Guide to Laser Tattoo Removal - From Clinician to Consumer

Laser tattoo removal is one of the major growth areas in laser therapy, alongside hair removal and wrinkle reduction. For clinicians thinking about installing a laser machine, or broadening their client base with an existing machine, tattoo removal is a procedure with plenty of repeat visit potential. Today we explore what you'll need to know about it to explain the tattoo removal process to your clients.

The Initial Consultation

You'll be looking at your patient's skin condition to ensure that it is safe to work on with a laser; it should be healthy and without inflammation. You'll also determine their Fitzpatrick skin type, which will give some guidelines as to the type of Candela laser that will work best for your client and what will happen to their skin after treatment.

What Skin Tattoo Removal Works Best On

Laser tattoo removal works best on fair skin, and on tattoos with black ink that has been only sparsely applied. The laser is attracted to darker areas, and the contrast between fair skin and black ink means that the laser works more effectively. Black ink also absorbs the full spectrum of light - other colours require more targeted laser pulses because they only absorb part of the light.

The Procedure

A tattoo is a layer of ink underneath the skin. In laser tattoo removal, the light of the laser is used in short but intense bursts to break up the ink. You can assure your clients that damage to the epidermis is extremely rare - the laser is designed to pass through the epidermis and do its work much further down.

The broken up ink (in very tiny particles) can be absorbed by the body and dealt with by the immune system. Because of greater blood flow, laser tattoo removal works best in areas like the back, chest and upper legs. The flow means the immune system is more easily able to remove the particles. Tattoos on the hands and feet might take longer to remove with a laser machine.

Caring for Skin After the Procedure

Application of antibacterial ointment and bandaging are the usual after-care procedures. You can choose to recommend your own line of antibacterials, or to carry a third party line which you may be able to earn commissions on. Clients should apply the antibacterial ointment twice or three times a day, and try to keep the treated area elevated as much as possible, to avoid swelling.

Common and Rare Side Effects

There really aren't any common side effects to tattoo removal with laser machines, other than slight redness, swelling and a small amount of pain in the immediate area afterwards.

Rarely, other mild side effects occur. These are localised, and might include blistering, infection, scabbing or loss of skin colour. Patients with a Fitzpatrick type closer to 1 are less likely to experience loss of skin colour.

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