As a general rule, laser tattoo removal is most effective on darker colored inks, such as blacks, browns, blues and reds. It’s also effective on high contrast tattoos — black ink on light skinned people, for example, responds best to laser treatment.
High-contrast tattoos and darker colored inks respond well to laser pulses because they can effectively absorb the laser’s energy. This causes the pigmentation to fragment into smaller particles that the body’s immune system removes.
Older tattoos also respond well to laser tattoo removal. This is because some of their ink pigment has already been absorbed by the body, making it easier for lasers to break down the remaining pigment. Lasers are also more effective on professional tattoos because the ink is evenly distributed in the skin’s dermis.
But keep in mind that there are over 100 different inks used in the tattoo industry, so accurately predicting which tattoos will respond best to laser removal can be tricky at best.
