Laser Tattoo Removal for Lips?

You have to be careful trying to remove lip liner tattoo. First off, realize that there is a difference between the lasers used for skin resurfacing vs. those used for tattoo removal. A laser is a device that delivers a single wavelength of light. They get very complicated regarding how much energy is delivered, how fast, it if is pulsed, etc. The simple way to look at medical lasers is by the color of light delivered. If the color "matches" something that it hits, heat is delivered... more

Lasers often provide an excellent result in removal of permanent lipliner tattooing, if the color is a dark or black color. The Alexandrite, Neodynium Yag, and Q-switched Ruby lasers can all do the job. On a few occasions, there is a paradoxical darkening that occurs with the color of the tattoo, depending on the color, especially if it is red. This would then require many regular treatments to get through this phase. No guarantee can be given, though, that the color will lighten or go... more

Dear Marciajones from Melbourne, FL: As a plastic surgeon I have seen numerous patients over the years that have had laser tattoo removal with less than optimal results. These patients then come to me, or one of my collegues, for a direct surgical excison of the laser treated area. My main concern in this procedure for such a delicate area is that I have seen a certain degree of unpredictabilty and would be worried that you may end up with a more complex problem. Sometimes the area that... more

There is always a potential for hypertrophic scarring from tattoo laser removal and I advise a spot test prior to treat the entire lip line with tattoo laser removal. Sometimes, surgical removal by a plastic surgeon may be preferable as the scar tissues can be hidden nicely along vermilion lip borders.

Make sure the laser is a Q-switched laser. IPL's are sometimes used and lead to major scarring. With a Q-switched laser such as VersaPulse or Medlite, red ink would be expected to darken with the first treatment. Don't worry, With subsequents treatments the darkened pigment will go away.

The difficulty in treating permanent make up ink vs. traditional tattoo ink is two fold.  First, the location of the ink is quite different and more challenging than most tattoos.  Secondly, make up ink has different pigment and base pigments.  Generally, the permanent make up is treatable with lasers, but the challenge is having the correct technology/wavelength if and when the color fades or degrades to another color that the laser cannot treat any longer.  Most... more