While tattoos remain popular, many people find themselves wanting to have them removed, either for aesthetic reasons or to be able to wipe the past away and focus on the future. Fortunately, laser tattoo removal is very effective at removing ink. However, there are 7 key points that come into play when determining the difficulty of tattoo removal.

1. Tattoo color and skin tone.
Not all colors are removed in the same way - different colors need to be processed with different wavelengths. Black ink is usually the easiest color to remove, while inks containing red, brown, white, or flesh-toned pigments are more difficult to remove.
People with lighter skin have easier removal. Darker skin tones are more difficult to treat because too much energy is absorbed by the skin rather than the targeted ink particles.

2. Tattoo size.
It goes without saying that smaller tattoos are easier to remove than larger tattoos, which require more treatments to successfully remove. Also does damage for a longer period of time.

3. The age of the tattoo.
This refers to how long the tattoo is on the skin—the longer it is, the easier it is for the laser to break down the color. This is because the ink from the old tattoo had more time to spread to the surface of the skin.

4. Tattoo depth and ink type.
A high-quality tattoo by a professional is much harder to remove than amateur or DIY work. The ink in professional tattoos goes deep into the dermis of the skin, using higher quality, denser ink colors. Amateur tattoo inks are usually thinner and more superficial, making them easier to remove.

5. Body chemistry.
The process of laser tattoo removal involves the body's immune system, the body's ability to clear ink, and the skin's ability to heal, which vary from person to person.

6. Tattoo placement.
It can be difficult to remove a tattoo if it is in an area with a limited vascular supply. If the area where the tattoo is located has more veins or is closer to the heart, it will be easier for the body to eliminate the ink. This makes facial tattoos easier to remove than lower back tattoos, and hands and feet more difficult than back or chest tattoos.

7. Laser type.
Finally, the type of laser used can affect how easy the tattoo removal process is. For example, a more powerful laser is needed to remove a darker tattoo. Q-switched nanosecond lasers have been widely used for tattoo removal for many years. Picosecond lasers, which manage laser pulses in picoseconds, are now also used for tattoo removal.