It may surprise you to know that a lot is not known about the ink which gets impregnated into your skin. There are some studies out there which examine the size and chemical constituents in tattoo ink and we have been sharing these findings with you through our "Tattoo Ink: Advanced" series. We have previously blogged about the chemical makeup of tattoo ink. Today we examine the size of tattoo ink particles and question whether or not size matters when it comes to laser tattoo removal.
Do tattoo inks contain nanoparticles?
Virtually all tattoo inks, except white inks, contain nanoparticles.
Particle size varies enormously from tiny black ink particles at 30nm to white ink particles, measuring 300 to 450nm in diameter. The size of pigment cells in colours, such as blue, red, orange and yellow, usually fall in between the black and the white particle sizes.
Particles containing titanium white tend to be the largest. A recent study found a particular brand of white ink was made up of 98.55% of titanium dioxide and 1.45% aluminum.
Many inks contain titanium dioxide, as this is what is used to lighten and mix with darker colours. Of the inks containing titanium dioxide, the Emerald Green had the lowest amount of this element, measuring at just 5.45%. Of all 29 inks Timko et. al. studied, there were only 10 which did not contain any titanium dioxide. They were the 2 black inks tested, as well as, Fire Red, Crimson Red, Venetian Red, Florida Orange, Black, Permanent Green, Blue Green, Tulip Red, and India Ink.
It would not surprise you to know that black ink, which contains the smallest particles is the easiest to treat vial laser tattoo removal, whilst the largest particles, that is the inks containing titanium dioxide are harder to treat and take longer to break the particles down. White ink takes the longest to remove, perhaps because they contain the largest tattoo ink particles. It is also perhaps due to the fact titanium dioxide has a habit of darkening after the first treatment. This darkening is reduced and eliminated via subsequent treatments, however, it does add one or two sessions to the treatment regime.
Given the difference in particle size, it stands to reason some inks will take longer than others to remove. White ink has the largest particles and commensurately, it takes us the longest to remove. Black ink particles are the smallest and hence takes fewer treatments to achieve a full removal.
If you have a tattoo you want to remove you should check out City Tattoo Removal. The clinic is in the centre of Brisbane’s CBD. City Tattoo Removal uses Fotona’s QX MAX which is simply one of the best tattoo removal lasers in the world. They are able to treat all common tattoo inks including white and black and all the colours in between.
Give Tash a call to arrange a consult or a treatment anytime! You can call Tash on 3003 0358 or email at contact@citytattooremoval.com.au
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