FADED PODCAST
What is Frosting During Laser Tattoo Removal?
If you’ve ever watched a laser tattoo removal video online, you’ve probably seen it – the moment the laser hits the tattoo, a white, cloudy layer appears on the skin. It looks dramatic, almost like snow settling on the tattoo.
This is called “frosting,” and it freaks people out the first time they see it.
After many years of zapping tattoos, I’ve seen plenty of confused faces when that white layer appears. Here’s what’s actually happening.
What frosting really is
When the laser hits your tattoo, it’s shattering those ink particles into microscopic pieces. This process releases gas that rises to the surface of your skin, creating that white, cloudy appearance.
It’s not your pigment disappearing, though that would be nice if it happened that quickly. It’s just gas from the shattering process.
The frosting usually fades within 10-20 minutes, and when it does, your tattoo will look pretty much the same as when you walked in. Don’t panic. This is completely normal.
Is frosting good or bad?
In the early sessions, especially with dark, heavily saturated tattoos, frosting is totally normal. It’s actually a sign that the laser is doing its job and reaching the pigment.
As you progress through treatments – maybe after 3-5 sessions, you’ll notice less frosting. Sometimes you won’t see any at all. This doesn’t mean the laser isn’t working. There are other ways we can tell the treatment is effective.
When frosting becomes a problem
You can have too much of a good thing. Excessive frosting can signal overtreatment, where too much heat builds up in your skin.
This can lead to blistering, scarring, or changes in your skin pigmentation. Our job is to find that sweet spot – enough juice to shatter the pigment without cooking your skin.
People think more frosting equals better results. Not true. Sometimes we get excellent results with minimal frosting, and sometimes heavy frosting doesn’t translate to much pigment removal.
The amount of frosting also doesn’t predict how well your tattoo will respond overall. Every tattoo is different.
What this means for your treatment
Frosting is just one indicator we use during treatment. It tells us we’ve reached a certain level with the laser, but it’s not the only thing that matters.
Consistent treatment over time is what removes tattoos, not the dramatic white cloud you see during each session.
Frosting looks impressive, but it’s just part of the process. It’s the visible sign that pigment particles are being shattered and gas is being released.
Don’t judge your treatment success by how much frosting you see. Some of our best results have come from sessions with minimal frosting.
If you’re ever concerned about what you’re seeing during or after treatment, ask your technician. We’re there to guide you through the process and make sure everything is progressing as it should.
FULL TRANSCRIPT
[00:00:00] : If you’ve ever seen laser tattoo removal in action, whether it’s in person or on a video online, you’ve probably noticed that after the laser hits the skin, it turns completely white. That’s what we call frosting now, what is frosting exactly and is it good or is it something that you wanna avoid?
[00:00:22] : Let’s dive into it. when the laser hits the pigment particles, the particles shatter into tiny fragments. When those particles shatter, they emit a gas. That gas rises to the surface, and that’s what makes it look white and cloudy. That’s what we call frosting. Just because it frosts that doesn’t mean that the pigment is disappearing immediately
[00:00:45] : usually after 10 to 20 minutes, the frosting completely disappears, and if it’s a normal body tattoo, then you’re probably gonna see the tattoo exactly like it looked like when you came into the studio. Sometimes Sometimes [00:01:00] when we target more superficial pigment, like permanent makeup or very fine line tattoos, after we see the frosting, the pigment disappears immediately, but that’s not always the case.
[00:01:11] : In most cases, what happens is the particles shatter. They emit a gas. The gas dissipates over time and it reveals what’s underneath, which is the tattoo. Even though the particles are broken in the tiny pieces, that doesn’t mean that your body’s had a chance to absorb those particles yet. It normally takes weeks to months in order for that pigment to be processed by your body.
[00:01:37] : is frosting a good thing or is it something you should be worried about? Most of the time, especially in the first few sessions or when the pigment is really, really saturated, we’ll see a lot of frosting and it’s completely normal. It’s nothing to worry about. Over time though, after maybe three or four or five sessions, when the pigment starts fading a lot, we’re [00:02:00] not gonna see as much frosting.
[00:02:02] : Sometimes we won’t see any frosting at all, and just because we don’t see any frosting, that does not mean that the laser’s not working properly don’t worry. There are other clinical endpoints that we do kind of look for in order to make sure that the lasers working properly.
[00:02:17] : How long does frosting last? Frosting usually lasts around 10 to 20 minutes. Sometimes it disappears right away. Other times it lingers a little bit longer. But the frosting is definitely temporary. And when you see frosting that, like I said, it does not mean that the tattoo is disappearing. It just means that the laser’s doing what it’s supposed to do, the pigment is shattering and it’s emitting a gas.
[00:02:42] : That’s a clinical endpoint that we look for in the early stages of laser tattoo removal.
[00:02:49] : Sometimes if you see too much frosting in the early stages, then that could be an indication that you’re overtreating it. And if you’re overtreating it, that means that there’s too much [00:03:00] heat being created underneath the skin, which can lead to blistering. Blistering can lean to scarring and hyper and hypopigmentation.
[00:03:09] : So we do gauge it when we see frosting in the beginning. If it’s frosting a little bit too much, we will turn the laser down a bit. So we’re reaching that nice frosty look without it looking too frosty, to the untrained eye. It’s gonna be really hard to determine if it’s too much frost or not enough frost.
[00:03:28] : But with all the experience we have with removing tattoos, it’s pretty easy for us to determine whether we’re in the right area or if we need to turn it down a little bit.
[00:03:38] : There are some myths about frosting, so let’s just clear those up real quick. When you see frosting, that does not mean that the pigment is disappearing immediately. That just means that we’ve reached our clinical endpoint. That’s number one and number two, the more frosting you see, the more removal you’ll see.
[00:03:59] : [00:04:00] Sometimes when we get less frosting, we still get great results. Other times we’ll get a lot of frosting and we won’t get good results. So the frosting does not. Correlate with how effective it is, although it is a clinical endpoint that we’re looking to see.
[00:04:16] : so what are the takeaways from this short episode? Takeaways are when you see frosting, that’s an indication that the pigment shattered and it’s releasing gas to the surface.
[00:04:29] : Your results will come from consistent treatments, and it doesn’t matter if it frosts like crazy on one session. Consistency is the key. So shattering that pigment over time, time and time again, will get you to the end point that you’re looking for.
[00:04:45] : if you’re ever unsure about anything during the healing process, make sure you reach out to your laser tech and they’ll be able to help you out.
[00:04:53] : So next time you see that frost or that cloudy white look on the top of your tattoo [00:05:00] during laser tattoo removal, or when you’re watching videos online, you’ll know now that that’s called frosting, and it doesn’t mean that the tattoo is disappearing immediately. It’s just part of the process. thanks for tuning in a faded, and we look forward to seeing you again next time.