Tattoo Removal: How many sessions, and how long does it take?
Getting a tattoo may have seemed like a great idea to forever show off your relationship or your style and personality. Now that you’re older, however, your ink doesn’t quite fit with who you are anymore. Luckily for you, laser tattoo removal is the best, safest, and most successful option for removing unwanted ink. The top two questions we get asked about laser tattoo removal, are “how many tattoo removal sessions does it take?” and “how long does it take to remove a tattoo?”.
If you are worried about prolonged exposure to lasers, rest assured, there‘s no need to worry. For a tattoo the size of a silver dollar, the actual laser exposure is less than 30 seconds, and it only targets the color in the tattoo ink, not the surrounding areas.
Besides the short time exposed to lasers, the brief time and minimal exposure carry the additional perk of decreased scarring.
The pros at MEDermis are able to use the different wavelengths and pulses of the lasers to their advantage, precisely targeting the depth and color of a particular tattoo, which leads to more natural skin tone and texture afterward.
A tattoo can be a mistake that seems permanent. However, thanks to MEDermis Laser Clinic, it does not have to be forever. Our laser professionals can help erase mistakes and leave skin looking new in a surprisingly brief amount of time, and with limited exposure to the laser, a tattoo can be removed in a natural-looking way and left in the past.
How many tattoo removal sessions does it take?
At MEDermis Laser Clinic, we’ve found that most patients can have their tattoos removed in three to seven sessions.
Can You Remove a Tattoo in One Session?
Tattoo ink applied by a professional is thickly concentrated and applied deeply and evenly within your skin. Because of the high density of the pigment, a tattoo removal technician cannot completely break apart the ink in one session. During each session, we target the lasers to cover and break up as much of the ink as possible. You’ll notice the ink fade after each meeting with us.
How Long Does Each Laser Tattoo Removal Session Last?
Laser removal works by targeting the ink embedded in your skin and breaking those pigments into smaller pieces that are then removed through natural processes by your body’s immune system. With this technique, you can experience 95-98 percent ink clearance with virtually no scarring or uncomfortable or lasting pain or side effects.
Each session is 15 to 30 minutes long, and they are scheduled six to eight weeks apart.
Why Does Laser Tattoo Removal Take So Long?
Laser tattoo removal can still be a lengthy process depending on the characteristics of your tattoo, as certain colors and locations make removal more difficult. At your free tattoo removal consultation, we’ll discuss how many sessions you’ll need for successful tattoo removal based on these factors:
- Age: Older tattoos are easier to remove because the ink has faded over time, but newer tattoos have a thicker concentration of ink, which increases the number of sessions needed to completely remove the ink.
- Coloring: Certain colors are easier to remove than others. Blacks and dark blues are pretty simple for your technician to remove, while light yellows and greens are more difficult. But with today’s laser technology, we can remove any color — it might just take additional sessions.
- Location: The body’s natural processes remove tattoo ink after the laser has broken the particles into smaller pieces. Areas like the feet and hands have low circulation and will take longer to whisk away the ink.
In addition to these factors, you may have to schedule additional sessions if you have a large tattoo, are a smoker, have layered your tattoo, or have a darker skin tone.
Schedule a Free Consultation With MEDermis Laser Clinic
For over 15 years, MEDermis Laser Clinic has successfully removed tattoos from residents living in San Antonio and Austin, TX. We have the most experienced removal specialists with proven results — we’ve successfully completed over 500,000 treatments and without damaging the skin.
At MEDermis Laser Clinic, we offer free consultations to discuss your removal options and answer any questions you may have. And we’re so confident in our abilities that if we don’t remove your tattoo in our estimated number of sessions, we guarantee to continue treating your tattoo at no additional cost for a year. Schedule a free consultation today by speaking with one of our specialists at 512-637-5277 (Austin), 210-402-4030 (San Antonio), or by filling out our online consultation form.