Q-Switched Nd:YAG lasers are fabulous when dealing with black ink, especially old, faded ink. I did a patch test this week on someone who had a large forearm tattoo that had been done many, many years ago and it looks as if this will go completely in a maximum of 2 laser sessions. Not the usual, granted, but you simply can’t tell…each case is different. I could tell he was so relieved that the treatment didn’t hurt.

I then had an enquiry from a gentleman who had undergone laser treatment many moons ago which had been very successful for all but the dreaded green ink. Green is so difficult to remove! Nobody thinks when they get a tattoo that they might one day not want it but I would say consider VERY carefully the colours you choose. Unless the tattoo is pre 1975 ish when green ink was often mixed with black, green is a laser technician’s worst nightmare. Our laser will probably be unable to help unfortunately. The lasers known as ‘Ruby’ and ‘Alexandrite’ might but they are very expensive lasers to purchase so treatments are often priced accordingly. Yellow, white, aquamarine, pastel colours and the new ultraviolet inks are also very, very resistant to lasers.

Also this week I had an enquiry from a lady with Fitzpatrick skin type 5 i.e dark brown skin tone. She had done a lot of research and had correctly identified that the Nd:YAG 1064nm is the safest to use when lasering darker skins. However, this does not mean that there are no concerns at all regarding hyper/hypo pigmentation issues following treatment. I have discussed this at length with her but she still wishes to proceed given that the tattoo is very small, quite faded and in an area usually well covered by clothing. Patch testing in this case is VITAL as is making sure the consent to laser treatment form is signed, acknowledging all the risks discussed. I am hoping that a maximum of 2 sessions is all that will be needed thereby considerably reducing the possibility of pigmentation problems.

Finally, a lovely Australian fella emailed a photo of his very dark, black, inside forearm tattoo. I could have chatted to him for ages. This was a very solid tattoo which had also been re-inked. Double inked tattoos can take more treatments to remove but this customer only wants his tattoo faded enough for a nice cover-up. Perfect for our laser. However, I don’t have the heart to tell him that solid, black ink hurts the most when being lasered. As his first appointment approaches I shall suggest he applies something like EMLA cream for 1-2 hours prior to laser treatment – something that isn’t normally necessary. Poor fella, he might change his mind about renewing his VISA and staying in the UK 😉