Does Skin Color Affect Laser Tattoo Removal Success?

vday[1]The success of laser tattoo removal depends on a variety of factors. For example, tattoos using darker inks will respond much better to tattoo laser removal than tattoos that use yellows, oranges and reds. The depth of the ink and age of the tattoo also play a role in the overall outcome of the laser tattoo removal procedure.

Unfortunately, the laser does not work equally on all skin types. The laser works best on light-colored skin and dark tattoos. Those with dark skin (African Americans, Hispanics and deeply-tanned Caucasians) may require additional laser treatments and may never achieve complete removal of the tattoo.

The reason behind this difference is that the laser needs to move through the skin in order to hit the ink of the tattoo and break it apart. The laser cannot travel as smoothly through dark skin due to increased levels of melanin

This is obviously frustrating for our dark-skinned patients, but at North Houston Laser Tattoo Removal, we try to be honest with each patient about how many laser treatments they will need and what results they can expect. If you are dark-skinned and have an old tattoo with black ink you may still get good results. A lot will depend on how dark your skin is, what your tattoo looks like and the age of the tattoo.

Give us a call at (281) 440-4663 to schedule a free consultation.