Mike Panic

In a word @eisen777, no. It's just something else people fixate over without understanding how the machine operates, what a Fitzpatrick Scale is or without any experience. The word you're looking for is energy, not power is relative to several mitigating factors in any treatment. I also don't want to undermine any other professional laser tech, and you aren't being treated by me so I don't want to make any assumptions on you, anyone else, or give advice that could contradict any other professional. I may start a client at one setting, for arguments sake, an arbitrary number might be 2.2 joules (the measurement of energy, often times referred to as 'intensity'). The very next person that comes in might be started at 1.8j. The first client could come back after 5-6 weeks and their second treatment is at 2.4j while the 2nd client's 2nd treatment is at 2.6j. Too many factors go into determining how each client is treated, and each treatment is unique and different. To clear up a little of your confusion, and maybe help set your mind at ease, you weren't treated at a setting of '5' - I'm going to assume that was the Hz setting on the machine, aka the speed setting. Most Q-Switched Nd:YAG lasers can operate at a 'speed' of 1,2,5 & 10. This has zero effect on the energy setting of a machine, and typically a slower Hz setting is used when a tech wants more precise control over a treated area, although sometimes slower speeds are needed when operating at specific nanometers. I will also assume that "bubbling" you mean frosting, and not blisters. Frosting typically is most apparent in the first treatment, but again everyone is different. Frosting is water being vaporized in your skin, converting from a liquid to a gas, and the oxygen (O part of H2o) being trapped under the epidermis. While it's used as a guide for treatment, it bears no significance on the speed at which pigment will be broken down and dispersed through your bloodstream, it's merely a byproduct of the treatment. Some of your questions you need to ask your tech specifically. I've never heard anyone quote a full removal in 4 treatments, typically speaking it's common in the industry to accept 10-12 as a baseline standard, however some will see faster reactions and need 8 while others will need 14+ It's also fairly typical to not see dramatic fading until 6 weeks after your second treatment. Are you or your tech taking photos prior to each treatment for comparison reasons? If not, then you're tattoo is probably fading more than you think. Regarding thick black lines. It's my experience that any portion of a tattoo that's done with a liner will take longer than any portion of a tattoo done with a shader. Moreover, when linework is gone over several times to 'even out' or 'thicken' the lines, often a technique used by artists to hide the 'dot' that appears when they stop through a line or at the end of a line, the fading can take even longer. Take care of yourself, drink plenty of water, eat healthy, get exercise, don't smoke. Those will help put you into a place that will allow the greatest amount of fading per treatment, assuming your tech isn't milking you for more treatments.

This is a complicated question. If a tattoo is 25 years old, you're not just dealing with that many years of break down - you're dealing with who knows what was used for pigment and lord can only imagine the technique / consistency used to apply it. Top that off with 25 years of sun exposure, wear and tear on the body and everything else. I'm currently working on a client who has tattoos we're removing from the mid / late 70's that is fading at the same rate a younger client with newer tattoos would fade. The downside is this client is now in their late 50's and their skin is more fragile. This also goes for older people getting tattooed. I'm working on several clients now who have had work done in the late 80's and early 90's though with great success. This is a general concept across the board, from paper cuts to brush burns, closer to the heart will heal better because the heart works less hard to pump blood. That said, I see great results all the way down to ankles and forearms. Hands, knuckles and feet tend to only really be a little bit different because there isn't as much body mass to help deal with swelling, so there must be a good amount of care given when treating these areas to help lessen discomfort for the rest of the day.

Green can be more difficult to see progress in at the same rate as black, red and other colors. Everyone is different, and treats clients differently, but there is a wavelength that works on a Q-Switched Nd:YAG laser (which I use) that is very effective with green. What I do differently though, and partly because I understand how tattooing works better than most "laser professionals" is that shading involves whipping the color in, typically pulling in some of the black from the outline. When you treat green on it's own, there is a higher risk of problems and side effects if the laser hits other color pigments. This isn't true in every case, but I'd rather be on the safer side.

I generally tell clients who want to cover a piece, 2-5 treatments. This will vary wildly based on what you're going to cover it with and the skill of your artist. Typically, after the 2nd or 3rd treatment I'll suggest you call and schedule a 20-30 minute appointment with your artist, stop in and talk with them, show them the progress and discuss what you want covered. The two of you can then come to a decision if you should get more treatments or schedule a sitting with the artist. Given it's your entire shoulder cap, one of the 2 options in a cover-up is kind of not available to you, the 'go bigger' approach. So you might need 4-6 treatments, especially if you don't want anything overly dark (the 2nd main option in a cover) and / or if you want a lot of shading / light detail work done with a shader.

In the nearly 20 years I've been going to, hanging out in and generally being around tattoo shops and artists, I've never heard a patron come in and ask what kind of machine the artist is using. In my profession, I answer it almost daily. Right behind how much does it hurt? and what is this going to cost me? one of the most frequently asked questions I get asked is what machine I use to treat people. This is mildly important and yet, people really stress about it. Why it's important? There are China-made machines available on eBay for a few thousand dollars, these are untested, generally not FDA approved in the USA and worse, most don't carry an adequate UL rating. That last one is a biggie, that means there's not been proper testing on the machine to pass fire, smoke and safety regulations. The 4 main technologies used in tattoo removal: Q-Switched Nd:YAG - the most popular across the board, commonly called the 'gold standard' Ruby - thus named because it emits a red light and is typically used on grenn pigments Alexandrite - essentially a red laser as well, but less powerful than a Ruby, again mostly used on green pigment Pico - the new kid on the block, this laser operates at a 'pico' second, or one trillionth of a second, however isn't as effective on red pgiments There are many brands, but I'm not going to go into a this is better than that. The Q-Switched Nd:Yag is the most versatile as it operates at two wavelengths and does a great job on the vast majority of pigments, however it's also possible via a swap of hand pieces to operate this laser at the two other wavelengths, making it the technology choice of most facilities. This laser is a 'Nano' laser, pulsing light at one billionth of a second. Typically speaking, Ruby lasers are much more rare because the scope of treatment is much more narrow and you're likely to only find these in the offices of dermatologists who have a very specific need for them. Alexandrite lasers are extremely rare to be seen. Pico laser is the new kid on the block - and the one with the most hype. The claims are 30-60% faster removal, due to the 'trillionth' of a second light bursts. I affectionately call this the Viagra (or Lipitor) of laser machines. Why? Well, they are mass marketed to the general public, so the public learns the name of them fast and since they are only available by prescription, they are knocking down doctor's doors to get their hands on them. Yes, the pico is effective, I've spoken at length with their sales reps and read the clinical trial reports on them. Here's the catch, it costs almost 3x as much as a new Q-Switched Nd:Yag laser, which is also why you typically see prices 2-5x higher when using this laser. The sales rep justifies it as, people don't want to wait 18 months to remove a tattoo, this machine will get it done in 8-12 and we feel people will pay a premium for that. This could be true in LA, NYC, Miami, etc., in my market, it's not. OK, once we've established the place you're going to isn't using a my first laser beam machine and you now know what 'type' of laser you will most likely be treated with, here's why the machine used really isn't that important. Lasers are just like Michael Jordan Nikes, they are awesome, are cool to have, but you won't dunk like Mike. Just because you saw someone online who showed you great before & after photos after being treated with Acme Brand Laser doesn't mean you will have the same results. There are 3 main factors that go into any given tattoo removal, provided of course the tech is capable and they are using one of the main lasers available on the market. Immune system does 95% of the work! Yes, you read this right. The laser just facilitates the process. It's medically proven non-smokers heal faster (not just for tattoo removal, in general), but if you're in shape, eat right and generally take care of yourself you'll heal faster and see better progression between each treatment. Pigment varies bottle to bottle sometimes, even from the same manufacture. Aside from the fact there is no FDA regulation in pigment, even if there was it wouldn't stop your artist from mixing it with another ink, or even tap water, which could have contaminates in it. Have two tattoos done by the same artist 6 months apart? They could have switched inks in between sittings. Application. Tattooing is an art, not just in the work they create, but actually getting pigment into your skin. The needle groupings, voltage, angle the machine is held and pressure all make differences in how well your body takes the pigment, as does your ability to follow their aftercare instructions. While this typically is a very small contributing factor, if an artist has a barbed needle (fish hooked, typically from bottoming out in an ink cap while dipping, or from not inspecting needles while assembling the grips), it can cause damage to the skin. Most commonly this is seen in the form of a raised to the touch tattoo, or sometimes known as 'braille tattoos.' As mentioned earlier, seeing before and after photos is important, I also strongly believe seeing progress photos is equally important so you can see how the tech was able to treat the entire piece, but as it fades focus on the areas containing pigment still and avoiding those without pigment, reducing the chances of hypo-pigmentation. When you're doing your research, don't get sucked into the hype of 'state of the art ACME brand machine' because one of the leading manufactures that makes one of the most popular machines on the market today hasn't changed the guts of the machine from the two previous models available, they've only made the case prettier. This isn't just from my own research, this is from my tech who services my machine and has 15 years experience in the industry.

Yes, that's very heavy scaring. In a nut shell, they are opening up the skin to create a wound, putting an agitator in there so your body must 'reject' the pigment and during the scabby / crusty / crappy / painful healing process, hopefully the ink will come out. If you're not 100% on top of the healing process, this is what can happen. And no, this wouldn't be fun to tattoo over, the raised and bumpy skin won't go away when it's tattooed.

One of the private LinkedIn groups I'm a member of for tattoo removal specialist has an on-going thread about the 'natural' and 'saline' tattoo removals people are offering, some with tattoo machines, so who are running just water though the machine than packing in salt to an open wound for up to 10 minutes. This is a photo one member shared of their client who came in after trying it. https://celibreinc.app.box.com/embed/hrzsrk6vlfn7hz2.swf#!

Every tattoo will appear darker, for 2-20 days post treatment, the initial fading won't be noticeable until 3-6 weeks. If you're tech or doctor isn't taking photos at every treatment, I strongly encourage you to. My clients are always, "yea it's looking good" then I do a quick photoshop comparison and their reply is WOW!

When something isn't regulated, there is no need for approval. Just like tattoo pigment isn't FDA approved, neither is this stuff. As a consumer, you choose what it is you wish to buy and not buy though, after making an informed choice. My goal is to inform.

Here's what another tattoo removal specialist is seeing from Tatt2away: Instagram Instagram

This is a rant that I won't apologize for. Link: Mel B undergoes laser surgery as she gets her arm tattoos removed | Mail Online Time to start putting some people on blast. I can only hope that the photos used in this article are staged for publicity, but the lack of gloves during a treatment and lack of protocol regarding cross-contamination disgusts me. I'm seeing more and more photos of people being treated around the world (specifically on Instagram) by 'techs' not wearing gloves and clearly putting their patients and themselves at risk. If you're cool getting Hep-C, or worse, fly out to some spendy med-spa in Hollywood and get your treatments. Otherwise, insist that you're safety and that of the public is protected. Also, this procedure isn't 'surgery' /rant

I've recently joined a private LinkedIn group for tattoo removal specialists, and this recently came up. All of the members, most of them doctors, have said this stuff leaves scars and changes the skin texture on the clients they've seen healed treatments on.

That's awesome!! For comparison, have you had Nd:YAG treatments? I'm glad this is working so well for you!

It's not that @ChrisvK, but think about what happens to old metal things that are left outside an neglected.... ' @cltattooing - sorry for the late reply. Photo and description here: Instagram Another photo here: Instagram

@cltattooing - I'll see if I can find the user on Instagram who had a tattoo artist open up her tattoo with a machine that had no ink in it, then packed seat salt onto the wound or 10 minutes, then rinsed a few hours later and did a saline soak following that. I'm very aware that tattoo pigment isn't FDA regulated. My malpractice waiver form indicates that, and lists some of the possible ingredients to it. I've also been fortunate enough to know a few people in the industry, and they've told me off the record some ingredients. A lot of people have a negative reaction to red pigment, you wouldn't be surprised why if I told you what a primary ingredient is. From what I understand about Tat2away is that they don't disclose anything, so we can all speculate about it. I've read some people claiming it's lactic acid. Yes, I'm pro-laser because I do it for a living, but it's also been medically proven to work for over 15 years now. The side effects are well documented, the treatment process and aftercare have all been gone over, for years. Very little has changed with laser tattoo removal treatment in that time.

My opinion, avoid this. It looks similar to Tatt2Away® by Rejuvatek Medical, Inc. (Official Site) | Tatt2Away® Natural Non Laser Tattoo Removal System, which I also don't trust. Here's the thing. Who out there thinks it makes sense to open up a tattoo (create an open wound) via tattoo machine with no ink in it, then pour salt in it, or use saline (salt water) instead of tattoo pigment? No one. Ask your family doctor what they think about this, and they will tell you the possible side effects, you'll walk away. It's non-FDA regulated. There's no governing body on how this is to be done, or instructional information. There's nothing saying who is and who isn't doing it right. It's also invasive. Whenever you open up the skin, you are opening yourself up to long term negative effects.

On some Instagram / Facebook comments, I've seen a few people claiming the main ingredient / why it's working is because it's Lactic Acid. This is extremely troublesome since most commercially available lactic acid is derived from fermented milk. Set aside a minute here those who are vegan, milk is a government regulated commodity, Tatt2away hasn't been approved for FDA injection, so who knows where they are sourcing the lactic acid from, how it's being mixed and then the delivery method, via an open wound. Again, this is hearsay, please do not take it as truth, just what I've found in my own research.

Welcome to the site @pehdtsckjmba. @Graeme is kind of on point here, and to be totally honest, I don't have a solid answer for you. In the USA, there is no FDA regulations on tattoo inks, so the pigment used and the soluble solution added to make them liquid (inks) is proprietary to each manufacture, and trade secret across the board. I'd be willing to bet you won't actually get a solid answer from anyone, and the bigger companies who produce inks won't admit to what is, or is not in anything either. What exactly is your allergy to it? Hives, skin irritation, fever, etc.?

I'm here only as someone who shares info, I don't sell my services. Google your city + tattoo removal, you should find plenty of places. Most places charge per square inch, typically from $49-99, some charge per minute the machine is running- usually $99/ minute, some are flat rate business models.

Broadly speaking here: shading fades very fast with someone of your skin type. I'd expect most of it to be gone within 2-3 treatments, however it could take 5, maybe 6, depending on a number of factors (your immune system, pigment used, artists skill level of actually tattooing you, etc.)/ It's also very possible to keep the anchor and writing, while selectively treating the ink around it. My advice, don't let the sun fade it. It will naturally, but not in one summer, and if it does fade your tattoo it's doing a good deal of damage to your skin as a whole. You need to be healthy and keep your skin in tip-top shape pre-treatment and post-treatment. This means staying hydrated and applying liberal amounts of sunscreen on a regular basis every single day it's exposed to the sun. You're better off with a solid start.

This video has expired. sorry you're a little late to the post - I can't control what they do w/ the videos though, I didn't make the video.

I typically suggest 2-5, but this number will vary based on the size of the original tattoo and what it is you want over it. Some people are 2, some are 8. What I'll do during a consult is suggest they start with 2-3, again depending on what they have and what the goal is, then suggest they call and schedule a 30 minute block of time with their tattoo artist to stop in and show them progress, discuss the tattoo, and then decide if more treatments are needed or if they can book the tattoo appointment. My business runs much differently compared to med-spas, we have working relationships with dozens of tattoo shops, so depending where you go, they may not care what you want to do, they just want to treat you and kick you out the door. Minimum two though to really see progress.

@opal fruits, everyone is different, we give a blanket statement of 2-5 treatments, but this depends on how well the pigment fades but also what will be covering the old tattoos. The above client is scheduled to come in for a second treatment this Friday evening, I can PM you before / after photos if you'd like to see his progress. With regards to your tattoo, all the greywash will fade pretty evenly and fast, whereas my client was much more solid black work so it may take a little longer and be somewhat patchy depending how the artist did the work. Again I won't know till I see him for his second treatment.

There's a tattoo shop in Maryland doing this. I'm kind of bugged out by it because there's no background info given / no FDA approval for how / why it works and whenever anything is marked proprietary I start to question what's in it. The results are somewhat impressive, but the procedure time is longer, it's invasive and who knows what the long term effects will be of it. At least laser treatments are FDA approved and there's 2 decades of proven history to go along with them.

Here's another video that was made a few weeks ago of a client who has a larger, unfinished piece on the inside of his calf. This is in real-time, and he's a champ for sitting still through the whole thing and not needing a break. The white frosting is the water in the skin vaporizing, it does disappear after 5-10 minutes. Also, the reason you see me jumping around to different parts of the tattoo is to help distribute the heat, let heat disperse from the body.