Removing unwanted hair has become relatively easy with different hair removal methods so you can have smooth and silky hairless skin. Laser hair removal treatment is one of the more advanced techniques to help get rid of hair anywhere on your skin.
But the question is whether it is safe to use this type of hair removal technique on tattooed skin. While laser hair removal works very well with unwanted body hair on clear skin, that is not the case with areas with tattoos.
Let’s investigate together what is safe and which hair removal options are at your disposal if you have any tattoos.
How Does It Work?
With this method, the laser emits a concentrated beam of light that is absorbed by the melanin pigment in the hair follicle. This will then damage the follicle and cause hair growth to slow down so you won’t have hair for a long time.
The laser technician will target small areas of the skin at a time and flashes the light on the hair growing there. With this hair elimination process, the light energy is converted into heat which damages the part of the hair that causes growth.
A hair removal laser is not a permanent hair removal method, but does inhibit future hair growth for a while which keeps your skin hairless. If you want to know more about the effects of laser hair removal procedures, look here for additional information.
Does Laser Technology Work With Tattoos?
Unfortunately, you can’t use laser technology for removing hair from any area on your skin where you have body art. That is because the laser will target the tattoo ink and damage it, potentially causing damage to your skin.
It will be very painful for you and may cause blisters on your skin if you use this hair removal method on tattooed areas. It will also reduce the tattoo ink color and change the aesthetics of the art to make it look bad.
This includes both the IPL and standard methods of laser hair removal, so keep it away from your tattoos at all costs.
How Can You Safely Use This Method With Tattoos?
You can still use laser hair removal on the parts of your skin where you don’t have any tattoos, but you need to take care. To be on the safe side, you can cover the tattoos and work around them on clear skin.
That is why you need an experienced technician to perform the hair removal procedure to keep you safe. They will basically create a template that can be placed over the inked areas and thus protect the tattoo from the laser.
You need to make sure that you leave a clear space of around two to three centimeters around the tattoo. This will make sure that the flash of the laser doesn’t come close to the ink and cause blisters on your skin.
If you are looking to get rid of a tattoo and have laser hair removal done, it is best to get the tattoo removal done first. Allow some time for healing on that part where the tattoo has been removed before laser hair removal can be applied.
If there is not enough room to allow space between the area where you want to remove the hair and the ink, try another method. This can not be said enough; don’t use laser hair removal anywhere near your tattoos for your own safety and comfort.
The best way to stay safe is to work with your expert hair removal technician to find the ideal solution to work around the tattoos.
Does it Work the Same as Laser Tattoo Removal?
This method of hair removal doesn’t work the same as that used for the removal of unwanted tattoos. It is not even the same type of laser technology, as this method targets the ink of the tattoo and breaks it up.
Two different laser intensities are used for this these procedures but hair removal lasers can have an impact on your tattoos. So, the experienced hair removal expert will cover the tattoos and work around them for your safety and to protect your tattoos.
Thus, you need to find a technician that has some experience working with tattooed skin when you need to remove your hair.
How Effective is Laser Hair Removal?
Some people may have some concerns regarding laser hair removal techniques, which we will address here.
Can it Be Used on Dark Hair?
Yes, it can be used very effectively on dark hair, even more so than with lighter hair.
This is because darker hair has more pigments and this is what the laser targets to help slow down hair growth.
So, the more pigments there are the more effective the laser removal method will be in removing the hair. This also means that the technique will not be very effective for hair with little to no pigment present.
Very light white, blonde, or red hair can’t be easily or effectively removed with this method.
Can This Method be Used on Dark Skin Tones?
Another issue is that laser hair removal used to be very ineffective with darker skin tones to remove hair. Fortunately, new advances in this technology helped to obtain greater focus with the laser to make it easier to work with darker skin.
This means that the method can now be safely used on all skin tones so everyone can make use of it.
Can This Method Also Remove Tattoos?
Laser hair removal techniques can’t be used to remove tattoos from your skin, but may hurt you and cause skin damage. A tattoo removal laser works by targeting the ink while a hair removal laser targets the pigment in the hair follicle.
So, in short, it can’t be used to remove tattoos but only helps with hair and it can have damaging consequences for your skin.
Conclusion
We can see that it is not safe to use laser hair removal techniques on the areas of your skin where tattoos are located. But, with the help of an expert, you can get rid of hair on clear areas around the tattoos if there is ample space available.
