Published 7 October 2026 · Reviewed by Dr Sin Yong
Laser tattoo removal uses very short laser pulses to break tattoo ink into particles small enough for the body's immune system to clear gradually. It is done in stages, planned after an evaluation of ink colour, density, location, layering and skin type. Black and dark inks generally respond more readily than green and yellow, and complete clearance cannot be promised. Blistering, redness and scabbing are expected, and pigment change or scarring are possible, especially in medium and darker skin.
Illustrative image. Each tattoo is evaluated before a wavelength or schedule is chosen.
Key facts
How it works
Picosecond and nanosecond pulses fragment ink; the immune system clears the particles between treatments
What shapes the plan
Ink colours, density, location, layering, scarring and skin type
Colours
Black and dark inks respond more readily; green and yellow tend to be more stubborn
Planning
Staged, with healing checked before each next treatment; no count is fixed in advance
After treatment
Redness, swelling, blistering and scabbing are common and are managed to limit scarring and pigment change
Cosmetic tattoos
Eyebrow and eyeliner pigments can darken; a small test area comes first
Referral
Small tattoos where excision may suit are referred to a plastic surgery specialist
Tattoo removal in Singapore is done with very short laser pulses that break ink into particles the body clears gradually, in stages with healing checked between treatments. Black inks respond more readily than green, yellow or white. Skin type shapes the settings, blistering and scabbing are expected, and complete clearance cannot be promised for any tattoo.
T2 Laser Tattoo Removal on the DEKA TORO
T2 Laser Tattoo Removal on the DEKA TORO is Dr Sin Yong's staged protocol for laser tattoo removal in Singapore, in which the wavelength and the pulse are matched to each ink colour in the tattoo. The DEKA TORO, made by DEKA in Italy, carries three wavelengths on one platform: 785 nm in the picosecond range, and 532 nm and 1064 nm in the Q-switched nanosecond range. Settings are chosen for your skin type, and healing is reviewed before each next visit.
Ink colour
Wavelength and pulse on the DEKA TORO
What to know
Black, dark blue and brown
1064 nm, Q-switched nanosecond
Absorbed less by the melanin in skin, so it is also the wavelength chosen with darker skin in mind
Red, orange and purple
532 nm, Q-switched nanosecond
Red ink can provoke an allergic reaction as it is released
Green and blue
785 nm, picosecond
The wavelength named for green and blue tattoo inks in the TORO's US FDA clearance (K240752)
Yellow and white
Poorly absorbed by most wavelengths
The most difficult colours to clear; assessed at the evaluation
On the DEKA TORO, green and blue inks are treated at 785 nm in picosecond mode. The black and red inks are treated with nanosecond pulses, so the protocol does not rely on picosecond pulses alone; the pulse follows the ink. Matching the wavelength to the colour is about which light each ink absorbs. It does not make removal faster to promise, and complete clearance cannot be promised for any tattoo.
Nothing changes about how the plan is made. Dr Sin Yong evaluates the ink colours, density, location, layering and your skin type first, you are not treated on the day of the consultation, and you receive a written plan and quote. Cosmetic tattoos still start with a small test area. The full protocol, who it suits and how each visit is staged are on T2 Laser Tattoo Removal.
How does laser tattoo removal work, and what does it not do?
A tattoo is ink deposited in the dermis, in particles too large for the body to remove. A picosecond laser delivers very short pulses that fragment those particles, mainly by a pressure effect, and the immune system then carries the fragments away gradually between treatments. The laser does not lift ink out of the skin in one visit, and the interval between treatments matters because the skin has to heal and the body needs time to clear what has been broken up.
Picosecond pulses are shorter than the nanosecond pulses of a Q-switched laser, so the effect is less thermal and more photomechanical. That is relevant in skin that tends to react to heat. It does not make removal quicker to promise: dense professional ink, layered or scarred tattoos and bright colours remain the hardest cases for any laser, and complete clearance cannot be promised for any tattoo. Tattoo removal creams are not used here, because there is no reliable evidence that they remove ink from the dermis and some cause irritation or chemical injury.
Why is removal planned in stages, and what happens step by step?
Removal is staged because the body clears fragmented ink slowly and the skin must recover between treatments. Treating again before the skin has healed raises the risk of scarring and pigment change without clearing more ink. No number of treatments is fixed in advance, because it depends on ink colour, density, depth, location, layering and your skin; it is revised at each review, based on how the tattoo and the skin look.
The sequence is: a consultation and tattoo evaluation by Dr Sin Yong, covering ink colours, density, location, layering and skin type; a written plan and quote setting out wavelength, intervals and any test area; treatment, with eye protection and cooling or topical anaesthetic as planned; and a review to check healing before the next treatment is planned. You are not expected to be treated on the day of the consultation, and consent is taken with time to decide.
Aftercare is part of the treatment. Keep the area clean and covered as advised, leave blisters intact, do not pick scabs, avoid friction, soaking and heat, keep treated skin out of the sun and use broad-spectrum sunscreen once the skin has healed. Written aftercare is given on the day.
“The laser does not remove ink. It fractures the particles small enough for the immune system to carry away, which is why the interval between sessions matters as much as the device.”
Dr Sin YongOn what actually clears a tattoo
Illustrative image — not a patient.
Which ink colours respond, and which wavelengths are used?
Ink colour decides the wavelength, because each colour absorbs light differently. As a general principle, black and dark blue absorb across a wide range and respond to the longer 1064 nm wavelength, which is also absorbed less by the melanin in skin and so suits darker skin tones. Red, orange and purple absorb the shorter 532 nm wavelength. Green and some blue inks need other wavelengths, and white and yellow are poorly absorbed by most, which is why they are the most difficult to clear.
Colour is only part of the picture. Depth, density and the amount of ink matter, and dense professional ink is among the hardest cases for any laser. Layered or cover-up tattoos can hold several pigments at different depths, and scarring from the original tattooing changes how the ink and the skin behave. This is why two tattoos of the same colour can need different plans, and why the evaluation looks at all of these before a wavelength is chosen.
The table sets out the general pattern. Which wavelength is used for each ink in a particular tattoo is decided at the evaluation, and a tattoo with several colours or with layered ink may need more than one. Cosmetic tattoos are a special case: eyebrow embroidery, eyeliner and lip blush often use iron oxide or titanium dioxide, which can turn darker or grey under laser, so a small test area is treated first and reviewed.
Ink colours and the wavelengths generally used
Ink colour
Wavelength generally used
What to expect
Black and dark blue
1064 nm, also gentler on darker skin
Respond most readily; clearance cannot be promised
Red, orange, purple
532 nm is absorbed by these colours
Red ink can provoke an allergic reaction as it is released
Green and some blue
785 nm picosecond on the DEKA TORO
More stubborn than black; wavelength choice matters
Yellow and white
Poorly absorbed by most wavelengths
Most difficult to clear
Brown and flesh-tone cosmetic ink
Assessed cautiously, test area first
Iron oxide or titanium dioxide can darken or turn grey
Tattoo removal options in Singapore by type of tattoo: laser, excision, fading or cover-up
Laser is the usual route to removing a tattoo, but it is not the right answer for every tattoo or every goal. The type of tattoo, what you want at the end and the skin it sits in decide the plan, so these are settled at the evaluation before any wavelength is chosen. Some people want the ink gone; others want it faded enough for a cover-up; a few have a small tattoo where excision makes more sense.
Tattoo or goal
What it means for removal
Route usually weighed
Professional tattoo, dense black ink
Ink sits evenly and densely in the dermis; dense ink is among the harder cases
Staged laser, 1064 nm nanosecond for black and dark blue (T2 on the DEKA TORO)
Amateur or home-made tattoo
Ink is often less dense and placed unevenly
Staged laser; uneven ink can clear unevenly, so the plan is reviewed area by area
Coloured tattoo
Each colour absorbs a different wavelength; green, yellow and white are stubborn
Laser at more than one wavelength, assessed colour by colour
Cosmetic tattoo: brows, eyeliner, lip blush
Iron oxide or titanium dioxide inks can turn darker or grey under laser
A small test area first, then a cautious plan; eyeliner near the lash line needs particular care
Tattoo to be covered with new art
The aim is fading, not full removal
Staged laser aimed at fading, planned with the cover-up design in mind
Small tattoo where excision suits
Removal by cutting out leaves a linear scar instead of ink
Referral to a plastic surgery specialist
Raised, itchy or scarred tattoo, or a red-ink reaction
May be an allergic or scarring reaction that laser can worsen
Examined first; treated as a skin problem before any removal
Tattoo removal creams are not used. There is no reliable evidence that they remove ink from the dermis, and some cause chemical burns that scar. The same applies to salt rubs and acid peels sold online for tattoos.
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. Ink colour, density, layering and your skin type are recorded at the suitability assessment, and what sets the fee is on tattoo removal cost factors. Every treatment is performed by Dr Sin Yong after that evaluation.
Does skin type matter, and can the skin darken or lighten?
Skin type matters a great deal, because the laser has to pass through the melanin in the epidermis to reach the ink. In medium and darker skin, including Fitzpatrick III to V, the treated area can temporarily darken, known as post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, or lighten, known as hypopigmentation, and lightening can be slow to recover. Wavelength and energy are chosen with skin type in mind, and treating at a suitable level is generally more efficient than repeating treatment at settings that are too low to be useful.
Sun exposure on healing skin raises the risk of darkening, so protection is part of the plan. The post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation page explains why skin that is injured makes more pigment, and the laser toning page describes how pigment is managed in the same skin types. If the tattoo was raised or scarred when it was done, the laser cannot undo that, and it is assessed before treatment.
Illustrative image — not a patient.
Who suits laser removal, who should wait and who is referred on?
Laser removal tends to suit professional or amateur body tattoos on intact, healthy, untanned skin, for people who understand that it is staged and that clearance cannot be promised. It also suits people who want an existing tattoo lightened before a cover-up design, which is done by a tattoo artist.
Some people do not want a tattoo gone but lighter, so that a new design can cover it. Fading before a cover-up is a planned, shorter course than removal, it does not aim to clear the tattoo, and the cover-up itself is done by a tattoo artist, not at this practice. The tattoo is still evaluated first, because the same factors of colour, density, location and skin type apply.
It is better to wait with pregnancy, broken or infected skin over the tattoo, or freshly tanned skin. Recent isotretinoin or photosensitising medicines, a tendency to keloid or hypertrophic scarring, and previous gold injections are reviewed before any treatment. Small tattoos where a linear scar is acceptable may be better removed surgically, and raised, scarred or keloid-prone tattoos are assessed first; where surgery is the right route you are referred to a plastic surgery specialist.
What are the risks, and when should you call?
Laser removal is a controlled injury, so some reaction follows every treatment: whitening, redness, swelling, pinpoint bleeding, blistering and scabbing. Scarring and pigment change are the risks most people ask about; scarring is uncommon when settings are appropriate and aftercare is followed, and it is more likely with picking blisters or scabs, infection, sun on healing skin and tattoos that were already raised. Broken blisters can become infected, and 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.
Contact the clinic on +65 8023 7170 during clinic hours if blisters are broken and look infected, if crusts become thick, yellow or oozing, if pain, swelling or warmth are increasing, or if itching spreads beyond the tattoo. Swelling of the lips, tongue or throat with difficulty breathing is an emergency: go to A&E or call 995. Laser light can injure the eye, so protective eyewear is used, and the complication care page sets out when to seek urgent help.
Tattoo removal guides: T2, ink colours, eyebrows, scarring and results
Each common question about tattoo removal in Singapore has its own short guide. Start with the protocol, then read the guide that matches your tattoo.
T2 Laser Tattoo Removal: the multi-wavelength protocol on the DEKA TORO, ink colour by ink colour.
Colour tattoo removal: red, green, blue, yellow and white inks, and why some colours are harder than others.
Singapore's rules prevent clinics from advertising prices, so this page gives no figures, and a number given before the tattoo has been seen would not mean anything. A written quote follows the evaluation. The factors are the size of the tattoo and its location, the colours and density of the ink, whether it is layered, scarred or cosmetic, which wavelengths are needed, and how the plan is staged.
Because the number of treatments cannot be fixed in advance, the quote is built around the plan and reviewed as treatment goes on. The how fees are quoted page explains what a written quote contains, and why a lower figure elsewhere may describe a different laser, fewer passes or a different plan.
Your next step
1. MessageWhatsApp +65 8023 7170 with what is bothering you. A reply comes from the clinic, not a bot.
2. AssessmentDr Sin Yong examines you himself on Orchard Road, with ultrasound where earlier filler is involved.
3. A plan in writingWhat he would do, what he would not, the fee factors, and the option of no treatment.
Every treatment is performed by Dr Sin Yong personally. Singapore Medical Council registered · invited to share his clinical expertise internationally as a Key Opinion Leader for CLASSYS, DEKA, HIRONIC, FOTONA, ALMA, LUTRONIC and ILOODA · HSA-registered devices · ultrasound-guided correction
T2 Laser Tattoo Removal is Dr Sin Yong’s staged tattoo removal protocol on the DEKA TORO. 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, all on one platform. Settings are chosen for your skin type, healing is reviewed before each next visit, and complete clearance cannot be promised.
Dr Sin Yong’s tattoo protocol, T2 Laser Tattoo Removal, runs on the DEKA TORO, a Q-switched Nd:YAG platform from DEKA in Italy that combines picosecond and nanosecond emissions at 785 nm, 532 nm and 1064 nm. Which wavelengths your tattoo needs depends on its ink colours, and the settings depend on your skin type. Both are decided at the evaluation and set out in the written plan.
Laser can be used on eyebrow embroidery, but cautiously. Brow pigments often contain iron oxide or titanium dioxide, which can turn darker or grey under laser instead of fading, so a small test area is treated and reviewed first. Protective eyewear is used near the eye, treatment is staged, and complete clearance cannot be promised. Eyeliner and lip blush are assessed in the same careful way.
No. This site shows no before-and-after photographs, in line with Singapore’s rules on medical advertising, and a photograph of another person’s tattoo says little about yours, because ink colour, density, depth, layering and skin type all differ. Instead, the results guide describes how fading is reviewed at each visit, what decides the response, and why complete clearance cannot be promised.
Most people describe each pulse as a sharp snap against the skin, followed by heat and tenderness. Cooling and a topical anaesthetic are planned according to the size and site of the tattoo and your tolerance. Treated skin then turns white briefly, then red and swollen, and blisters and scabs are common while it heals. Comfort varies with the area, the ink and the settings used.
No. Laser breaks the ink into fragments, and the body clears those fragments gradually between treatments, so removal is always staged. The number of treatments is not fixed in advance, because it depends on ink colour, density, depth, layering, the site and your skin. It is reviewed each time the skin has healed. Some tattoos can be faded a long way but not cleared completely.
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. The cover-up itself is done by a tattoo artist, not at this practice.
A tattoo is ink in the dermis, in particles too large for the body to clear. Picosecond pulses fragment those particles mainly by a pressure effect, with less heat than the nanosecond pulses of a Q-switched laser, which matters in skin that reacts to heat. The immune system then carries the fragments away gradually, so the laser does not lift ink out at once, and complete clearance cannot be promised.
Singapore rules prevent advertising prices, so none are given. The fee depends on the tattoo's size and location, ink colours and density, layering or scarring, wavelengths needed and how treatment is staged. A written quote follows evaluation.
It is worth it if you accept that it is staged, that bright colours and dense ink are harder, and that complete clearance cannot be promised. Fading before a cover-up is another reason. Evaluation tells you which of these applies to your tattoo.
No duration is promised. Treatment is staged, the skin must heal between treatments, and the number needed depends on ink colour, density, depth, location, layering and skin. The plan is revised at each review.
Every treatment causes redness, swelling and often blistering and scabbing. Scarring and pigment change, darker or lighter, are possible, especially in medium and darker skin. Some colours respond poorly, and clearance cannot be promised.
It can, but scarring is uncommon when settings are appropriate and aftercare is followed. Picking blisters or scabs, infection, sun on healing skin and tattoos that were already raised or scarred raise the risk.
Often, but they are assessed more cautiously. Iron oxide and titanium dioxide pigments can darken or turn grey instead of fading, so a small test area is treated and reviewed first, and protective eyewear is used near the eye.
Yellow and white are the most difficult, and green is more stubborn than black. Black and dark blue respond most readily. Dense professional ink, layered tattoos and scarred skin are the hardest cases for any laser.
Treatment waits in pregnancy and over broken, infected or freshly tanned skin. Keloid tendency, photosensitising medicines, recent isotretinoin and previous gold injections are reviewed first. Small tattoos may suit surgical excision by a plastic surgery specialist.
References
Efficacy of Nd:YAG Lasers for Tattoo Removal: Systematic Review of Clinical Outcomes, Clearance Rates, and Treatment Parameters. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology (PMC), 2026. source
Tattoo-associated skin reactions. DermNet (section on removal of tattoos). source
