Simulation shows what actually happens to your skin during laser tattoo removal
Niamh Shackleton
Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock
Whether it's a drunken tattoo on your lower back from Mexico or your ex's name on your forearm, there might come a time you regret the tattoos you have and want them removed.
One person who has opted to have almost all of their ink removed is Pete Davidson.
The Saturday Night Live star once boasted almost 200 tattoos across his body, but in 2020 he started the process of having them removed. He's admitted to spending $200,000 on the process so far.
While he's having pretty much all of them taken off, there is one he's keeping – the one of Hilary Clinton, of course. He got a portrait of the former first lady after she lost the 2016 election as a way to 'cheer her up a little bit'.
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I mean, a bouquet of flowers would have probably sufficed, Pete...
Davidson is having his tattoos taken off with lasers, which is said to be the most common and safest way to get rid of any unwanted inkings.
Per Cleveland Clinic, the process involves breaking down permanent ink particles into smaller particles that your immune system can safely remove from your body.
To demonstrate this, YouTube channel Macro 3D created a simulation and it's undeniably fascinating to watch.
The laser harmlessly passes through a person's skin and breaks down the chunks of ink in the upper skin layers.
The ink trapped in the dermis is then broken down into tiny pieces by the laser, which allows the immune system's white blood cells called macrophages to attack the fragments of ink.
These cells then carry the ink away from the skin so that it can be naturally flushed out by the body.
People have shared their amazement at video after perfectly demonstrating how our bodies work.
Somebody commented: "It’s amazing how our own immune system literally 'eats' the tattoo once it’s broken down!"
"This is so educating," said another, as a third person added: "These videos are absolutely informative. More of this is needed on this app. Enjoyed it immensely. So much better than all that trash that is on here."
A different person going through the process of tattoo removal themselves also shared their thoughts on the simulation.
They penned: "I've had 4 treatments so far. I have definitely seen significant fading. There's different color lasers that work more effectively on different colors. Black is the easiest to fade."
Backing this, med spa LaserAway says that black ink is easier to remove 'because the laser is able to target the black pigment more precisely'.
"Other colors such as red, blues and greens can become more difficult to remove depending whether the tattoos were amateur or professional," the website goes on, adding that green is the most difficult color to get rid of.