Does laser tattoo removal damage the skin?

The side effects of laser tattoo removal are not common, but can include keloid scars, hypopigmentation (lightening) and other types of textural changes to the skin. These can be avoided by finding a reputable medical practice that has performed many of these treatments. To your other question, exposure to the laser does not cause skin cancer.

Published on Jul 11, 2012

If your treatments are performed by someone who isn't trained on laser physics of understands skin physiology and healing, the skin can be damaged. Some people are also prone to keloids (overgrowth of skin in response to injury). Ensure the treatments are performed by experienced practitioners, preferably in a medical setting. There are no studies that indicate an increased risk of cancer due to lasers. Laser technology is used in many medical and industrial settings, and has been for many years.

Published on Jul 11, 2012

The potential side effects for laser tattoo removal include blistering and/or scarring. Blistering is usually temporary, but scarring can take the form of lightened skin (where the tattoo used to be) or keloid scars (Bumpy, colored scars often seen in darker skinned patients after surgery or trauma). The laser has the ability to de-pigment the skin
(remove color) in the same way it gets rid of the tattoo and this is why it's possible to have a change in color of the skin. Laser tattoo removal treatments can also cause bleeding and trauma in some cases when the energy used is very high. These types of settings increase the risk of keloid scarring.

Your best bet to avoid these possible side effects is to seek out an experienced practitioner that will take into consideration safety issues at the same time that they try to limit the number of treatments. Using really high fluences may help you finish your removal in less treatments, but it also increases the risk of the scarring discussed above. Make sure you and your practitioner take this into account when developing the treatment plan.

Published on Jul 11, 2012