Tattoo Removal:
20 Questions Answered

T2 stands for Targeted Tattoo: each ink colour in the tattoo is targeted with the wavelength it absorbs. T2 Laser Tattoo Removal is Dr Sin Yong's staged tattoo removal protocol on the DEKA TORO, a laser platform made by DEKA in Italy. The wavelength and pulse are matched to each ink colour: 1064 nm nanosecond for black and dark inks, 532 nm nanosecond for red, orange and purple, and 785 nm picosecond for green and blue. Settings are chosen for your skin type, and healing is reviewed before each next visit. See T2 Laser Tattoo Removal.

Ink colour decides the wavelength, because each colour absorbs light differently. On the DEKA TORO, black, dark blue and brown inks are treated with the 1064 nm nanosecond emission, which the melanin in skin absorbs less. Red, orange and purple absorb 532 nm. Green and blue are treated with the 785 nm picosecond emission. A multicoloured tattoo may need more than one wavelength in a visit. See colour tattoo removal.

Neither is better for every tattoo. A picosecond pulse is roughly a thousand times shorter than a Q-switched nanosecond pulse, so more of its effect is pressure and less is heat. Nanosecond 1064 nm pulses fragment dark ink well, and the 785 nm picosecond emission is used for green and blue. The DEKA TORO carries both, so the choice is made per colour rather than per machine. Devices are compared on PicoWay vs PicoSure vs DEKA TORO.

Most people describe each pulse as a sharp snap against the skin, followed by heat and tenderness. Cooling or a topical anaesthetic is planned according to the size and site of the tattoo and your tolerance, and eye protection is worn throughout. Comfort varies with the area, the ink and the settings used. The treated ink turns white briefly, then the skin becomes red and swollen. The visit step by step is on what to expect at tattoo removal.

No number is fixed in advance, and none is given before the tattoo has been seen. Fragmented ink is cleared by your immune system gradually between visits, and how far each visit takes it depends on ink colour, density, depth, layering, location and your skin. Treating again before the skin has healed adds risk without clearing more ink. Each next visit is decided at review. See laser tattoo removal in Singapore.

Singapore's rules restrict how medical fees may be advertised, so no figure is given here. The fee depends on the size and location of the tattoo, the ink colours and the wavelengths they need, ink density and depth, layering, scarring or cosmetic pigment, whether a test area comes first, and how the staged plan is reviewed. A written quote follows an in-person evaluation by Dr Sin Yong. See tattoo removal cost factors.

The skin over the ink is deliberately injured, so recovery is visible. Straight after, the tattoo turns white, then red and swollen, sometimes with pinpoint bleeding. Blisters can form over heavily inked parts, dry into scabs and come away on their own, leaving pink skin. This phase needs a light dressing, so plan around it; soaking, swimming, friction and sun wait until the skin has closed. See tattoo removal downtime.

Keep the area clean and lightly covered with the ointment you were given, and use a cool compress for swelling. Leave blisters intact, because the roof protects the skin beneath, and let scabs come away on their own; picking is a common route to a scar. Avoid soaking, swimming, saunas and friction until healed, and keep the area out of the sun. Your written aftercare comes first. See tattoo removal aftercare.

It can, but scarring is uncommon when settings suit the skin and aftercare is followed. The risk rises with picked blisters or scabs, infection, sun on healing skin, a keloid tendency and tattoos that were raised or scarred when they were done. Laser cannot undo scarring left by the original tattooing, which is why the skin is examined first. A darker or paler patch after healing is pigment change, not scarring. See tattoo removal scarring.

It can be evaluated, with the skin setting the terms. The laser passes through the melanin in your skin to reach the ink, so in medium and darker skin, Fitzpatrick III to V, the area can temporarily darken or lighten after treatment. The 1064 nm wavelength, which melanin absorbs less, is favoured for dark ink, energy is set for the skin, a test area is often treated first, and sun protection is part of the plan. See laser for dark skin.

Often, but cautiously. Eyebrow embroidery and microblading pigments often contain iron oxide or titanium dioxide, which can turn darker or grey under laser instead of fading. A small test area is treated and reviewed first, and protective eyewear is used near the eye. Brows that have faded to an orange or grey cast are evaluated the same way, and sometimes the honest answer is that laser is not the route. See eyebrow embroidery removal.

Sometimes. Like brow pigment, eyeliner and lip blush inks often contain iron oxide or titanium dioxide, which can darken or turn grey under laser, so a small test area comes first and is reviewed before anything more is planned. Eyeliner near the lash line needs particular care and is treated with internal eye shields in place. Whether laser suits your pigment at all is decided at the evaluation. See eyeliner and lip blush tattoo removal. Eyeliner, lip blush and brow tattooing, like scalp micropigmentation, are done by an embroidery specialist, not by a doctor; Dr Sin Yong's part is the removal.

It can. Some inks, red pigments in particular, can provoke an allergic reaction as the laser releases them, usually local itching and swelling and, rarely, something more widespread. A tattoo that is already raised, itchy or swollen over the red ink is examined first and treated as a skin problem before any removal. Swelling of the lips, tongue or throat with difficulty breathing is an emergency. See red ink and colour tattoo removal.

Yellow and white are poorly absorbed by most laser wavelengths, so they are difficult to clear and may lighten little. White and flesh-tone pigments can also contain titanium dioxide, which can darken under laser, so a test area may come first. A multicoloured tattoo may therefore respond in its black areas while its yellow or white lags behind, and the plan says so at the start. See yellow and white ink removal.

Yes. Fading before a cover-up is a planned, shorter course than full removal, and it aims to lighten the ink enough for a new design rather than to clear it. The tattoo is still evaluated first, because colour, density, location and skin type shape the plan in the same way, and the cover-up design is kept in mind. The new tattoo itself is done by a tattoo artist, not at this practice. See laser tattoo removal in Singapore.

There is no reliable evidence that tattoo removal creams remove ink from the dermis, where tattoo ink sits, and some cause irritation, chemical burns and scarring. The same applies to salt rubs and acid peels sold online for tattoos. For that reason they are not used here. Laser works differently: it fractures the ink particles so that your immune system can clear them gradually between visits. See laser tattoo removal.

No. Treatment waits during pregnancy. Tattoo removal is elective and staged, so there is nothing lost by planning it for later. Other reasons to wait or to review first include broken, infected or freshly tanned skin over the tattoo, recent isotretinoin, photosensitising medicines, past gold injections and a tendency to keloid scarring. Each is asked about at the evaluation before any plan is made. See am I suitable for tattoo removal.

A mole or a changing spot inside a tattoo is examined before any laser is planned, because laser over a lesion that needs a diagnosis removes the clue a doctor needs. A mole that looks irregular or has changed is assessed for whether it needs removal and testing, and that is settled before tattoo removal goes ahead. Point it out when you book. See mole removal.

Sometimes. Excision removes the tattoo by cutting it out and leaves a linear scar instead of ink. For a small tattoo where that scar would be acceptable, surgery may be the better route, and you are referred to a plastic surgery specialist rather than treated here. A raised, scarred or keloid-prone tattoo is also assessed first, because it may be better handled surgically than with laser. See tattoo removal suitability.

This site does not show before-and-after photographs, in keeping with Singapore's rules on medical advertising. Another person's tattoo would not predict yours anyway: ink, depth, layering, location and skin type differ, and lighting and angle change how a photo looks. Instead, your own tattoo is photographed under the same conditions for your medical record and compared at each review. What changes, and what decides it, is on tattoo removal results.