Page 21 - An Introduction to Laser Tattoo Removal

Chapter 2 – Fundamentals of Laser Tattoo Removal v1.0
injuring the skin or client, whilst also minimising the potential for infection. However, some manufacturers offer their inks in a dry powder form too.
The largest commercial tattoo ink supplier globally is Intenze. From their Material Safety Data Sheet the constituents of their inks are:
True Black
Pigment Black, Acrylic resin, Glycerine, Water, Witch Hazel and Isopropyl Alcohol
High White
Hard Orange
Titanium Dioxide, Water, Acrylic Resin
Acrylic Resin, Pigment red 210, Pigment orange 13, Glycerine, Water, Witch Hazel, Isopropyl alcohol
Red Cherry
Pigment Red 210, Acrylic resin, pigment blue 15, Glycerine, Water, Isopropyl Alcohol, Witch Hazel
Bowery Yellow
Dark Green
Baby Blue
Pigment yellow 65, acrylic resin, titanium oxide
Pigment green, Acrylic resin, Glycerine, Water, Witch Hazel, Isopropyl Alcohol
Deep Indigo
Titanium Dioxide, Acrylic resin, Isopropyl Alcohol, Pigment blue 15, Glycerine, Witch hazel, water
Pigment violet 1, Acrylic Resin, Glycerine, Titanium oxide, Isopropyl Alcohol, water, Witch hazel
Unfortunately, some manufacturers blend heavy metals into their pigments using lightening agents (such as titanium dioxide) to reduce their production costs. Investigations have revealed the presence of potentially harmful ingredients including arsenic, mercury, lead, zinc, cobalt and chromium. There are some moves currently within the EU to ban the use of blue and green inks, due to their potentially toxic contents. Currently, tattoo inks are not regulated by the US FDA.
It should be moted that tattoo ink manufacturers are fairly secretive about their ink contents (for a range of commercial and IP reasons).
The tattooing process
Most people, including many tattoo artists, believe that the needles “push” the ink into the skin during the tattooing process. This is incorrect! When the needle penetrates the skin, the ink, which is ‘stuck’ to the sides of the needle, is deposited on the skin surface. It does not enter the skin with the needle. When the needle comes back out of the skin, it creates a little vacuum,
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Chapter 2 LEVEL A Laser Tattoo Removal
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