20 myths about compact lasers for tattoo and PMU removal
Buying a laser tattoo removal machine? 20 compact Nd:YAG sales claims debunked: mJ figures, a 755 nm tip, “pico” for $3,000 and free training included.
When buying their first laser device, a novice laser removal specialist carefully reads the descriptions of lasers: characteristics, energy parameters, and what functions the laser will perform. And here comes the problem: how to choose the right one from all the variety of devices? After all, every seller praises their own product!
But choosing the most tricked-out laser based on its description does not mean choosing a really good device.
Vendors very often write outright nonsense in compact laser device descriptions on websites and in posts on social networks!
I have 2 theories about this:
First: they themselves believe the nonsense they write.
Second: they deliberately mislead their potential buyers, roughly speaking – they want to deceive.
Both versions point to the bad faith and incompetence of sellers/manufacturers/suppliers/resellers of compact PMU and tattoo removal lasers. They do not want to sell you a really good-quality machine, but simply “make a profit” on you.
First, let me show you what compact lasers look like:
It’s a small box and a gun-style handpiece on a hose.
Let’s move on to the myths. I specifically looked at the websites and social media pages of the suppliers of compact units – I ended up collecting 20 of the most popular (delusional) phrases from their descriptions and features.
MYTH #1. The main myth I observe in the market of compact neodymium lasers for PMU and tattoo removal is their energy (mJ). Sellers of devices on every corner shout about the power of their lasers: 1,000 mJ, 1,600 mJ, 2,000 mJ, etc.
Sounds promising, because you think the more millijoules written in the description of the laser, the better. So it will remove tattooing faster and better!
This is a big misconception! The compact laser can produce energy of 2,000 mJ, but its efficiency is almost independent of this indicator.
Chinese manufacturers can write on the device as many millijoules as they want, but you do not need them!
Why? A compact laser is not able to give out all its energy in one pulse, so it divides it into several small portions of energy. Only the first portion of energy in this pulse-train will be effective for tattoo removal! And it doesn’t matter what energy is written in the laser description. This is due to the engineering design of compact lasers and the passive optical gates used in them (we will talk about this in other posts).
MYTH #2. Laser power. The phrase “Our laser is the most powerful. The power of 1,600 watts will provide up to 8 hours of continuous laser work!”
And now the truth. Laser power (watts) indicates how much power the laser consumes and it has nothing to do with the hours of continuous laser operation.
You should not be concerned about the amount of power consumed! It has nothing to do with the quality of the machine and the effectiveness of the results of PMU and tattoo removal.
Plus, you wouldn’t be able to run the laser continuously for hours because there are nuances with crystal overheating that you shouldn’t allow.
MYTH #3. “Starts at 1 mJ and is infinitely adjustable in 10 mJ increments.”
This does not work on compact neodymium lasers! There may be a “smooth adjustment” on the screen, but the unit actually only fires pulses of about 200 mJ ±20%.
MYTH #4. “The 755 nm tip in a compact laser.”
I see this tip indecently often in the descriptions of devices. It supposedly removes all pigment colours – even yellow, green and blue. Artists are won over by this marketing ploy about a “super tip”.
Attention! A 755 nm tip does not exist for compact neodymium lasers. Only two wavelengths are available to you: 1064 nm and 532 nm.
MYTH #5. “Three wavelengths: 1054/535/1320 nm.”
A harmless myth that says that the carbon peel tip on a compact neodymium laser produces a 1320 nm wavelength. You can disregard this.
The carbon tip does not change the wavelength; it remains 1064 nm.
MYTH #6. “Special unique ruby or sapphire crystal.”
A marketing ploy by laser vendors, presented to buyers as an advantage.
Truth: a compact laser only has an Nd:YAG crystal, i.e. neodymium! Sometimes there are lasers with Nd:Ce:YAG (with added cerium).
That’s it! No ruby, sapphire, etc.!
MYTH #7. “3rd generation crystal with amplified harmonics.”
A phrase from the website of one compact laser that carries no information.
First, crystals do not come in generations.
Second, what have they amplified? How? Why? It is not clear.
MYTH #8. “British/American lamp with a 10 million flash life.”
Such lamps do exist, but they have nothing to do with compact lasers!
The average life of neodymium compact lasers is 1 million flashes.
The maximum life of a compact laser lamp that I have seen is 2–2.5 million flashes, and that is with very careful use on low energy levels.
MYTH #9. “This laser doesn’t cause wounds or burns!” – a favourite phrase of laser salesmen.
But any neodymium laser, even the most expensive one, is dangerous, because it belongs to hazard Class 4. If used incorrectly, the laser can cause serious injuries: wounds, scars, and blisters.
At the same time, the laser is not dangerous in itself. It is dangerous in the hands of an unqualified specialist who operates it!
MYTH #10. “The menu has preset programmes with all the necessary settings.”
It turns out that the buyer does not need to think at all, just turn on the laser. And the rest of the settings have been carefully provided by the manufacturer.
Nonsense. There is nothing behind the “Remove tattoo”, “Remove PMU”, “Remove red tattoo” and other buttons in the compact laser menu! The laser will not do all the work for you, you have to think for yourself.
MYTH #11. “Our laser removes painlessly!”
Also nonsense and a ploy for uninformed buyers!
Truth: removal with any neodymium laser, even the most expensive one, is painful.
MYTH #12. “Premium equipment” or “Premium professional neodymium laser”.
These are just words to attract attention. Don’t be fooled!
A compact neodymium laser for PMU and tattoo removal is a workable machine but has nothing to do with “premium equipment”. Really premium laser devices are branded stationary lasers (both nanosecond and picosecond) costing $50,000–150,000.
MYTH #13. “Compact Picolaser” or “Compact Picosecond laser”
If in the description of the laser you see Pico laser/Mini PicoSure/Picosecond laser, and the photo shows a regular compact laser for $3,000–4,000, you can safely ignore the claim! There is no picosecond laser in there.
The cost of original picosecond lasers starts at $100,000–150,000.
MYTH #14. “Our laser removes all pigment colours.”
Nonsense! A compact neodymium laser removes only black and red pigments. All other colours do not respond to it.
MYTH #15. “The destruction of pigment occurs at the submolecular level.”
A phrase from the website of one compact laser. It is not clear what the seller wanted to say. So we add it to our collection of marketing sayings.
MYTH #16. “New/latest generation/improved/advanced/performance.”
These words and phrases in the description of the laser do not carry specific information – do not trust them.
MYTH #17. “Our compact laser also removes moles/naevi/vessels/pigment spots.”
The neodymium compact laser is not designed for these procedures. The laser removal functions include only the removal of artificial pigment from the skin and the cosmetic procedure of carbon peeling.
MYTH #18. “Modern software together with powerful hardware allows you to successfully remove old and deep tattoos.”
How will software help to remove a tattoo? Where is the correlation? It’s unclear. Plus one empty advertising phrase.
Again, nonsense! Pay no attention to such beautiful phrases.
MYTH #19. “FREE training as a gift!”
Remember: no one will teach you for free. At the very least, the price of such “training” is already included in the price of the device.
Do not expect to be taught to remove tattoos and PMU without complications – at most, they will show you how to turn on the laser…
Teaching a person to remove pigment safely and well takes not 1–2 hours of training, but months!
And the person teaching you must have the appropriate competence, which salespeople certainly do not have.
When buying a laser, don’t fall for the “benefit” called “free training”. You will get zero practical benefit.
MYTH #20. “5/10/15/25 ready-made protocols of procedures” – another “useful bonus” from the sellers of compact devices.
Imagine: two different clients come to you with completely different tattoos or PMU. Will you remove them according to the same protocol/instructions? Of course not. Work with each client is individual; it is unlikely to be described in the promised protocols.
Laser removal is not a procedure that should be done according to a precise instruction, afraid to deviate from it. You need to think with your head and understand the intricacies of the procedure!
All these myths are marketing tricks by laser sellers that uninformed novice artists fall for.
Tip: before buying the first laser you come across and believing sellers’ tales, get to grips with the subject. Study the market and characteristics. Only then will you be able to choose the best option for your budget and goals.
How short is a pulse?
Compare durations: how far light travels in that time.
Speed of light ≈ 300,000 km/s. A Q-switched Nd:YAG works with nanosecond pulses; a picosecond pulse is 1,000 times shorter.
Frequently asked questions
Does a higher mJ figure make a compact laser better for tattoo removal?
No. A compact laser cannot deliver all its energy in one pulse, so it splits it into several small portions, and only the first portion of that pulse train is effective for tattoo removal, whatever energy is written in the description.
Is a compact “pico laser” for $3,000–4,000 a real picosecond laser?
No. If a regular compact laser for $3,000–4,000 is described as a pico or picosecond laser, there is no picosecond laser in there. Original picosecond lasers start at $100,000–150,000.
Is laser tattoo removal with an Nd:YAG laser painful?
Yes. Removal with any neodymium laser, even the most expensive one, is painful; “our laser removes painlessly” is a ploy for uninformed buyers.
Is the free training that comes with a laser enough?
No. The price of such training is already included in the price of the device, and at most they will show you how to turn the laser on. Teaching a person to remove pigment safely and well takes months, not 1–2 hours.
