Will my fine motor functions be affected if I have a laser tattoo removal at the underside of my left wrist? (Photo)

Question

I have this tattoo at the underside of my left wrist and want it removed. My only main concern is if laser treatment would affect my fine motor functions such as dexterity, etc. I am a musician and so it really is a concern for me if this would happen. I read some articles and it said that some rare complications that may arise would be "damage to underlying structure"

Charles K. Lee, MD, FACS · Answer

Despite the location of the tattoo on your wrist and its proximity to the median and ulnar nerve, the laser does not go deep enough to injure your nerves.   I would recommend a lower setting for the first few treatments, then go higher on subsequent treatments.

Douglas Wu, MD · Answer

Lasers that remove tattoos are designed to shatter the pigment in skin and that’s all. They do not reach below the skin and will not affect your nerves, muscles, ligaments, tendons or bones. You should be perfectly fine continuing to play musical instruments, even during the long tattoo-removal process. Consulting with a board-certified dermatologist who is expert at laser tattoo removal will give you the most satisfactory and safest results.

Kory Kitagawa, MD · Answer

PicoWay is a terrific laser that uses very quick pulses of high-powered energy to shatter the pigment in tattoos. It doesn’t heat up your skin or damage any of the underlying structures or nerves. Removing your tattoo will be time consuming, but safe. Tattoo removal shouldn’t impede your ability to play except that your skin may feel a little tender directly after a removal session.  A board-certified dermatologist who has PicoWay will be able to answer all of your questions directly.

Renita (Lourdhurajan) Rajan, MD, DNB · Answer

You can definitely go ahead and have your tattoo removal done with laser. The damage to the underlying structure does not extend beyond skin depth, and even that can be avoided by using a more advanced laser for tattoo removal, like the Picoway - which leaves the surrounding skin, beautifully intact. There is no possibility of the damage to deeper structures like your nerves or tendons, with the tattoo removal lasers.Good luck!

Steven F. Weiner, MD · Answer

There is no way the laser can affect the nerves in the wrist unless there is a massive burn and infection. This is highly unlikely if done by a skilled provider.

Susan Fox, DO, RPVI · Answer

We have removed many many many tattoos in this area without any neurological issues.  We use the Picoway laser which has very short fast pulses and uses vibrational energy to heat and beak up the pigment.  It works amazing and has the best results of any laser we have tried

Will my fine motor functions be affected if I have a laser tattoo removal at the underside of my left wrist? (Photo)

Answers (6)