There are many methods of removing tattoos including chemical peels, surgical excision, and laser removal. With the development of Q switched lasers, laser tattoo removal has become the most common way of treating an unwanted tattoo. Each treatment breaks apart the tattoo ink into progressively smaller particles that are small enough for the body to absorb and remove leading to tattoo fading. Laser tattoo treatments do not have to be painful; we make sure the treatments are as comfortable as possible. Local anesthetic is usually given before the treatment to make the treatment itself completely painless.
Immediately after a laser tattoo treatment the tattoo will look frosty white followed by some degree of redness and mild swelling over the first 24 hours. The treated area can form a crust and occasionally a blister will develop. Following our care instructions is important to ensuring quick recovery and ideal results. Over the following week(s) the fragmented tattoo pigment particles will slowly be carted away by the body’s immune system. Depending on the amount of tattoo ink originally placed in the skin, it may take several treatments before visible fading will be apparent.
The number of treatments required for maximum improvement is impossible to predict and depends on the pigments used, size, location, depth, age and colors of the tattoo. Most professional tattoos require anywhere from 5 – 15 sessions with an average of about 12 to see almost complete fading. Treatments are generally done 4 weeks apart. Unfortunately, some tattoo colors may not respond.
We can speed up the results if you have time!
Laser research in the last few years has shown that repeating a laser tattoo treatment a few minutes later increases the total amount of fading that will occur with each session. It takes roughly twenty minutes for the nitrogen bubbles produced by the first laser pass to dissipate so that the 2nd pass can penetrate down to the tattoo ink to break it into even finer particles. When this technique is used, a cool compress is applied for the 20 minutes between the treatments, and then the treatment is repeated. Repeating the treatments more than twice in one session hasn’t been shown to significantly improve the results further.
If you want the Accelerated Laser Tattoo Technique, be sure to request an Accelerated Laser Tattoo appointment specifically when you call, or enough time won’t be scheduled for your treatment. The cost of the technique is 1½ times the price of a single treatment. Therefore, if a single laser tattoo treatment is $100, an Accelerated session will be $150.
Fees for laser tattoo removal depend on the size and number of colors being treated and include the cost of anesthetic. There is a 15% discount for treatment packages of 5 sessions.
