Mike Panic

I didn't watch the whole video @sourpussoctopus but at 10 seconds, the 'technique' used there is not proper and most likely is the cause for the blisters. As a general rule of thumb, any machine a single person can pick up, or packs away in a brief case is unregulated and will take entirely too long to do a treatment and increase the chances for short and long term trauma. The machine used in this video you shared is 'real'. One of the other tell-tale signs is if the machine has a connection 'hose', a flexible piece between the head piece and the base, it's not up to spec. That's because the handpiece in these machines actually has the laser in it, the hose has the electrical connections. On a 'real' machine, these arms are always solid and are hollow, the laser is march larger and in the base, weighing upwards of 300lbs in some cases. The bottom 3/4 of the machine is the power supply. The arm has a series of mirrors to transmit the light to the hand piece. These are 2 random examples of machines you want to avoid being treated by:

I really don't like to speculate @el_alquimista - blistering happens for a lot of reasons. They can be any one or combination of the following: Chinese knock-off laser, these have unregulated power supplies and will often 'jump' to higher or lower settings. Improper technique. Lack of cryo-chiller to provide adequate heat reduction and reduce inflammation. Applying an oil / petroleum based topical solution on the skin post treatment. The ink itself, with no regulation on tattoo ink we don't have any real clue tow hat makes up the pigment or how your body will deal with it once it's been fractured. Existing scar tissue. Pigment saturation.

Official website: Skindustry Tattoo Expo When: March 13-15 Where: Sands Casino / Bethlehem, PA Who's going? I'll be manning my company booth during the convention, it's my 3rd year doing it and I think 6th year going. Solid show, lots of talent, good vibes.

Swelling is almost always going to happen @el_alquimista, blisters are pretty uncommon though.

Great to meet you too, @SeeSea! Here's my recap from the weekend Wrap Up: 2015 Philadealphia Tattoo Convention

Awesome @suburbanxcore - if you're coming to the convention swing through and say hey.

I'll be there all weekend in the GO! Tattoo Removal booth... hopefully this isn't seen as spam but here's the info http://www.gotattooremoval.com/2015-philadealphia-tattoo-convention/ Come by and say HI!

I'm sharing this so you can get a grasp of how quick the procedure is, for those who are wondering, and to showcase some of my skills. This client is heavily modified and has decided to change their look in order to facilitate further modifications. This is the first pace on half of their face, we treated both sides during the same visit. Most full removals will require 10-12 treatments over a one and a half to 2 year period. The white "frosting" that appears immediately after the the laser is water vapor, a byproduct of the laser tattoo removal treatment. Within 10 minutes, this fades and is not a burn or blister. In the left hand of this video is a hose, it's a cryo-chiller, a device that blows extremely cold air onto the skin before and during a treatment to help reduce any short-term swelling, a common side effect. It is not a vacuum. What you see here was filmed in real time, showing just how fast tattoo removal treatments are.

@Ehhh - I'm not sure what you mean by "contours" of the tattoo where the ink was placed" - please try to elaborate? The reason is many regarding your question why no one shows finally removed photos. I will only speak on my personal experience. Full removal takes 1.5-2 years, in some cases longer. 80% of my clients, maybe more, don't want full removal, they want fading for a cover up. This means a much smaller pool for me to shoot images of. A lot of people who want tattoo removal when they start treatment end up changing their minds half way through and get a cover-up. A lot of people who want tattoo removal never follow through to the end. I don't post a lot of photos on here in this forum because I'm not here to advertise what I do, I'm here to help people get a better understanding of what's available... but I do understand your frustration which is why we post a LOT to social media and our website.

@wilks1986 - I'm honestly not a really big fan of talking specs online, especially with people who aren't my clients / who I don't have charts for. Sorry if this sounds rude, but I don't want to overstep my bounds with another professional. @Ehhh - you can start treatment 10-12 weeks post tattoo, how long will it take? Lots of factors, but you could expect it to take 10-12, maybe a few more or a few less. You might also never have it fully removed, it could be 95%+ but might not be 100% gone. Amaeture tattoos can be tricky because they may have put too much pigment in, not enough, too deep, had barbed needles, running their machine with too much or too little voltage, the list goes on and on.

@wilks1986 - 50% of hypo-pigmentation will resolve in 18 months. But typically you need to be a skin type 3-4-5 to even get hypo-pigmentation. If your black shading went to brown, I'm akin to believe the black pigment had a heavy concentration of iron. As it's fractured, the 'new side' is exposed to the oxygen in your blood and will start to rust. I have successfully continued fading this and it's gone virtually away, but time is what works best in these situations.

@wilks1986 - Have you consulted your laser tech or doctor where you're getting treatment and let them know of your concern? That's my first bit of advice. Moving on though, at 7 treatments you should be somewhere 6-10 weeks between treatments but you shouldn't be red for a month post treatment. There are a large number of variables that could cause that and medial biceps always seem to bruise a little more lateral, so you should know that going into it. Aside from that, I don't ever publish after care online or advise someone who's under the care of others what might be best for aftercare. My immediate reaction though is that you have a sensitivity to the oils you're using post treatment. Stick to what they are suggesting you use and simply hydrate more. The better you take care of your body with quality foods, water (or coconut water) and exercise is all you need. Since laser tattoo removal is a non-invasive procedure there really isn't anything you can put on your skin to promote fading.

@Mr Snrub - white medical tape will help stop the laser from treating the new tattoo, however your tattoo artist should have set more realistic expectations with you. I don't want to harp on the "woulda , coulda, shoulda" but the reality is, if they weren't able to give you the cover-up you wanted they should have either suggested a different area or different piece for your cover. Flesh colored ink rarely works out for anything. More than likely you can have the old tattoo faded / removed but the new piece that covers it will without a doubt get some minor fading as the laser isn't as precise as an Xacto knife. So you'll end up getting some touch ups when you're done.

No, it's rare that 1 treatment is all that is required for a cover-up tattoo. This exception was the large portions of grey-wash shading and the cover was / is fairly saturated. Typically, regardless of what you're starting with, I'm doing 2-5 treatments for clients who are getting cover-ups. I work with my client and their tattoo artist so they aren't wasting more money or time with me than they have to, before getting tattooed.

I did one laser tattoo removal treatment on this client (after photo was not taken by me) and then John Barrett did the cover. Wanted to share how well shading falls out and how it gave John and the client options for a half sleeve cover.

Hey @ItchinforInk - to be blunt, no. I've never heard of that ink, but the problem is, what comprises "Powder Pigment" and who decided at what fineness it's ground and how much / what ratio is used. Combine that with a tattoo artist who may cut it with distilled water and then factor in machine, need mag selection and power supply settings and you can quickly see there are a near infinite ways the pigment could be delivered to your skin. That doesn't take into account cutting the pigment with something else or inconsistency in the batches from the manufacture. In a nutshell, until you start with at least one, or two / three treatments, it will be hard to say at what rate your body will process the pigment. I know this isn't the answer you want to hear but it's important to not focus on just one aspect of tattoo removal.

Yea this is terrible. Here in the USA the machines we use (professional grade, not eBay) are all FDA approved after extensive clinical testings. The problem is that one can still cause damage to the skin with them, and as you mentioned, the tattoo industry isn't regulated, nor is the tattoo ink industry. Not that I want to see federal regulations come down, but they do go hand in hand with each other.

@Nacho Sauce Just for clarification and accuracy, the PicoSure opperates at 755nm.

Home Starts today, anyone going? I'm heading down for the day tomorrow, probably in the mid afternoon for a few hours.

Based on? Efficient in terms of operating at a pico rate, not a nano rate, but that's about it. Sure, there are some pretty dramatic results from the PicoSure, but it's also ineffective on red and from the samples I've seen, has a great chance of hypo-pigmentation. Until there is a true Pico laser at 1064 / 532nm, I'm not interested in buying one.

@JamesJohner - scarring typically happens from bleeding, and you shouldn't have bled or at worst, had minor pin-point bleeding from a treatment. Could you explain what you meant by scarring more?

I've been asked multiple times for this and I honestly don't know anyone personally in the Bay Area, although if you have a good experience with someone please let me know.

This is an unofficial FAQ for Last Sparrow members who want to know more about laser tattoo removal. I've been doing this for 2 years now and feel I have some authority on the subject. I will not be giving industry specific information out but will do my best to answer your questions. I feel this is needed due to the total lack of real answers for people who collect tattoos. There are sites like realself.com but that demographic doesn't match everyone here. Furthermore, 80% of my clients are referrals from tattoo shops, due to the strong relationships I've been able to build over the last 2 years with them. As questions get asked and answered I'll update the this first post so new readers won't have to scroll through pages upon pages of content / risk the possibility of asking & answering the same questions over and over. So, fire away!

Thanks @Shaggy In a nutshell, my business is setup very different then just about everyone else who does this, and as of late I've been getting a TON of inquiries from around the world. I'm trying to ensure that we stay on the right path, as the way the business is running is "new" and breaking the mold from the traditional med-spa experience and also hurting a lot of those types of business owners feelings. At the end of the day, I want to give people options, but I also want to make sure my clients don't feel taken advantage of, are paying a fair price and will continue to come back time and time again, and leave with a positive experience. So everything you're saying I'm noting, although we are doing most of these things anyway. I take great pride in working with the tattoo community, not against them.

Thanks @idyllsend - since you've been treated by a laser clinic and in a tattoo shop setting, what were the pros and cons of each? Did you prefer one over the other (aside from the better pricing the tattoo shop offered)?