Want That Tattoo Gone? Non-Smokers Fare Better

Also, colors make them harder to remove
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 18, 2012 7:27 PM CDT
Want That Tattoo Gone? Non-Smokers Fare Better
This one shouldn't be too bad, although the colors could be tricky.   (Flickr)

Can't decide whether to try to have that iffy tattoo removed? Italian dermatologists say they've done the first real research into the subject, reports USA Today. They found that a little less than half of all tattoos can be fully removed with 10 laser treatments, and the figure rises to 75% with 15 treatments. Some factors:

  • Smoking: Those who puff will have a harder time. Smoking interferes with the healing of wounds, and the same apparently applies to tattoo removal. In fact, smokers have a 70% less chance of getting the job done in 10 treatments, reports the Wall Street Journal.
  • Colors: Black and red tattoos come off easier than those with other colors. All-black designs were best.
  • Size: Kind of a no-brainer, but if the design is bigger than 12 inches, expect the longer series of treatments.
  • Placement: Tattoos on the feet and legs were harder to remove.
  • Better laser? The results were based on the common "Q-switched laser," but a smaller study of something called a picosecond alexandrite laser suggested that it works better. It's still mostly in development, however.
(More tattoos stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X