People are always surprised at how long laser tattoo removal can take, but the truth is that the laser removal process is much harder on your body than the process of getting inked. With that being said, tattoo removal after one session may show more results than you expect.
The sessions are spaced six to eight weeks apart, which allows your skin to process the treatment. Many people start to see their ink fade after three appointments. Given six to eight weeks between each session, you can expect the results to start showing a few months after the process starts.
Most people will need 6-8 sessions or more to completely remove a tattoo, although you can expect to see significant results after the first session. Within just a few trips to our office, you yourself might start to forget about your tattoo!
From the Second Week Onwards After Tattoo Removal
You might notice the treated skin looking darker as the pigment rises to the surface of the skin. The area around it might lighten (hypopigmentation) or darken (hyperpigmentation) too. This is completely normal and will fade with time.
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.
One of the most common questions we get during our laser tattoo removal consultations is, “will my skin go back to normal?” And if this is something you've wondered too, we have good news for you. For the most part, yes, your skin will go back to “normal”!
Redness, swelling, slight blistering, a little itching, and raised areas are extremely common and should be expected after treatment. The skin will feel tender and sensitive at first. It should take a maximum of two weeks for all of these responses to treatment to subside.
However, there are many factors that play into the overall outcome of each client's tattoo. Typically, you will start to see tattoo fading around sessions 3-5 which is optimal for people who are seeking removal for a cover up, but it will likely take 10-12 sessions to see complete removal results.
In most cases, fading can be seen within a few weeks after the first laser treatment. However, especially with black line-work or very dense tattoos, the fading is very minimal and often is not noticed until pictures (before treatment and current) are placed side-by-side.
Every individual is different, and therefore every tattoo is different. Understanding how laser tattoo removal works will help to understand why it's not as easy to predict. On average a person will need between 6-12 treatments laser tattoo removal treatments. However, some people need less, some may need more.
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.
Most tattoos will require between five and ten sessions. Bigger tattoos will take up to the ten sessions, while the smaller ones may be closer to five sessions. It is safe to assume your tattoo will need somewhere in there too. This is a broad answer because laser removal of tattoos will depend on many factors.
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 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.
Most laser tattoo removal places will recommend waiting at least six weeks before starting treatments. There may be many unwanted side effects when a tattoo is removed too early. One side effect that is likely to occur is blistering of the skin.
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.
Does Tattoo Removal Hurt More Than Getting Tattooed? People have different levels of pain tolerance—and anxiety about pain—but laser tattoo removal feels less painful than getting tattooed. Many people compare the pain of tattoo removal to the discomfort caused by a sunburn.
Most people start to see results of laser hair removal il treatments within the first few weeks after their first appointment. Your results will be obvious as your hair begins to fall out, and while you may see hair regrowth, you should notice that hair is growing back more slowly than before.
Simply put, your tattoo has become darker because the metals in the ink have become oxidized, leading to a temporary greying or darkening until the tattoo fades. Thankfully, this proves that your treatments are working according to plan, and it is just a matter of time until your tattoo has cleared up.
The honest answer to this question is that it's primarily up to you. You can take many steps to help your skin heal after your treatment and prevent scarring. But if you do not prepare and give your skin the time and attention it needs, you could end up with some scarring where your tattoo was removed.
You may see development of redness after 2 - 3 days, you may also see blisters or boils around the tattoo and feel progressively increasing irritation, in this case please remove the bandage, wash it with cold water and consult your tattoo artist or a doctor asap.
If you have a history of skin hyper-sensitivity, scarring (keloids), skin infections such as impetigo or are prone to cold sores (herpes) then laser treatment may not be advisable. People with darker skins are at more risk than those with lighter skins.
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.