Things to Know Before You Begin Your Laser Tattoo Removal Treatments
Laser tattoo removal is the best and most effective method for tattoo removal today. However, before beginning your treatments, you should understand how this removal method works along with its possible effects. With the right information, you can have a safe and successful removal experience.
Before beginning your laser tattoo removal, you should educate yourself and set realistic expectations for your procedure and its outcome. Factors to consider before beginning removal sessions include:
- Tattoo location: Because tattoo ink is broken down and removed through your body’s natural processes, areas with lower circulation like the feet and hands will take longer to lose tattoos than spots like the chest.
- Professional versus amateur ink: When applying your tattoo, a professional artist is able to deeply penetrate the pigment evenly in the skin and use a high concentration of ink, which increases the number of sessions needed to remove the tattoo. Amateur applications, however, involve less ink and are not deeply embedded in the skin, resulting in quicker removal.
- Laser technology: Each color pigment requires a different laser wavelength for successful removal — one wavelength cannot be used to treat all colors. With the latest laser technology, the Pico Laser, technicians can now use one machine with three wavelength settings to easily remove all pigment colors.
- Post-treatment side effects: With any procedure, you can expect minor symptoms after treatments. Laser removal is no exception. After treatment, you may experience some blistering, swelling, pinpoint bleeding, redness or a tattoo raise. While uncomfortable, these effects are common and typically subside within a few days to a couple of weeks. Two other common effects are hypo and hyperpigmentation — the darkening or lightening of the skin as a result of the laser treatments. These issues can be corrected if you follow proper aftercare instructions.
- Ink darkening: Tattoos with lighter colors where the ink was mixed with white pigment may exhibit a slight darkening as the tattoo is being removed. The heat of the laser causes the white to oxidize, turning a grayish color. While the darker color appears odd, it can still be easily removed by your technician.
Does It Hurt to Get a Tattoo Removed?
Most people compare getting a tattoo removed to having a rubber band snapped on their skin. If you have a low pain tolerance and feel nervous before beginning treatments, know that at MEDermis Laser Clinic, we want to minimize your discomfort. We’ve created a numbing technique that we use before, during and after sessions to reduce side effects.
Why Can’t My Tattoo Be Removed in One Session?
Because tattoo ink is so thickly concentrated within the multiple layers of ink, the pigments cannot be completely broken down in a single session. During each session, we use our lasers to cover and break up as much of the ink as possible. After each session, you’ll notice the ink gradually fade.
Contact MEDermis Laser Clinic Today
With over 12 years of laser tattoo removal experience, MEDermis Laser Clinic can safely and successfully remove any tattoo type regardless of size, age or color. We’ve removed nearly 300,000 tattoos in the San Antonio and Austin, TX areas. We pride ourselves on using only the best laser technology available — the Spectra laser — to remove your tattoo with minimal discomfort or scarring. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation by calling us at 512-637-5277 (Austin), 210-402-4030 (San Antonio) or by filling out our online consultation form