What Colours Are Best (And Worst) For Tattoo Removal?

Vibrant, colourful tattoos are the ultimate form of individual artistic expression – because what could be more meaningful than bringing new life to the mesmerising canvas that is your own skin? The good news is that you can get inked in just about every colour of the rainbow, with a skilled artist able to mix the various pigments to tattoo even in colours that were once very difficult – light very light, pastel colours or neon-like hues. But there’s a little bit of bad news, unfortunately – because colour tattoo removal is not a straightforward topic.

Are blue tattoos best or worst for removal?

Although today’s laser tattoo removal technologies are impressively advanced, certain ink colours are more challenging to remove than others. Basically, the rule is: the darker the ink, the easier it is for the laser to break down the pigments with light wavelengths. That makes the yellows, whites and pastels the more difficult tattoo removal colours – because they can’t absorb as much laser light. But that doesn’t mean the tattoo removal colour on your skin can’t be removed at all – it just might require more sessions or more treatment time and laser technique tweaks to turn that faded result into truly disappeared ink.

So if you want your theoretical colour tattoo removal to go smoothly in future, consider framing your preferred ink with:

1. Black

It’s all about those light wavelengths from the laser – and the fact that black absorbs it all. As such, the black pigments are the easiest for the laser energy to target due to the contrast with the skin, and then be broken down most effectively.

See also: Blackout tattoo removal

2. Basically anything dark

It’s really quite simple: go for dark browns, a purple tattoo, reds and even dark blues and green tattoo ink – and they’ll all soak up that laser light very nicely indeed.

However, while it’s true that ‘anything dark’ is a fairly safe bet for colour tattoo removal in the future, dark greens and blues – or dark turquoise, a combination of blue and green – are the ones to be wary of. But don’t worry too much if you’ve got your heart set on an aquatic or nature-themed tat – because if it’s dark, it shouldn’t be an issue. Dark purples or dark reds, however, will definitely make your laser therapist happier!

So now we know what the best hues are for easy coloured tattoo removal, what colours should we be a little more mindful of?:

1. Yellow & white

If black and dark brown is low-intensity colours that are easy to remove, it simply makes sense that the highest-intensity colours are the ones to steer clear of – with white and yellow at the top of the list. It’s all because of the high-intensity colours’ low absorption rates for laser light, making them more resistant to fragmentation – even if it’s important to note that they’re not immune to fragmentation by any stretch. The lighter inks usually just mean different settings, technologies, and more time and patience.

2. Light blues & greens

We also need to mention the lighter blues and greens, which some people regard as ‘a bit like black’. Actually, no – they’re not at all. While the truly low-intensity colours hungrily absorb that laser light, the blues and greens tend to scatter that laser light – meaning it bounces off. Pinks and oranges are slightly better, but they can still be challenging to achieve complete removal.

No tattoo colour overwhelms us at Disappear Laser Clinic

But don’t forget, if you choose your laser clinic and specialist wisely enough, their skill and experience can help to overcome some of these challenges of effective colour tattoo removal. At Disappear Laser Clinic + Tattoo Removal, we have all the expertise, advanced laser technology and personalised treatment plans that can put you on the road to the outcome you’re looking for – even with the most difficult-to-remove tattoo colours. Get in touch and have a chat with one of Sydney’s leading laser tattoo removal specialists today right here at Disappear Laser Clinic + Tattoo Removal.