Can laser hair removal be used to remove tattoos?

The main difference in laser tattoo removal vs. laser hair removal is that the lasers are of different intensities. This means that the same laser can’t be used for these two different treatments.

However, if you have a tattoo and want to have laser hair removal over the top, there are some caveats.

What happens if you laser hair removal over a tattoo?

Your laser hair removal technician won’t use the laser over your tattoo. This is because there’s a chance that the laser beam will affect the tattoo, even though it can’t remove it completely.

For this reason, your laser technician will avoid your tattooed area, as well as the two to three centimetres of skin surrounding your tattoo.

If your technician accidentally lasers your tattoo whilst removing your hair, it can potentially lead to burns and blistering, and distort your tattoo.

However, it’s entirely possible to get a tattoo on an area of skin that you’ve had laser hair removal on, but it is best to wait until your skin has completely healed from the laser removal treatments before you get a new tattoo.