Is Laser Tattoo Removal Safe?

For the most part, tattoos are meant to be permanent, however, does that mean that every tattoo is perfect and exactly what you asked for?

To put it bluntly, no.

Treatments like laser tattoo removal are becoming more popular every year. As technologies advance, having a tattoo removed becomes safer and more effective than ever. With any new technology, it is fair to be cautious of what impact it could have on your health before starting treatment.

In this article, we’ll examine the health risks associated with this popular laser treatment. Laser tattoo removal is performed regularly at our dermatology clinic in Southampton, and our experienced medical team can help to answer any questions you may have.

Although there are many clinics out there, old and new, it is extremely important that your laser tattoo removal is done by a medical professional, or specifically a dermatologist.

The person administering your treatment should know not only how to treat the tattoo but also to recognise who the therapy is and isn’t suitable for.

At Kaizen, our team consists of highly qualified and trained medical professionals with a vast amount of experience in laser tattoo removal. This gives us confidence in all the treatments we perform for clients.

We can answer any questions you may have and will always inform you of the risks for you specifically, if there are any. We will never recommend a treatment that is not completely safe for you.

Unfortunately, laser tattoo removal is not a suitable treatment for everyone.

Darker tattoos are often easier to remove that lighter ones as the laser targets the pigment of the dye beneath your skin. Often the laser can also target melanin in the skin, however not by design.

For people with darker skin pigments, laser tattoo removal may not be as effective and may be more complicated for the laser to accurately remove the tattoo.

In darker skin tones, there is a risk of hyperpigmentation and potential burns if not performed correctly by an experienced medical professional.

Our experienced medical professionals will be able to advise on whether this treatment is suitable for you at an initial consultation. Although this treatment is not suitable for everyone, please get in touch to see if this is the case for you. We would never recommend a treatment that we deemed to be unsafe or unsuitable for our clients.

Our industry-leading lasers produce pulses of light energy onto the area containing the tattoo. Rather than the laser moving in one motion like an eraser, the laser impacts the tattoo in targeted bursts of light.

With each burst, light penetrates the skin and is absorbed by the tattoo ink beneath the top layers. As the ink particles absorb the heat and light energy they begin to break into smaller parts.

Once the ink has been broken down at a cell level, your body’s natural immune system breaks down the ink particles further, removing them away from the tattoo location.

In the weeks following your treatment you will notice your tattoo getting lighter. With each session of laser tattoo removal, more ink can be broken down, following this process until your unwanted tattoo is no more.

As with all treatments involving skin and lasers, it’s important for our clients to understand the risks and side effects before starting any treatment. At your initial consultation we will only recommend treatments that are safe and suitable for your skin.

The most common side effects for laser tattoo removal include:

• Redness
• Tenderness
• Swelling
• Bruising

Some of the more uncommon side effects include:

• Blistering
• Scabs
• Hyperpigmentation

If any of your side effects go on for an extended period of time or become extremely painful, please see a doctor as soon as possible. Before any treatment we require a full medical consultation to discuss your medical history. This is to ensure that you are not recommended any treatments that you may not react well to or that could be considered harmful.

Many of our clients have this worry when having treatment for tattoo removal. If there is a scar there already then this will still be visible and will not be removed by the laser. However, the laser will not create any new scarring.

We use industry-leading lasers that have been refined and improved for safety, effectiveness and reliability.

You can be confident that your tattoo removal is being handled by an experienced professional using the best lasers available currently.

If you would like a treatment to treat scarring, a skin resurfacing treatment may be more suitable.

Overall, for most people laser tattoo removal is a completely safe and effective treatment for removing or creating space to retouch a tattoo.

It is essential that you have a consultation with the medical professional that is performing this treatment. Although for the majority this is a safe and effective treatment, unfortunately this is not the case for everyone.

We’re a team of highly qualified and trained professionals with a vast amount of experience in the medical industry. We can answer any questions you may have and strive to give you the best experience possible.

At our medical dermatology clinic in Southampton, we provide a safe and professional environment where you can feel at ease before, during and after your treatment.

We understand how medical treatments can sometimes feel daunting, so making you feel comfortable is a fundamental part of our experience. Contact us to book a consultation and discuss your tattoo removal goals with a fully qualified medical expert.