How Far Does Light Scatter In The Skin
- Colin Smith
- Aug 10, 2025
- 1 min read
How Light Travels in Your Skin
When light hits your skin, it instantly bounces around in all directions. This happens because the light particles (called photons) get absorbed by tiny parts in your skin and then shoot back out facing a different way. This bouncing is called "scattering."
Because of this scattering:
Some light spreads sideways inside your skin
Some light bounces straight back out
Does Color Matter? YES!
I tested this with different colored laser pointers (blue, green, red) in a dark room:
🔵 Blue light: Barely spread sideways
🟢 Green light: Spread a little bit
🔴 Red light: Spread VERY far from where it entered
Why This Is Important for Skin Treatments
When removal technicians use light tools (like lasers) to treat tattoos:
Red/infrared light travels farthest sideways in skin
This means it could accidentally hit nearby things like tattoos – even if they're not directly targeted!
Myth Busting:
Putting white tape or pencil over a tattoo doesn't help much. Scattered light sneaks around under your skin like water soaking through paper towels.
Safety Tip:Keep treatments at least 8 cm away (about 3 inches) from tattoos or permanent makeup like eyebrows. Distance protects better than tape!
Remember: Light scatters most with red/infrared tools. Always give tattoos extra space!
