Green and blue tattoo ink: are they really harder to remove?
Green and blue have a reputation as the toughest inks. In reality, it comes down to the laser wavelength. Here is what you need to know.
Yes, green and blue are among the harder inks to remove, but their reputation as "impossible" inks is no longer justified today. Their resistance is not down to some magic pigment: it comes from the way these colours absorb laser light. Green and blue only absorb certain precise wavelengths, located in the red and near infrared. As long as a laser does not offer those wavelengths, it barely "sees" these pigments and breaks them up very little. Once the right wavelength is used, with a latest generation picosecond laser, green and blue actually respond very well.
In other words, the real question is not "are green and blue permanent?", but "does the laser being used emit the wavelengths suited to these colours?". This article explains why these shades were a problem for so long, what changed with picosecond technology, which shades remain slower than others, and how many sessions to expect. At Ray studios, a centre dedicated exclusively to laser tattoo removal, every coloured tattoo is assessed so that the pigments to be treated are identified precisely.
The principle: the laser has to "see" the colour
To understand why green and blue resist, you first need to understand how a laser removes a colour. Tattoo removal relies on a principle called selective photothermolysis: the laser emits light at a given wavelength, and that light is only effective if the pigment absorbs it. The pigment that absorbs the energy breaks up into micro particles, which the body then eliminates naturally through the lymphatic system.
The rule is counter-intuitive but essential: a colour absorbs the light that is complementary to it, and reflects light of its own shade. Black is a special case: it absorbs practically every wavelength, which is why it is the simplest and fastest colour to remove. Conversely, the lighter and more selective a colour is, the more light it reflects back, and the more precise the wavelength needs to be to reach it.
Green and blue fall into this selective category. They only absorb efficiently within a narrow window of wavelengths, in the red and near infrared. That is the whole difficulty: without the right wavelength, the laser misses the pigment. With it, fragmentation becomes effective. The "resistance" of green and blue is therefore above all a question of matching the colour to the tool.
Why green and blue resist conventional lasers
Green and blue have historically been difficult to treat because the most widely used lasers did not emit the wavelengths they absorb. For a long time, most devices relied on two main wavelengths: 1064 nm, ideal for black and dark shades, and 532 nm, suited to red and orange. Neither is a good match for green or blue.
Green is the most emblematic case. It mainly absorbs red light, around 660 to 700 nm, a range that conventional Nd:YAG lasers do not produce. That is why green was long considered one of the toughest inks: treated with an unsuitable wavelength, it stayed practically unchanged session after session. Blue absorbs more in the near infrared and responds better to wavelengths such as 785 nm.
The result: with poorly suited equipment, green and blue gave disappointing results, feeding the idea that they were impossible to remove. The pigment was not to blame, the missing wavelength was. That distinction changes everything, because it means the result depends directly on the technology used and not on some inevitability tied to the colour.
The real answer: a question of wavelength, not inevitability
Green and blue can be treated effectively today, provided you use a laser that has the wavelengths suited to these colours. That is precisely what a latest generation picosecond laser brings, combining several wavelengths in a single device to cover the full spectrum of inks.
In practical terms, each colour has "its" wavelength. Dark shades and black are targeted around 1064 nm. Red and orange respond to 532 nm. Green and blue are handled by dedicated wavelengths in the red and near infrared, around 730 nm and 785 nm. Having these specific wavelengths available is what finally allows these supposedly difficult pigments to be broken up properly.
On top of that comes the advantage of the picosecond pulse itself. By emitting extremely short pulses, on the picosecond scale, it works mainly through a photoacoustic effect, a pressure wave that fragments the ink into very fine particles, rather than through heat. These smaller particles are eliminated more easily by the body, which improves results on stubborn colours while limiting heating of the skin. The combination of the right wavelength and an ultra-short pulse is what has transformed the treatment of green and blue.
Dark green, dark blue, turquoise: they are not all the same
Not every shade of green and blue reacts in the same way, and it is worth knowing that before you start. As a general rule, dark shades are easier to treat than light ones, because they absorb more light and often contain a proportion of dark pigment.
Dark blue and dark green therefore give good results with the picosecond laser. They may take a few extra sessions compared with a black tattoo, but the lightening is clear and gradual. Light green and turquoise, on the other hand, are among the slowest shades to shift: the paler a colour, the more light it reflects, and the more complex and variable its removal becomes depending on the depth of the ink and how the skin reacts. Individual results vary.
So you need to distinguish the colour from its shade. Saying "green and blue are hard to remove" is a simplification: a dense navy blue often treats well, while a pastel turquoise can call for more patience. This is one of the reasons a precise assessment, identifying each shade present in the tattoo, is essential in order to set out a realistic projection.
How many extra sessions for green and blue?
Green and blue generally take a few more sessions than an all black tattoo, but the exact number depends on many factors specific to each tattoo. There is no universal figure, and being wary of ready-made promises is a good rule when it comes to tattoo removal.
A simple black tattoo often fades faster, whereas a coloured tattoo, especially a multicoloured one, calls for more passes, because each colour needs its own wavelength and follows its own clearance pace. Green and blue fit into that logic: treated properly, they do fade, but their journey is on average a little longer than that of dark shades. A tattoo mixing green, blue and other colours logically combines the needs of each pigment.
Rather than relying on an average found online, the most reliable approach is to get a personalised projection. At Ray studios, the initial consultation leads to an RTP® projection of the number of sessions, drawn up after analysing your tattoo, its colours, its depth and your skin type. That is the only way to get a realistic estimate rather than a theoretical range.
The other factors that matter as much as colour
Colour is not the only parameter that determines how difficult a removal will be: several other factors weigh just as heavily on the result. Two identical green tattoos can react very differently depending on these elements.
The depth of injection plays a major role: the deeper the ink was deposited, the harder it is to fragment. Age matters too, since an older tattoo has already started to fade. The density and quantity of ink influence the number of sessions, as does the area of the body, because well vascularised regions clear particles more efficiently. Finally, skin type comes into play: on darker skin, melanin can compete with the pigment for light absorption, which means the settings have to be adapted.
It is the combination of all these elements, not colour alone, that defines the real level of difficulty. A recent light green, dense and deep, on a poorly vascularised area will take longer to treat than an old, superficial dark blue. That is why no general rule replaces an individual assessment, which alone can take all of these variables into account.
How Ray studios treats green and blue
At Ray studios, green and blue are treated with a picosecond laser that has the wavelengths suited to these colours, by trained skin therapists in a controlled environment. The treatment is based on the PicoWay® picosecond laser, which combines several wavelengths and makes it possible to target each pigment with the wavelength that matches it, including the shades reputed to be difficult.
That technology choice goes hand in hand with how the treatment is delivered. Getting green and blue to respond depends on trained skin therapists, correct laser settings and a controlled environment, and every session at Ray studios is carried out by a skin therapist. The journey is structured by the RsAP® (Ray studios Advanced Performance) treatment protocol, from the initial assessment through to session follow-up. This approach makes it possible to identify precisely which colours are present, to adapt the laser settings to each pigment and to your skin type, and to adjust the protocol as results come through.
For a green or blue tattoo, that personalisation makes a real difference. Rather than a single setting applied to every colour, the skin therapist adjusts the wavelength and the parameters according to each shade, which optimises fragmentation while protecting the skin. It is this combination of the right technology and the skin therapist's judgement that makes possible today what was seen as a challenge yesterday.
Your initial consultation
Before any treatment, an initial consultation with a skin therapist allows your colours to be assessed precisely and the journey to be anticipated. It is the ideal moment to ask all your questions about green, blue or multicoloured tattoos.
During this consultation, the skin therapist examines your tattoo, identifies the pigments present, assesses their depth as well as your skin type, and explains the treatment strategy that suits you. You leave with an RTP® projection of the number of sessions, a clear explanation of the Full Remove plan, which covers unlimited sessions at a single fixed price, and a precise picture of how the process will run.
Because analysing the colours and the skin requires an in-person examination, this assessment cannot be done remotely. Book an appointment at one of our centres to meet a skin therapist and get your answers.
FAQ
Is green really the hardest colour to remove?
Green is among the historically most difficult colours, but it is not untreatable with the right technology. Its reputation comes from the fact that it absorbs mainly red light, around 660 to 700 nm, a wavelength that conventional Nd:YAG lasers (1064 and 532 nm) do not produce. Treated with an unsuitable device, green therefore stays virtually unchanged, which is where the idea that it cannot be removed comes from. With a picosecond laser offering dedicated wavelengths in the red and near infrared, green fragments effectively. Light green and turquoise remain the slowest shades, while dark green delivers good progressive results. The difficulty comes down to the equipment used, not to anything inherent in the pigment.
Why is blue harder to remove than black?
Because black absorbs almost every wavelength, while blue only absorbs across a narrower part of the spectrum. Black is the most laser-responsive colour there is: whatever the wavelength, it takes up the energy and fragments readily, which makes it the simplest and quickest shade to clear. Blue absorbs mainly in the near infrared and responds best to specific wavelengths such as 785 nm. You therefore need the right wavelength available to treat it properly. Once that condition is met, blue responds well to the picosecond laser, particularly in its darker shades. It may simply take a few sessions more than an equivalent black tattoo.
How many sessions does it take to remove a green or blue tattoo?
There is no universal number: it depends on the shade, the density, the depth of the ink, the age of the tattoo, the area and your skin type. As a general rule, green and blue take a few sessions more than an entirely black tattoo, and a multicoloured tattoo accumulates the requirements of each colour, since every pigment needs its own wavelength. Dark shades clear faster than pale ones such as turquoise. Rather than relying on an average found online, the reliable route is an individual projection. At Ray studios, the free consultation produces an RTP® projection of the number of sessions, drawn up after a full analysis of your tattoo.
Does the picosecond laser really make a difference for green and blue?
Yes, in two ways. First, latest-generation picosecond lasers such as the PicoWay® combine several wavelengths, including those around 730 nm and 785 nm, which are matched precisely to green and blue. That is what finally allows the laser to "see" and fragment pigments that conventional devices struggled to reach. Second, the picosecond pulse is extremely brief and works mainly through a photoacoustic effect rather than heat: it breaks the ink into very fine particles that the body clears more easily, while limiting how much the skin heats up. That combination markedly improves results on stubborn colours. At Ray studios the laser is used with settings adapted to each colour by your skin therapist.
