Can You Get Laser Hair Removal Over A Tattoo? Frequently Answered

First, can you get laser hair removal over a tattoo? 

Now for the bad news laser hair removal cannot be done over tattoos. Only the immediate vicinity of the tattoo. The more tattoo there is, the harder it is to laser-remove the hair.

There have been stories in the press of laser hair removal being done over a tattoo, usually by an unregulated clinic or untrained, inexperienced employee, which have resulted in serious third degree burns requiring hospital attention.

Please continue reading as I explain the particular information in the post.

Why Can’t A Tattoo Be Removed With Laser Hair Removal?

That it’s not safe is the quick response. However, there is also a more detailed explanation.

The laser’s energy attracts pigment, which is how laser hair removal works. The laser’s energy is attracted to and absorbed by the pigment in one’s hair and hair follicles, inhibiting the growth of new hair. However, when there are tattoos present, this is less effective. Laser hair removal is great for this. Tattoos are nothing but pigment, so the laser would be attracted to the ink in the tattooed skin.

No matter what kind of laser is being used to remove hair, such as an Alexandrite or YAG, etc.—if these lasers hit the ink in a tattoo, the skin would be very reactive. In actuality, the procedure would be excruciatingly painful, and the resulting wound would blister and possibly distort the tattoo after it had healed.

Is A Laser Required For Tattoo Removal?

The lasers used for tattoo and hair removal are very different from one another. In order to hit the pigment and cause it to break up, tattoo removal lasers use Q-switches to deliver energy much faster. The laser used to remove hair, in contrast, is designed to deliver energy that will be absorbed by the hair follicle, reducing its capacity to produce additional hair. As a result, if a tattoo came into contact with a hair removal laser, the pigment would absorb the energy and be unable to cool down quickly enough, leading to a blister and potential harm to the tattoo and skin.

Again, it is not safe to do laser hair removal over a tattoo. When administering laser hair removal treatment, always seek the advice of a qualified professional who is aware to steer clear of tattoos.

Where Is Your Tattoo?

You probably won’t encounter any issues if your goal is to remove the body hair from under your arms and you have a tattoo on your ribs. If you have a full sleeve and want to get rid of the hair on your arms or if you have a tattoo on your thigh and want laser hair removal on your legs, you might run into problems. If you intend to get any more tattoos in the future, keep in mind that laser hair removal cannot be performed over the tattoo and must instead be performed around it.

Get Laser Hair Removal Before Tattoos

If you do not have a tattoo yet, but are thinking about getting one, and it is going to be in an area where you are concerned about hair growth, the best thing to do would be to be prepared, have laser hair removal before you have your tattoo – if you want to keep the area smooth and hair free after the tattoo.

There is no need to worry since some areas are naturally hair-free. If you’re thinking about getting a tattoo on an area of your body that has more hair, like your forearms or legs, make a plan and have laser hair removal done first.

After Having Your Hair Removed By Laser, Can You Get A Tattoo?

You will have to wait a number of weeks after the laser hair removal before you are able to get your tattoo done. This allows the skin to heal as laser hair removal damages the hair follicles, and you must give your skin time to heal. So let’s talk about your options after getting a tattoo.

One of the key questions if you are thinking about laser hair removal and have tattoos is where is the tattoo located? It is unlikely that having laser hair removal will cause you any problems if you have a tattoo on your ribs.

Large tattoos in places where hair growth is unavoidable, like on your arms if you have sleeve tattoos, or on your back, or on your legs, or in less obvious places! See more about How Many Sessions For Laser Hair Removal

For Laser Hair Removal, How Can A Tattoo Be Covered Up?

If you still want to do laser hair removal with a tattoo, then experienced practitioners will be able to create a cover for the tattoo and then target the surrounding area, usually keeping around 2-3cm between the tattoo and the lasered skin.

You will be fine as long as the laser does not touch the tattoo. You can ask the practitioner to mark around the tattoo with their white pen as an extra precaution. You don’t need bandages or medical tape. Although using this treatment could still harm the skin that has a tattoo, it may lighten the color of the tattoo. Finding a qualified professional you can trust is the most crucial thing you can do.

How Does Getting My Hair Cut Affect My Tattoo?

Laser hair removal treatment works by targeting the melanin or pigment in the skin using wavelengths of light.

This light energy attacks the hair follicle and prevents it from growing back. Dark pigment in a hair follicle or a tattoo cannot be distinguished by lasers. A laser can distinguish between dark colors. The dark color is automatically drawn to by laser light, which then destroys it. Sadly, there is currently no laser hair technology that can distinguish between the two, but there may be someday.

Tattoos & Laser Hair Removal

If laser hair removal was performed over a tattoo the laser would have trouble accurately finding the pigment in the hair as there would be pigment from the tattoo surrounding, confusing the laser.

So you have the double effect of poor laser hair removal and exposing tattooed skin to the laser which could cause severe scarring or long term issues to the skin. So bad all round.

What Choices Do You Have?

Your skilled laser hair removal technician at Therapee Clinic will probably make a template to place over your tattoo if you’re trying to keep it but want to get rid of the surrounding hair. By doing this, you can get hair removal everywhere else without worrying about the laser damaging the skin around your tattoo. Normally, your technician will make sure that there is at least 2 to 3 centimeters between your tattoo and the area being treated. There is no chance that laser hair removal will ruin your tattoo if it is covered.

It is best to concentrate on getting rid of the tattoo first if you are considering laser hair removal in addition to getting rid of an unwanted tattoo. Generally speaking, you must wait until your laser tattoo removal is finished before beginning the hair removal procedure, but every situation is unique. It really depends on the placement of your tattoo and the degree of overlap between it and the hair you want to have removed.

The Bottom Line

The hair pigment, which is found in the hair follicle deep within the skin’s layers, is the target of lasers. The laser is absorbed by the hail pigment, killing the hair follicle and preventing further hair growth. If laser hair removal is performed on tattooed skin, the laser has no way of knowing to avoid the pigment of the tattoo ink. Even if the tattoo is unwanted and you plan to have it lasered off anyway the equipment used for laser hair removal isn’t designed to do both instead, the lasers will cause severe skin damage and burning that can lead to scarring in the future

Last but not least, I want to thank you for reading.

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