Tattoos are made of liquids that contain suspended solids which define the colour. The solids are usually made of heavy metals to give the following colours. Professional Black Ink - The main constituent in black ink is Carbon (Soot) and Iron (rust). Homemade Black Ink - can be made of pen ink, blood, rust and soot generally. Professional White Ink - The ingredients that give white ink typically are lead, zinc, titanium and barium Professional Red Ink - The ingredients that give red are typically mercury, cadmium, ferrocyanide and iron Other colours can be made of any of the following ingredients, copper, chromium, cobalt, nickel, aluminum, arsenic, beryllium, lithium, sulphur and others. The laser light is filtered to only affect the ink pigment (The same as UV Glasses are designed to reflect UV light). The particles that have been partially dragged or are too large for the T cell to remove (The remaining tattoo) need to be broken or ‘Shattered’ into smaller parts that the T cells can deal with. When the laser hits the ink it shatters the ink into small particles allowing your body to dispose of these through your own lymphatic system.

Laser Tattoo Removal

time to rethink your ink?

Laser tattoo removal is a non-surgical method of removing unwanted ink. It works by pulsing high intensity laser light beam at the tattoo.

The laser shatters the ink, and your body does the fading.

how it works

Tattoos are made of liquids that contain suspended solids which define the colour. The solids are usually made of heavy metals to give the following colours.

Professional Black Ink - The main constituent in black ink is Carbon (Soot) and Iron (rust).
Homemade Black Ink - can be made of pen ink, blood, rust and soot generally.
Professional White Ink - The ingredients that give white ink typically are lead, zinc, titanium and barium
Professional Red Ink - The ingredients that give red are typically mercury, cadmium, ferrocyanide and iron
Other colours can be made of any of the following ingredients, copper, chromium, cobalt, nickel, aluminum, arsenic, beryllium, lithium, sulphur and others.

The laser light is filtered to only affect the ink pigment (The same as UV Glasses are designed to reflect UV light). The particles that have been partially dragged or are too large for the T cell to remove (The remaining tattoo) need to be broken or ‘Shattered’ into smaller parts that the T cells can deal with. When the laser hits the ink it shatters the ink into small particles allowing your body to dispose of these through your own lymphatic system.

Frequently asked questions

Got a few questions? That’s okay, we’ve tried to cover as much as we can below but if you have any other questions be sure to Get In Touch with us – we’d be happy to help with your enquiry.

Does Laser Removal hurt?

It can be uncomfortable. People often liken it to the feeling of being snapped by an elastic band over and over again.

How many treatments will it take?

This depends how big the tattoo is and what you are planning to do with the treated tattoo. A full removal can take anywhere between 5-14 treatments for a tattoo that is small enough to be completely treated in one session.

If you are treating the tattoo so it can be covered up with a new tattoo - anywhere between 3-7 treatments per maximum treatment size, or until you get to a faded level which you and your tattoo artist are happy to work with.

There are a number of other factors that influence the number of treatments needed such as:

Quality of ink used
Depth of ink placed in the skin
Type of ink used
Location on the body – the further away from the heart the longer the process takes
Age of the tattoo
Colours used
Size of the tattoo
Your general health and lifestyle
If it is a professional or amateur tattoo

How long do I have to wait between treatments?

The minimum amount of time between treatments is 8 weeks, but 12 weeks is preferable.

What does it cost?

Our treatments start at $65 per session, for larger tattoos we base the price on the size and complexity.

What are the risks?

With any laser treatment there is always a small risk or scaring, although every care is taken to avoid this is no guarantees can be given.

Is laser tattoo removal suitable for me?

It may not be a suitable treatment for you if you have any of the following:

Hyper or hypopigmentation
Tanned skin (It is recommended to avoid sun exposure for 4 weeks before treatment and do not use false tan)
Prone to Keloid scarring
Using light sensitizing drugs
If you are pregnant or breastfeeding
If you suffer from Epilepsy or Lupus or other serious condition
If you are of darker ethnic background