Pigment Removal Techniques Flashcards

What is the most common reason clients seek PMU pigment removal or color correction?

Answer: Healed color that is too dark, has an incorrect shape, or has faded to an undesirable tone such as orange, gray, or blue

The most frequent reasons clients pursue removal or correction are that the healed PMU is too dark, the shape is wrong, or the pigment has faded to an undesirable color tone (e.g., orange, ashy, or bluish).

Products such as Li-FT use what type of saline solution to achieve pigment removal?

Answer: Hypertonic (high salt concentration) saline solution

Li-FT and similar removal products use a hypertonic saline solution — with a salt concentration higher than body fluids — to create the osmotic gradient necessary to draw pigment upward and out of the skin.

What is the primary risk of performing saline removal too aggressively or with sessions spaced too closely together?

Answer: Scarring and permanent skin texture damage

Overly aggressive or too-frequent saline removal sessions can cause scarring and permanent skin texture changes, which are often harder to address than the original unwanted pigment.

How is saline removal solution typically implanted into the skin during a removal session?

Answer: Implanted using a PMU machine and needle, mirroring the technique of the original procedure

Saline removal solution is implanted into the skin using a PMU machine with a needle configuration, essentially using the same technique as the original PMU application to deposit the solution at the correct depth.

For clients with darker skin tones (Fitzpatrick IV–VI), which removal method carries a higher risk of hypopigmentation (permanent lightening of the surrounding skin)?

Answer: Laser removal

Laser removal carries a significantly higher risk of hypopigmentation in darker Fitzpatrick skin types because the laser energy can destroy melanocytes in the surrounding skin, not just the pigment particles.

Which of the following best describes the 'color correction' technique as an alternative to full PMU removal?

Answer: Implanting a complementary or neutralizing pigment over the existing unwanted tone to shift the color to a more desirable hue

Color correction involves implanting a complementary (neutralizing) pigment over the unwanted tone — using color theory principles — to shift the visible color without requiring complete removal of the existing pigment.

What should a PMU technician do before performing saline removal on a client with existing PMU pigment?

Answer: Perform a patch test and thoroughly review the client's healing history, skin type, and any previous treatment responses

Prior to removal, a patch test is essential and the client's full history — including healing patterns, skin type, sensitivities, and any prior removal attempts — must be reviewed to minimize the risk of adverse reactions.