Whilst every client and every tattoo is unique, most professional tattoos will take between 5 and 10 treatments for complete removal and most amateur tattoos will need between 1 and 3 treatments.
The average number of sessions necessary for complete tattoo removal is 6-10, although it can be more than 10, depending on certain factors, which are described below.
The majority of tattoo removals will result in a complete removal, however not all tattoos are made equal, and there are a variety of factors that can affect the tattoo removal process. The success of the removal is dependent on the size, depth, position, and colour of the tattoo itself, as well as your skin type.
Can tattoos be removed in one session? It's very rare that a tattoo can be removed in just one treatment. The only cases where we've seen that happen were very light tattoos, applied in an amateur manner on fair skin.
The tattoos will not disappear at once. It can take months or years for the effects to be complete. Even then, you may notice that the tattoo fades as opposed to disappearing completely. You need about six to eight sessions of laser removal treatment, depending on the color, size, and age of your tattoo.
Generally, amateur or homemade tattoo may be removed within 3 to 7 sessions, while professional tattoos done with harder inks can require anywhere from 8 to 20 treatments. It is possible for some tattoos to require more than 20 laser treatments.
The body will continue to eliminate the ink's particles for months and even years after your final treatment.
Although it is not possible to predict the number of sessions required for complete removal, most patients generally need 6 – 8 sessions. Larger tattoos may take 10 treatments or more. To make sure the skin heals properly in between each session, our administrative staff schedules appointments 6 – 8 weeks apart.
Laser Tattoo Removal After 1 Session
After the first session, most people can expect some significant fading, especially outlines. It's also important to note that differences in your tattoo will affect how the fading appears. You might see substantial fading in one portion of your tattoo and less in others.
Specifically, lighter colors like white, yellow, light blue, and pink are the most difficult to remove, as are green, red, and neon colors. White ink (and light colors that were made by combining darker ink with white ink) sometimes turns darker before it begins to fade.
Green is the hardest color to remove followed by light blue. Neon colors are also incredibly difficult to remove, and typically require multiple treatments with the Ruby laser. As a general rule, the greater the contrast between the color of the tattoo pigment and your skin, the better the result.
From the statistics presented, it is clear that tattoos are a popular form of body art in the United States. Approximately 23% of people regret their tattoos and 11% have tried to remove or cover them up. Laser tattoo removal has an average success rate of 71%, with 95% of patients saying the process was worth it.
Laser tattoo removal not fading can be caused by several factors. Some of which are the type of laser used, laser wavelength and ink colour, the laser technicians experience, recovery time between each session, and your immune system. Tattoo removal using laser treatment is not magic.
Older tattoos are easier to remove because they've already been exposed to the sun and absorbed by the body for some time. New tattoos can still be erased using the same laser removal techniques but they take more sessions.
Does Laser Tattoo Removal Leave Scarring? It is very uncommon for a patient to scar from laser tattoo removal treatment when the proper laser protocols and patient aftercare are followed. If the skin already has irregularities such as scarring expect that to remain after laser tattoo removal.
It is possible for a tattoo to appear darker after laser treatment. One reason for this is that once ink has been broken up by the laser, the immune system is free to move the smaller particles around in the skin. The immune system can flush the ink away internally or push it out externally.
Complete removal, depending upon the size and color of the tattoo, usually requires more than one treatment, Treatments are usually scheduled six weeks apart. The results from each tattoo removal session are not visible for about six weeks. Therefore, six weeks is usually the recommended time between sessions.
Once the tattoo removal process is completed, it's best to wait at least 6 weeks before getting a new tattoo on the treated area. Many artists will suggest waiting 6 months before receiving the cover up.
Your skin is comprised of protein and requires it to produce antibodies and reduce inflammation. If your protein intake is low, your skin's recovery time may slow down, impeding the tattoo removal process.
Factor One: Tattoo Age and Location
If you have a tattoo that's several years old, your tattoo removal may be easier. Older ink tends to be somewhat faded, which makes them easier to have removed than a newer tattoo. Location also plays an important factor.
It takes more than one session to remove a tattoo because when you got your tattoo, your tattoo artist applied the ink in layers. Because lasers break the ink pigment into smaller particles, it then takes some time between sessions for your body to flush out the ink. Your skin also needs time to heal.
After the laser-removal process, which Doft notes, typically works best on darker, older tattoos, the ink is recognized as waste within the lymphatic system and discarded via either sweat, urine, or fecal matter.
For most individuals, tattoos take anywhere from 6 to 10 sessions to fully remove, and these sessions are scheduled 6 to 8 weeks apart. Let's review some of the individual factors that can affect how long removing your tattoo will take.
It's actually common to see the tattoo appear brighter after the first session due to the ink particles being disturbed. Rest assured, that your body will be removing the tattoo and you'll typically start to see the fading process around 3-5 sessions.