What Does My Skin Type Have to do with Laser Tattoo Removal?
Your skin is a wonderful and unique organ, and the type of skin you have is immensely important in your laser tattoo removal process. Melanin is a naturally occurring pigment found in your hair, eyes, and skin, and is responsible for how sensitive your skin is to sunlight and how you tan. So how dark your skin is depends on the amount of melanin that is being produced.
The laser emits pulses of light into the skin that are attracted to different colors of ink, and rapidly heats the ink particles up and shatters them into smaller pieces that your white blood cells will carry away and eliminate naturally by means of your immune system. That being said, we want to make sure those laser pulses are not being drawn to the natural melanocytes in the skin, which could cause hypopigmentation (a lightening of the skin) or hyperpigmentation (a darkening of the skin) in the immediate area. While most pigmentation issues will resolve themselves, taking into account a person’s skin type and treating the tattoo appropriately will greatly lessen the chances of this happening. We utilize the Fitzpatrick scale to determine our clients skin type in order to treat them safely and effectively.
The Fitzpatrick scale for skin typing is a method of identifying the amount of melanin in a person’s skin and their tolerance to sun exposure. It is widely used, and even utilized by the FDA when evaluating SPF values of sunscreens. Your type is determined by the color and the effect of sun exposure on your skin. For example, light colored or pale skin burns very easily and tans poorly, while darker skin burns far less and will tan much faster, and is also more prone to develop post-inflammatory pigmentation after an intense burn or injury.
There are 6 different skin types in the Fitzpatrick scale. Skin type I refers to those with sensitive, pale, light skin, with blue/green colored eyes and blonde or red hair. They commonly burn and do not tan. Skin type II refers to those with still fair skin, but can tan gently over time. Skin type III people have a little more color to their skin, sometimes burns, and slowly tans to a light brown color. Skin type IV refers to those that are mildly sensitive, but always tan to a moderate brown color. They usually have naturally dark hair and brown eyes. Type V skin is resistant, and rarely burns, and has a good amount of melanin production, leading to a darker brown skin tone, and skin type VI refers to deeply pigmented dark brown to black skin. They are very resistant to burning, and have the most melanin production out of all the skin types.
Once your skin type is determined, your technician will be able to appropriately treat you with the correct wavelength and treatment settings that will be safest for your skin. At your consultation, a customized treatment plan will be devised, and your technician will guide you with the appropriate amount of time to wait in between treatments and give you an estimated number of treatments needed.
