Tattoo Removal: What laser works best on red ink?

The best laser choice for red tattoo removal is the 532 nm q-switched Nd:YAG laser. Q-switched lasers are the mainstay of tattoo removal these days and we have three major types currently, the Nd:YAG, Ruby, Alexandrite. The Ruby and Alexandrite lasers are in the near-infrared spectrum, which means that they are not very well absorbed by red pigments. This may seem counterintuitive, but things that look red do not absorb red light, they instead reflect only red light and absorb all other wavelengths. This is why a rose looks red to the human eye, it reflects the color red. Now, with red tattoos, the same principle applies, and so instead, you would want to use the color laser that is absorbed best by red pigments, and that happens to be the complementary color on the color wheel, or green. The ND:YAG usually fires a laser beam at 1064 nm, which is also infra-red, but these lasers can also double their frequency, allowing for a 532 nm wavelength, which is in the green spectrum. That is why the 532 nm q-switched Nd:YAG laser is currently the best laser for removal of red tattoos. Good luck! 

The 532 wavelength of a PICOSECOND laser, I do have a Picosure with a 532 filter and it does not have the power to remove reds. Its filtered. In this case I use my Revlite or Pastelle 532, but other good lasers that outperform my Picosure include the Picoway or the Enlighten. All the best, The Fiori Institute, Brisbane. Australia.