Laser tattoo and PMU removal over moles: what to do
How to laser-remove a tattoo or PMU with moles in it: shield the nevus from the beam, or have a pigmented mole excised with histology before treatment.
Are you a law-abiding citizen? Are you sure you are 100% not breaking any established rules and requirements?
Some of you probably agreed without hesitation at first: after all, you have never run a red light, you always let pedestrians cross, and you have never harmed anyone even in your thoughts.
Then you probably realised that you cannot be 100% sure of your law-abidingness, because last week, for example, you were putting up a new curtain rail and may have exceeded the permitted noise level (yes, yes, in Russia there are fines even for that).
And you have probably warmed up your car in the courtyard for more than 5 minutes in winter (a violation of clause 17.2 of the Russian Traffic Rules, with a fine of 1,500 to 3,000 roubles), or perhaps even smoked right there near a children's playground (a violation of Article 6.24 of the Russian Code of Administrative Offences, with a fine starting from 200 roubles).
Vitaly, what does this have to do with moles and laser removal?
Moles are like those laws: you must not touch them (read: break them), everyone knows that. But there are situations in which a mole can get injured, and here, just as with breaking the laws described above, everything may go unnoticed with no reaction at all, or there may be unpleasant consequences.
Let's take it step by step. People like to call any skin growth a "mole": papillomas, keratomas, nevi, warts and so on. Here I will be talking about nevi.
It so happens that medicine is a science of probability and statistics. Just as injury to a mole does not always lead to malignant transformation, cancer is not always the result of an injured mole. Malignant tumours can appear on completely healthy skin without any nevi. And there can be long-term, constant injury to a mole, for example from shaving in men, that never leads to any cancer.
Nevertheless, a statistical link between injury to moles and the development of cancer does exist. That is why you must avoid injuring any moles.
When applying PMU (permanent makeup) or a tattoo, go around moles with the machine's needle and under no circumstances put artificial pigment into a nevus!
TIP! If you are removing a design that has a mole in it, and the pigment was applied around the mole without colouring the nevus itself, make sure the mole is completely shielded from the laser beam. Cover it with a wooden spatula or thick white cardboard so that you do not accidentally hit it with the laser beam.
If you come across a tattoo or PMU that was applied directly onto a mole, be sure to point this out to the client. It does not matter whether it was done deliberately or the mole was small when the tattoo was applied and grew in the following years.
The best course is then to recommend that the client have this mole removed within healthy tissue with histological examination, and only after the skin has healed and fully recovered carry out the procedure on that area.
Treating moles that are rich in melanin or contain artificial pigment with a laser can injure them and increase the risk of malignant changes later in life.
Frequently asked questions
Can you laser remove a tattoo over a mole?
If the pigment was applied around the mole, shield the mole completely from the beam with a wooden spatula or thick white cardboard. If the tattoo or PMU was applied directly onto a mole, recommend that the client have the mole removed within healthy tissue with histological examination, and treat the area only after the skin has fully recovered.
Why should moles not be treated with a tattoo removal laser?
Treating moles that are rich in melanin or contain artificial pigment with a laser can injure them and increase the risk of malignant changes later in life. A statistical link between injury to moles and the development of cancer does exist.
