Yellow Brows After Laser

We are diving into the details of Saline removal post laser treatment…when the yellow pigment just won’t BUDGE. But before we get there, why are brows sometimes yellow after laser tattoo removal?

• Laser removal works by color absorption. The laser targets pigments using specific light wavelengths. The ink has to absorb that light for it to break apart.

• Yellow reflects more light than it absorbs. Yellow bounces most wavelengths back, so it doesn’t get enough laser energy to break down quickly.

• The “best” wavelength still isn’t perfect. 532 nm is the most effective wavelength for yellow, but even then, fading is slow.

• The pigment itself is extra stubborn. Many yellow inks are made with stable pigments that resist breaking apart, even under strong laser energy.

• It can darken instead of lighten. Yellow ink with titanium dioxide (white) can oxidize, shifting to brown or gray after laser.

  This is where Saline Removal comes in

• After laser has done as much as it can, I use a gentle saline solution to lift out those residual yellow tones.

• Saline removal works differently than laser — it draws pigment up and out through the skin, which makes it especially useful for colors like yellow that lasers struggle to clear completely.

  In the before and after attached to this blog post, my client had gone through a lot of tattooing sessions on the front end and equally as many laser removal treatments on the back end. Unfortunately after all of her efforts (and $$$$!) she was left with the stubborn yellow brows. Once we started working together using Botched Ink® saline solution, we were able to reach the yellow pigment in a different way; “up and out” of the skin vs. laser shattering pigment “into the skin” and the immune system taking the pigment and processing it. It is always recommended that we do saline first before laser so we can do our best to pull these colors up and out of the skin prior to any laser treatments. But in cases like these, yellow eyebrows can always be addressed after, too.

  For more information on yellow brows, laser vs. saline treatments, as well as an overview on chemical tattoo removal, check out this article here from the creator of Botched Ink® Lisa Henning.