Does PicoSure Get Rid Of Yellow Ink?

Yellow and orange ink are some of the most difficult colors to remove, however, it is not impossible. Depending on your skin tone and the exact shades of yellow and orange in the tattoo, different lasers may be needed for a complete removal. I would recommend an in-person consultation to assess the tattoo and formulate a treatment plan. Be aware that it may take several months of laser sessions to fully remove a tattoo with difficult ink colors.

Yellow and orange tattoo ink are inherently difficult to remove because much of the laser light will simply pass through them. Therefore, photo thermal reaction to laser energy will be minimal. However, the PicoSure laser goes beyond photo thermal action by creating a powerful photomechanical PressureWave which helps break up lighter colored inks as well as the tough inks seen in recalcitrant tattoos. At Hall Plastic Surgery in Austin, Texas we were the first in the country to receive Boost upgrade which increases the Pressure Wave by up to 70%. It is possible that some unique orange and yellow inks may turn darker when treated with laser. When in doubt, your provider can perform a test spot.

Yellow is one of the most difficult tattoo inks to get rid of with laser.  There is no specific laser light color for yellow.  PicoSure is a red light laser with an ultra short pulse which may be of some benefit.  Tattoo inks are notoriously variable as to pigments, so all yellows are not the same.  It may be best to request a test spot with several different lasers including Ruby at 694nm, Alexandrite at 755nm (same wavelength as PicoSure) and frequency double Nd:YAG at 532nm.  Then chose the laser that responds best after the test spot.  Most specialized laser tattoo removal clinics have multiple lasers and are willing to do small test spots for a reasonable fee.  

Yellow ink is an unpredictable responder and if your yellow ink has been made by mixing red and green pigments it is likely to need treatment with the PicoSure and a Q-switched YAG laser at 532nm wavelength to target the red component. An ideal clinic for you would have both of these lasers. On the plus side, yellow ink often blends into the surrounding skin once the black outline is removed and is barely detectable.