Follow-up question: Is there some hope on complete fading? (Photo)

Hello Ann.  As you mentioned, returning to the 1064 wavelength for the darker oxidized ink is the way to go.  Continue the process as is and you should continue to see fading.  The only time the process changes t our practice is if the ink oxidizes to a color that is non-responsive to q-switched lasers.  At that point we switch over to fractional laser treatment.  Never fear as there are always options!

Thank you for your question.  With the enlighten, only one treatment will not fade all the pigment. If it did change with one, then you have hope that the black will fade with the next treatments.  It could take 5-6 depending on how the pigment responds.  Hang in there!

Hello, thank you for your question and for including a photo.  I understand your question and I see that the 532nm wavelength was used intially, which is not a bad choice for a redish/orange ink color.  The contents in the ink have possibly reacted this way and the next course of action, once the original treatment has healed is to go ahead and treat the ink as if it were black with the 1064nm wavelength.  Additional treatments should be beneficial and safe.  With cosmetic ink, it seems that there are elements of it that tend to change when laser/heat is applied to it.  My thought about all cosmetic ink, and especially because it is usually on the face, is to start with just a small test area to see how the ink responds before treating the whole area.  At least this way, both the patient and the provider know what to expect going forward.  Good Luck!