Laser Tattoo Removal

Safe and Effective Tattoo Removal

Regretting your tattoo? Laser treatment is the safest way of removing a tattoo with minimal-to-no scarring.

About 50% of people later regret their tattoos. Although some believe that tattoos are becoming more acceptable in our society, there may be stereotypes and perceptions about tattoos that persist.

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) offers laser tattoo removal. We use different types of lasers to remove tattoos depending on the ink color. The tattoo pigment absorbs the laser light. This causes the tattoo particles to shatter into smaller fragments that the immune system carries away.

Types of Tattoos We Can Remove

The effectiveness of the laser depends on the location and depth of the tattoo, as well as the composition of the pigments.

• The most easily treated tattoos are blue-black tattoos, both amateur and professional. 
• Tattoos with bright and tan colors are more difficult to remove.  
• Tattoos with iron or titanium — flesh colored, pink, white and some shades of blue — may darken with treatment. Therefore, laser cannot remove them.

Your doctor may suggest that we perform a test laser spot. This helps to ensure that your tattoo won't darken with treatment.

Tattoos that didn't respond to other types of removal may respond well to laser therapy. This is as long as the prior treatment did not cause excessive scarring or skin damage.

Number of Treatments

We need to perform multiple laser treatments to reduce the intensity of the tattoo. The tattoo becomes lighter with each treatment. Generally, we need to perform between six and 12 monthly treatments. However, the number can vary widely. Many people opt to stop treatment when the tattoo is a faint black and difficult to distinguish from surrounding skin.

Pain During Laser Tattoo Removal 

Laser treatments are less painful and require less recovery time than some other treatment methods. The degree of discomfort varies with each person, depending on their pain threshold. Most people do not require anesthesia. In some cases, however, depending on the nature and location of the tattoo, the doctor may elect to use a topical (on the skin), local anesthesia.

After-Care

You will have some temporary discoloration or reddening of the skin around the treatment site. You may see a temporary lightening of the skin for a few months after treatment. The skin typically goes back to normal color. In some cases, the treated skin may remain lighter in color.

It is important to follow your doctor’s recommendations for proper post-treatment skin care. Taking care of the treated area is the most important factor in removing a tattoo without leaving a scar.