength. And, of course, they vary enormously!!

Here’s a wee video I made to explain this a bit…

So, the answer is to ‘test’ the tattoo inks with various fluences and wavelengths, to try to find the optimum combination.

I’m not saying that this is easy – it’s not, sometimes. But trial and error may be the best way forward…

Hope this helps,

Mike.

Don’t forget our upcoming MasterClass in Luton in September 2023.

Published by mikejmurphy

I started in medical lasers in 1986! I have been involved in clinical research, medical laser and IPL development, sales and marketing across Europe and South East Asia, business start-ups, theoretical research into laser-tissue interactions, training course development, writing articles for peer-reviewed journals and industry magazines plus I play bass guitar in a rock 'n' roll band too!!

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