Tattoo & laser treatment glossary
Clear, jargon-free definitions of the terms you'll hear during laser tattoo and scar removal.
Atrophic Scar
An atrophic scar is a sunken, indented scar that sits below the surrounding skin because not enough collagen formed as a wound healed. Common types include acne scars, chickenpox scars, and some surgical scars. They look like small pits, depressions, or shallow craters rather than raised bumps.
Collagen Remodeling
Collagen remodeling is your skin's natural process of breaking down old, disorganized collagen and rebuilding fresh, better-aligned fibers. It's how the body repairs and reorganizes tissue after injury or treatment. In laser care, controlled energy prompts this remodeling to soften scars and refine skin texture over weeks to months.
Fitzpatrick Skin Type Scale
The Fitzpatrick skin type scale is a six-point system dermatologists use to classify skin by how it responds to sun exposure, from Type I (very fair, always burns) to Type VI (deeply pigmented, never burns). In laser treatment, it helps a physician choose energy settings that clear tattoos and scars safely for each patient's skin tone.
Fluence in Laser Treatments
Fluence is the amount of laser energy delivered to a set area of skin, measured in joules per square centimeter (J/cm²). It determines how forcefully a pulse hits tattoo ink or pigment. Too little does nothing; too much risks the skin—so choosing the right fluence is central to safe, effective removal.
Frosting Reaction
A frosting reaction is the temporary whitening of the skin that appears within seconds of a laser pulse during tattoo removal. It is caused by tiny gas bubbles forming as the laser shatters ink, and it typically fades within 15 to 30 minutes. Frosting is a normal, expected sign the laser is working.
Hypopigmentation After Laser
Hypopigmentation is a lightening of the skin where it loses some of its normal pigment, appearing paler than the surrounding area. After laser tattoo or scar treatment, it can occur when heat temporarily or permanently affects the melanin-producing cells (melanocytes). Most cases are mild and fade over months.
Ink Fragmentation
Ink fragmentation is the process by which a laser breaks tattoo pigment into microscopic particles small enough for the body to carry away on its own. At Laser Eraser, the PicoWay® picosecond laser fragments ink with ultra-short pulses, which is why tattoo removal happens gradually across several physician-led sessions.
Laser Wavelength in Tattoo Removal
Laser wavelength is the color of light a laser emits, measured in nanometers. In tattoo removal it matters because each wavelength is absorbed by specific ink colors. Matching the right wavelength to your ink lets the laser shatter pigment efficiently while sparing surrounding skin, which drives safer, faster fading.
Melasma Definition
Melasma is a common skin condition that causes brown or grayish-brown patches, usually on the face, when pigment-producing cells overproduce melanin. It is driven mainly by sun exposure, hormones, and heat, and it tends to be chronic and easily worsened by anything that inflames or heats the skin, including certain laser settings.
Microblading & Eyebrow Tattoos
Microblading is a cosmetic tattoo technique that deposits semi-permanent pigment into the skin with a fine hand-held blade to create hair-like strokes that fill or reshape the eyebrows. Like all tattoos, the pigment is implanted in the skin, so removing or correcting unwanted results usually requires laser treatment.
Picosecond Laser Explained
A picosecond laser fires light pulses lasting trillionths of a second—far shorter than older nanosecond lasers. Those ultra-fast bursts hit tattoo ink or pigment with a rapid photomechanical shock that shatters it into tiny particles your body clears, often with fewer sessions and less heat to surrounding skin.
Q-Switched Laser
A Q-switched laser is a tattoo-removal laser that fires very high-energy pulses in nanoseconds — billionths of a second — to heat and fracture tattoo ink so the body can clear it. It was the long-standing standard for laser tattoo removal before faster picosecond lasers like PicoWay® arrived.
Scalp Micropigmentation (SMP)
Scalp micropigmentation (SMP) is a cosmetic tattooing technique that deposits tiny pigment dots into the scalp to mimic the look of closely shaved hair follicles or add density to thinning hair. Because it is a permanent tattoo, unwanted, faded, or poorly done SMP can be lightened or removed with a laser.
Tyndall Effect in Laser Treatment
The Tyndall effect is a bluish-gray discoloration of the skin caused by light scattering off pigment particles trapped in the deeper dermis. In laser treatment, it can appear when ink or pigment is fragmented but sits too deep, so the skin selectively scatters blue light back to the eye.
What Is a Keloid Scar?
A keloid is a raised, firm scar that grows beyond the boundaries of the original wound as the body overproduces collagen during healing. Unlike an ordinary scar, a keloid keeps expanding, can feel itchy or tender, and does not fade on its own. Keloids are more common in deeper skin tones and family histories.
What Is Argyria?
Argyria is a permanent blue-gray discoloration of the skin caused by silver building up in the body over time. Silver particles settle in the deeper layers of the skin, and sunlight deepens the color, giving the skin a slate or metallic tint. It is a cosmetic condition, not usually a health emergency.
What Is PicoWay®?
PicoWay® is a picosecond laser that fires ultra-short bursts of energy, measured in trillionths of a second, to shatter tattoo ink into tiny particles the body clears naturally. At Laser Eraser, physicians customize each PicoWay® treatment to your skin type and ink colors for laser tattoo removal.
Erase what no longer fits.
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