Have questions about laser tattoo removal, ask in this thread

[Blur]

Hi, have a few questions i want to remove mi half sleeve (a fish koi with black and colors) so.. How good is the removing in 2016? I know every person skin is different but will leave a shadow? Will leave a scar or different tone skin? Which one is the best method? Thank you.

[Mike Panic]

@Blur to answer your questions:

How good is the removing in 2016?

The advancements over the last 4-5 years have been exciting, but they are not perfect. No business should ever offer you 100% without a shadow of a doubt full tattoo removal. Too many variables from getting a tattoo done to your immune system will play a role. It's not just a quality laser and a trained tech.

will leave a shadow?

We call it ghosting but yes, in any full removal situation I always explain on day 1 there may be trace amounts of pigment left.

Will leave a scar

While it's unlikely for this to happen, being treated by a non-FDA approved laser, or by someone who isn't qualified, or by not following the aftercare and picking / poking / prodding it is possible to scar yourself.

different tone skin

Yes, hyper and hypo-pigmentation are a possibility and should be discussed prior to starting treatment after a skin evaluation has been done.

Which one is the best method?

Laser tattoo removal is the most efficient with the least amount side effects when compared to the other more invasive methods of tattoo removal. There is no best laser though. It's the right tool for the job, just like the best tattoo machine can't give you the best tattoo.

[skindeeplaser]

laser tattoo removal is really works by taking some sittings properly. basically its long procedure, It fades with the time. so, you can choose this treatment or not, its up to you. Thank  you.

[Eden Derma clinic]

On 12/3/2015 at 9:30 AM, rocketqueen said:

is full removal ever actually possible? say in a perfect situation, if a client is dedicated to their treatment course, do you believe complete or close to complete removal is attainable?

 

I don't have my before and after pics. It’s incredibly painful. I just did it once, and it transformed into a scab that went away in two weeks. I was blown away by how well it worked. You should go for laser tattoo removal.

[glow-on]

I am interested in removal for a tattoo I got less than a week ago. Obviously I have to wait more time for it to completely heal before beginning, if I do decide to go through with laser removal. I'm not concerned about the pain or possible skin irritation, just the systemic health effects.

My biggest concern about laser tattoo removal has to do with all of the unknowns - the safety of the ink, what they contain, what do they decompose into when irradiated, do they ever get cleared from our lymphatic system, etc.

Sources:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4411590/ 

https://www.scirp.org/journal/paperinformation.aspx?paperid=6487

Edited March 31, 2022 by glow-on
Removing potentially triggering content

[oboogie]

You can't erase it. You need to let it heal, then you can have several sessions to fade it. There are threads all over the place about this kind of thing.

With your level of anxiety, I wouldn't get anymore tattoos. If you want to post about it, you need to talk to go to the Initiation page.

[glow-on]

Thanks for your input. I have no concerns with tattoos, just the removal. I feel that my concerns are valid, though I freely admit to having anxiety. I'll head over to Initiation page, thanks for pointing me in the right direction.

[glow-on]

Also I'm not finding any threads regarding this specific topic. Maybe I'm using the search function incorrectly. 

[Hogrider]

21 hours ago, Eden Derma clinic said:

I don't have my before and after pics. It’s incredibly painful. I just did it once, and it transformed into a scab that went away in two weeks. I was blown away by how well it worked. You should go for laser tattoo removal.

You joined today and your only post is trying to sell someone something. Nobody believes your self serving bullshit.

Edited March 31, 2022 by Hogrider

[Hogrider]

19 minutes ago, glow-on said:

Also I'm not finding any threads regarding this specific topic. Maybe I'm using the search function incorrectly. 

Look up tattoo regret. It’s common and will pass. Removal is painful, expensive, takes a long time and your skin will never look the way it did before the tattoo. Anyone who says different is full of shit and trying to sell you something.

[glow-on]

Thanks for replying. Yeah I think tattoo regret is partially at play here. A lot of it has to do with the circumstances - I didn't get a chance to plan or think about it. 

Edited March 31, 2022 by glow-on

[SStu]

hundreds of thousands of people have had laser removal with no adverse side effects. 

[glow-on]

I've done a lot more research and consideration since I posted this yesterday and I'm feeling much much better about going through the removal process. I'm going to wait two months for healing and see how I feel when the time comes, and if I still don't like it I'm going to start the removal process. I'm not normally as on edge and skeptical as I was yesterday, but anxiety and paranoia come in waves, some waves are bigger than others.

[Dan]

1 hour ago, glow-on said:

I've done a lot more research and consideration since I posted this yesterday and I'm feeling much much better about going through the removal process. I'm going to wait two months for healing and see how I feel when the time comes, and if I still don't like it I'm going to start the removal process. I'm not normally as on edge and skeptical as I was yesterday, but anxiety and paranoia come in waves, some waves are bigger than others.

have you thought about a cover-up ?  instead of laser 

[oboogie]

3 hours ago, glow-on said:

I've done a lot more research and consideration since I posted this yesterday and I'm feeling much much better about going through the removal process. I'm going to wait two months for healing and see how I feel when the time comes, and if I still don't like it I'm going to start the removal process. I'm not normally as on edge and skeptical as I was yesterday, but anxiety and paranoia come in waves, some waves are bigger than others.

You do understand it isn't going to remove it completely, right? It isn't an eraser, and it will take multiple sessions.

[glow-on]

Yes I'm considering a cover-up. I'm not sure if I'm convinced one way or the other if full removal is possible, but I'm not counting on it. Currently this is what it looks like under normal clothing: https://imgur.com/a/ano00yi so you can probably understand why I'm feeling underwhelmed. It's not the tattoo artists fault, I should have considered how weird it would look under a shirt. I have a chest wall deformity so I'm not 100% sure if a full chest piece will work for me currently, but I am potentially getting chest wall surgery if I qualify (waiting for testing currently). 95% sure I'll qualify and 25% sure I'll have the balls to go through with it. Really that's only relevant to my decision to purchase a package deal or not. Essentially would be 200 bucks a month for a year for unlimited PicoWay. Trying my best to make the right choice, but world is full of salesmen and naysayers so it's always a challenge with this kind of thing.

Edit: I mean I'd pay 200 bucks a month for a year, the unlimited PicoWay would continue as long as needed. Wording came out weird.

Edited April 1, 2022 by glow-on

[Dan]

12 hours ago, glow-on said:

Yes I'm considering a cover-up. I'm not sure if I'm convinced one way or the other if full removal is possible, but I'm not counting on it. Currently this is what it looks like under normal clothing: https://imgur.com/a/ano00yi so you can probably understand why I'm feeling underwhelmed. It's not the tattoo artists fault, I should have considered how weird it would look under a shirt. I have a chest wall deformity so I'm not 100% sure if a full chest piece will work for me currently, but I am potentially getting chest wall surgery if I qualify (waiting for testing currently). 95% sure I'll qualify and 25% sure I'll have the balls to go through with it. Really that's only relevant to my decision to purchase a package deal or not. Essentially would be 200 bucks a month for a year for unlimited PicoWay. Trying my best to make the right choice, but world is full of salesmen and naysayers so it's always a challenge with this kind of thing.

Edit: I mean I'd pay 200 bucks a month for a year, the unlimited PicoWay would continue as long as needed. Wording came out weird.

what the hell is the problem ? it looks sexy and nice, leave it alone, can we see the entire piece ?

[oboogie]

13 hours ago, glow-on said:

Yes I'm considering a cover-up. I'm not sure if I'm convinced one way or the other if full removal is possible, but I'm not counting on it. Currently this is what it looks like under normal clothing: https://imgur.com/a/ano00yi so you can probably understand why I'm feeling underwhelmed. It's not the tattoo artists fault, I should have considered how weird it would look under a shirt. I have a chest wall deformity so I'm not 100% sure if a full chest piece will work for me currently, but I am potentially getting chest wall surgery if I qualify (waiting for testing currently). 95% sure I'll qualify and 25% sure I'll have the balls to go through with it. Really that's only relevant to my decision to purchase a package deal or not. Essentially would be 200 bucks a month for a year for unlimited PicoWay. Trying my best to make the right choice, but world is full of salesmen and naysayers so it's always a challenge with this kind of thing.

Edit: I mean I'd pay 200 bucks a month for a year, the unlimited PicoWay would continue as long as needed. Wording came out weird.

IT IS NOT GOING TO ERASE YOUR TATTOO. Can you confirm that you understand that? I've pointed it out to you twice, and you appear to be ignoring it. IT IS NOT AN ERASER ON TOP OF A PENCIL.

[Hogrider]

16 hours ago, glow-on said:

Yes I'm considering a cover-up. I'm not sure if I'm convinced one way or the other if full removal is possible, but I'm not counting on it. 

The only ones who will tell you full removal is possible are the ones selling tattoo removal. They are liars. They want to make money off you. You’ll be disappointed.

i can’t make it any more clear. I have no agenda other than making sure you know the truth.

[glow-on]

I appreciate everyone in this thread who is trying to help. I'm starting to be convinced by you that it's indeed not possible for full removal, but I'm mostly interested in fading for coverup at the moment. I'm sure there are some cases where people get close to full removal - my father actually did that (not 100%, more like 95%). And yes there is absolutely nothing wrong with this tattoo. Its beautiful and the artist did an incredible job. I just didn't check stencil well enough and it ended up being a raven head on mourning dove body, and I happen to have negative association with doves, so that's a big part of my feeling bad about it. Not going to go into details there, it's just not "me" and it reminds me of someone I don't want to think about. I'm sure some understand where I'm coming from. At the end of the day it's not a big deal, it's just body art and it's objectively pretty and well executed. Of course I would love to do something so that I love it and it feels like "me".

I hope I didn't make anyone here think I was ignoring your comments - I am reading everything and taking it all in and trying to make an informed decision, and ultimately I do more heavily lean on the opinions of good samaritans than a salesperson. Of course. 

What is the concesus of all of you regarding a few sessions to fade for cover ups? 

[oboogie]

1 hour ago, glow-on said:

I appreciate everyone in this thread who is trying to help. I'm starting to be convinced by you that it's indeed not possible for full removal, but I'm mostly interested in fading for coverup at the moment. I'm sure there are some cases where people get close to full removal - my father actually did that (not 100%, more like 95%). And yes there is absolutely nothing wrong with this tattoo. Its beautiful and the artist did an incredible job. I just didn't check stencil well enough and it ended up being a raven head on mourning dove body, and I happen to have negative association with doves, so that's a big part of my feeling bad about it. Not going to go into details there, it's just not "me" and it reminds me of someone I don't want to think about. I'm sure some understand where I'm coming from. At the end of the day it's not a big deal, it's just body art and it's objectively pretty and well executed. Of course I would love to do something so that I love it and it feels like "me".

I hope I didn't make anyone here think I was ignoring your comments - I am reading everything and taking it all in and trying to make an informed decision, and ultimately I do more heavily lean on the opinions of good samaritans than a salesperson. Of course. 

What is the concesus of all of you regarding a few sessions to fade for cover ups? 

That is doable. I don't know how many sessions it is going to take, but you can fade it enough to get it covered up. However, remember that a cover up will be larger than the original tattoo.

[glow-on]

Yeah I'm fine with that. I'll let myself sleep on the whole thing for a few months. Would be nice to get full chest anyways if I end up with gnarly scar down my ribcage. I think it will be like 5-6 inches of scar so definitely want to wait until afterwards.

Thank you guys for saving me 2500 bucks and probably a lot of frustration and sadness. 

[Star]

I've had laser removal multiple times and still having some, not sure what kind of laser surgery is available in different places of the world, I'm in the UK and currently having it done by photodynamic laser removal, my skin is the exact same underneath, can't even tell it was there at all, not even the slightest pigment change & I had one removed on the side of my face and it's completely gone, to the point my skin is exactly as it was, the laser used on mine is what's used by the NHS to remove things like birthmarks etc

The process was long, pricey and painful but worth it, however if you can avoid it, then I say avoid it, cover up or just in your case, give yourself some time to adjust to what you're seeing, I'm head to toe in tattoos and everytime I get a new one I cry for a few days like I don't like it but I suffer anxiety so I know it's just because of that, the ones I'm removing are being removed because they're on my neck and the artist fucked up big time and I'm getting something different once it's done

I did have a different type of laser done at the beginning and it wasn't budging after a while and was more tough on the skin, it was the thermal treatment, was cheaper but more damaging once I did the research

If you do go ahead with laser, just do some research first and on the companies because all will do anything to get your money, that's how I fell into the first trap and remember you get what you pay for, just like with tattoos

But the main point is give yourself some time to settle into your new tattoo, by the time it's healed enough to start laser, you'll know if you're okay with it or not

 

[glow-on]

Thanks for your input! Since I'm considering a cover-up, I will have to do at least a few laser sessions anyways, so I'll definitely need to do a lot more research. The place I considered originally has a PicoWay. I'd be open to hearing opinions on different lasers. Mine is mostly shading with very light line work - artist specifically said she was using very light touch and there was such little pain I felt like I could have taken a nap. I'm hoping that might help reduce the number of sessions needed to fade. I have another tattoo with heavier line work, and that one felt like a razorblade slicing through the skin the whole time. After 10 years it looks very much the same. I'd say the line work on that one is at least twice as thick. Never regretted that one, always loved it, but then again it has a lot of significance as my late mother had a matching one.

It's interesting but not surprising to hear that you had a different response to the laser on different body parts. I wonder if it's just increased circulation in different areas, or if it's more complicated than that? 

Of course I would love to be one of the very lucky few who do get almost complete removal (keyword almost), but my expectations have thankfully been lowered. I at one point strongly considered a chest piece but decided against it. I wouldn't be broken hearted to end up with them, after all I like them enough to have considered it for years, but since I ultimately decided against it, I'd obviously slightly prefer to not. It's anyone's guess why I went with that positioning this time. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[Dan]

17 minutes ago, glow-on said:

Thanks for your input! Since I'm considering a cover-up, I will have to do at least a few laser sessions anyways, so I'll definitely need to do a lot more research. The place I considered originally has a PicoWay. I'd be open to hearing opinions on different lasers. Mine is mostly shading with very light line work - artist specifically said she was using very light touch and there was such little pain I felt like I could have taken a nap. I'm hoping that might help reduce the number of sessions needed to fade. I have another tattoo with heavier line work, and that one felt like a razorblade slicing through the skin the whole time. After 10 years it looks very much the same. I'd say the line work on that one is at least twice as thick. Never regretted that one, always loved it, but then again it has a lot of significance as my late mother had a matching one.

It's interesting but not surprising to hear that you had a different response to the laser on different body parts. I wonder if it's just increased circulation in different areas, or if it's more complicated than that? 

Of course I would love to be one of the very lucky few who do get almost complete removal (keyword almost), but my expectations have thankfully been lowered. I at one point strongly considered a chest piece but decided against it. I wouldn't be broken hearted to end up with them, after all I like them enough to have considered it for years, but since I ultimately decided against it, I'd obviously slightly prefer to not. It's anyone's guess why I went with that positioning this time. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

no, that's not necessarily true, there are many tattooers that like doing and are good at cover ups.

this is one I had done, with no laser before.

 

 

 

 

Edited April 2, 2022 by Dan