Does Laser Hair Removal (LHR) Ruin Tattoos?

… Continued …

So, color can play a key role on how the tattoo fades. Black and dark blue tattoos are easier to fade with laser than yellow and green tattoos [3].

There are several methods to remove tattoos, and one of them is with laser treatment. Other methods are with the use of chemicals (such as salabrasion or dermabrasion) to remove skin, and surgery.

In other words, it is common to use laser for tattoo removal – though not all tattoos can be successfully removed with laser treatment. How about with laser hair removal? Can you use it to remove both unwanted hair and tattoo ‘safely’?

Unfortunately, some doctors say that the use of LHR over the skin with tattoo should be avoided. The reason is due to the chance of getting traumatic burns when the highly concentrated light of laser is pulsed to the skin with tattoos (particularly for dark tattoos) [4].

However, a specialist /doctor can use a template to cover the tattoos so thus they will not get a direct contact with the laser during the treatment with LHR. And the treatment can be focused on the rest of the skin with unwanted hairs.

It seems that the procedure of laser treatment for hair removal and tattoo removal is different and may not work together at the same time. But this is only my own opinion, see a dermatologist for a clearly answer and more advice!