Both patients and practitioners need to be aware that Laser Hair Removal can not be applied directly onto skin with tattoos. The entire process of laser hair removal depends on the melanin within the skin absorbing the laser energy, which destroys the hair follicle. Where the skin also has tattoo inks within the targeted area, this risks causing burns or blistering as the additional melanin absorbs too much laser energy.
Applies to Both Diode & IPL Laser Devices
Diode lasers emit a single, focused wavelength of light that is absorbed by the pigment in the hair follicle or the melanin in the skin, generating heat and damaging the follicle to prevent hair growth or targeting pigmented lesions and hyperpigmentation. Diode lasers are more effective for permanent hair reduction & pigmentation removal.
IPL lasers emit multiple wavelengths of light that scatter and penetrate the skin at various depths, targeting different chromophores like melanin, hemoglobin, and collagen. Both Diode Laser and IPL have the same drawbacks when applying laser hair removal if the patient has very fresh and visible tattoos.
Avoiding Tattoos when applying Laser
Skilled practitioners can avoid specific areas of the skin, depending on the laser technology they are using. Laser Hair Removal machines like Eneka PRO have a variety of handpieces for different face and body areas, so they can target fine details and small areas.
If the targeted area has a small tattoo it can be easy enough to cover the tattooed area with thick, specialised tape that blocks the laser penetrating the skin. But of course this becomes more difficult if the patient has large areas of body tattooing.
Consider Laser Tattoo Removal
If the patient has large tattoo covering, this can make Laser Hair Removal treatments extremely challenging. In some cases, the patient may want to consider Laser Tattoo Removal, which is becoming more popular and effective in recent years using Picosecond Laser or Q-Switched Nd:YAG technology.
PicoMax
Creating an intense photoacoustic impact in trillionths of a second, the PicoMax Picosecond Laser Technology targets the chromophore for better clearance in fewer treatments while avoiding skin high thermal damage.
The PicoMax Pico Laser Machine makes tattoo removal even easier. The 1064nm wavelength targets black, blue, and green tattoo inks, while the 532nm wavelength offers effective treatment of red, yellow and orange inks, which are typically hard to correct.
Q10 Laser
The Q10 Q-Switched Nd:YAG Laser works by targeting specific pigments in the skin and breaks it up into smaller particles through powerful bursts of energy. The ink or pigmentation is then absorbed into the bloodstream and eventually expelled from the body.
Q10 Laser utilizes a range of energy frequencies – up to 1064 nanometers – along with multiple operating modes to target deeper skin layers. It also features a spot size of up to 10mm to treat larger skin areas.