An IPL Laser Accidentally Burned my Tattoo, Will It Be Permanently Damaged?

Question

Hello, I have a tattoo and had an IPL treatment to remove hair around the tattoo and it accidentilly reached my tattoo and burned it. Will it be permanently damaged? Small pieces of black skin ar coming off and I am really worried.

Donald B. Yoo, MD, FACS · Answer

The tattoo will be slightly lighter, as the IPL destroys and "lifts" darker pigment molecules such as the ones found in your tattoo.

F. Victor Rueckl, MD (in memoriam) · Answer

IPL targets color and pigment, so it would be very much attracted to inks in tattoos. When doing IPL on people with tattoos (that want to keep them!) it's best to cover the tattoo itself with something to prevent the light from hitting it at all. The treatment may in fact have removed some of the ink, and that's what is crusting off. In the treated areas the tattoo will probably lighten or smear a bit. But it won't be gone completely and you can have the tattoo redarkened again. Ask your laser technician to appropriately cover the tattoo next time before treatment!

An IPL Laser Accidentally Burned my Tattoo, Will It Be Permanently Damaged?

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An IPL Laser Accidentally Burned my Tattoo, Will It Be Permanently Damaged?

Answers (2)

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Everything you need to know about IPL

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.