Where does the ink go after laser PMU and tattoo removal?

The answer to this question immediately tells you what kind of artist you are dealing with: a competent one or a dubious one.

There are 2 opposite opinions about how pigment is cleared after laser removal. The first: the ink particles leave the skin through the damaged epidermis. The second: they are carried away by lymph and immune cells. Let's look at both versions.

Opinion 1: the artist damages the skin with the laser, then the pigment comes off with the epidermis

Let me tell you what bothers me about this hypothesis. The pigment lies in the dermis, and from a purely physiological point of view it cannot "come off" with the surface layer of the skin. Although, if the artist really tries and burns the skin right down to the flesh, there is a chance the ink will come out.

Damaged skin in laser removal = complications. The client is guaranteed to get a burn or a scar.

And that is not what laser removal is supposed to be!

You might just as well take a brick and rub it over the tattoo or PMU. It sounds absurd, but the principle is the same — the ink comes away with pieces of skin and blood.

Opinion 2: the ink particles are cleared from the skin by lymph and immune cells

This is the correct view. With high-quality laser removal of PMU and tattoos, the ink leaves the body with lymph and immune cells.

Let's look at the process in more detail.

When we treat the pigment with a laser, its particles are broken into smaller ones: this makes it easier for the body's cells to deal with the residual ink.

For our body, pigment is a foreign substance that has to be got rid of. The immune system joins the fight against it.

Cells of the immune system engulf the pigment nanoparticles. They are then removed from the body via the lymph nodes. Pigment can also leave through the bloodstream.

To reinforce what you have learned, take a look at these pictures :)