If you have seen the latest Smart Water ad featuring Pete Davidson and his decision to get all of his tattoos removed, you may have noticed the commercial perpetuate a few more bad choices. Pete, we are worried about you, and we want to point out a few things you might want to consider before your next laser tattoo removal session. If you are looking to learn more about laser tattoo removal training we encourage you to read on. 

The three main takeaways that illustrate how unsmart you and the Smart Water ad producers include: 

1. Goggles, Goggles, Goggles
2. FDA Cleared Laser
3. Not using a Cryo

Here is the video so you can see what we are talking about

Goggles, Goggles, Goggles

Whoever wrote the script or produced the Pete Davidson Smart Water tattoo removal video made an obvious mistake replicating an actual laser tattoo removal treatment. Anyone adequately trained to fire a tattoo removal laser knows that you have to WEAR GOGGLES when you fire a laser, or you risk damaging the patient’s and practitioner’s eyes! Not wearing goggles is an oversight that the layperson might not have noticed, but our team of laser tattoo removal experts at New Look Laser College, the training arm of Astanza, were left shocked.

Wavelength-specific goggles give necessary protection to practitioners and patients during laser treatments. It is crucial that the filter on the goggles corresponds to the wavelength of light used for treatment and that sufficient optical density is incorporated. Therefore, each laser comes with goggles specific to the wavelengths it creates.  

Stainless Steel Eye Shields

For the safe removal of tattoos from the face, laser tattoo removal practitioners prefer the safety and comfort that stainless steel eye shields provide. 

Stainless steel eye shields provide necessary patient eye protection during laser treatments on the face, including facial tattoo removal and other aesthetic treatments like skin rejuvenation and pigmented or vascular lesion treatments. The traditional protective goggles are too large to allow treatment near the eyes, and these metal shields are convenient and practical, giving complete coverage over the sensitive eye area.

FDA Cleared Laser

Okay, we know that not everyone uses an Astanza Duality laser (although it is the primary picture on Wikipedia for Laser Tattoo Removal Laser). But according to our team of laser tattoo removal experts, the tattoo removal laser used in the Pete Davidson Smart Water ad is not an FDA-cleared tattoo removal laser. So why does having an FDA-cleared tattoo removal laser matter? Well, it’s a Federal law to start with, and every laser tattoo removal practitioner in the United States must comply with that one fundamental requirement regardless of which state they are practicing in. Therefore, you have to use an FDA-cleared tattoo removal device, or you are in violation of federal law and can potentially face severe penalties. 

How Do You Know if a Medical Device is FDA Approved, Cleared, or Authorized?

The FDA provides several ways to check whether a medical device is approved or cleared as such or, as stated below, is authorized for use during a public health emergency.

Check for Approved and Cleared Products in the Devices@FDA Database: Devices@FDA is a catalog of approved and cleared medical device information from the FDA.

1. Go to the FDA Database 
2. In the “Search Database” form, type the name of a device or company. You can search the exact name of a specific device or a generic term for a category of devices (such as a pacemaker).
3. Click Search.

One thing to note about finding FDA Clearances is that a laser’s marketed name may differ from its registered name. For example, the Asclepion MeDioStar, diode laser hair removal device shows up under Asclepion – Powered Laser Surgical Instrument – Pronto; Smooth Pulse PRO; The MeDioStar NeXT Family.

A good rule of thumb is to ask a laser distributor, or the person selling you a laser, what the device’s FDA 510k clearance name is. That way, you can find the specific listing before purchasing.

Not Using a Cryo

Pete, Pete, Pete… for the number of tattoos you want to remove, you might want to think about finding a practitioner that uses an effective form of pain alleviation rather than just sucking it up. Using pain reduction to increase patient comfort is a best practice for laser tattoo removal clinics. While treatments without a Cryo are possible, they aren’t recommended or preferred by potential prospects.

Freezing Cold Air for Skin Numbing and Maximum Comfort

The Zimmer Cryo 6 is a cooling device that directs cold air (-30°C) deep into the skin where the ink resides. Within a matter of seconds, the cool air mitigates any discomfort or pain associated with the laser. Unlike other cooling methods, the Cryo can cool the epidermis before, during, and after treatment, making it the only cooling method that delivers constant cooling throughout the entirety of a treatment session for fast, prolonged numbing of the treatment area.

By simply blowing this cold air on the skin for a few minutes, the skin will be thoroughly numbed for treatment – reducing pain and unwanted risks of thermal injuries.

Smart Water – Smart Choice

Despite all of the problems with the Smart Water ad and the laser practitioner probably being blind from firing a tattoo removal laser without goggles, Pete made an intelligent decision to drink Smart Water or any water for that matter. Maintaining proper hydration is recommended as an aftercare tip following laser tattoo removal treatment.

Don’t be a Pete. Instead, learn to safely and effectively perform laser tattoo removal at an upcoming New Look Laser College training course. After all, you don’t want to be blind and sitting in a jail cell because you used a non-FDA-cleared laser and forgot to use goggles during the laser tattoo removal process.