Laser Tattoo Removal FAQ's
To simplify, the laser fires an intense pulse of light that travels through the skin and impacts with the ink causing it to break up into tiny particles. The body’s immune system then flushes these particles away resulting in the fading and removal of the tattoo.
With the technology we use most colour inks can be removed. However, there are inks like white & yellow that sometimes can be very stubborn or not possible to remove. On occasion, certain (usually bright colours) inks will not respond to laser treatment due to their composition although this is rare.
Whilst a lot of the tattoos we treat fully disappear, we can not guarantee 100% removal to any of our clients (infact, nobody in this industry can give this guarantee). What we can say is that in the worst case we expect to remove at least 95% of the ink, possibly leaving a few blemishes. We are confident that none of our competitors can produce better results.
The honest answer is that we do not know. The biggest factor to the speed of removal is the type of ink used by the tattooist. There are inks that break down incredibly easily and other inks that are very stubborn. Some tattoos are removed with one treatment others can take significantly more. You should be very wary of clinics offering guarantees regarding the number of treatments required to remove a tattoo as it is not possible for anyone to know with confidence.
We recommend waiting at least 6 weeks between treatments. The reason for the 6 week period is not just for the skin to heal (normally the healing process takes between 3-14 days), but also to allow the body’s immune system a chance to flush away the ink particles broken up by the treatment. If you have treatments too close together you are not getting the full benefit from each session which potentially means depressing your immune system.
With the high quality technology we use, clients usually have no scarring, However, as with all treatments on the skin we can give no guarantees. The biggest risk to the skin is during the aftercare period. If the individual picks, scratches the skin, soaks in water or rubs the area then this can easily damage the skin and affect the results. For best results be sure to look after and moisturise the skin regularly.
We can only remove black ink from darker skin tones because using the higher energy settings can cause unevenness. This is due to the effect on the pigmentation when using the wavelengths necessary to treat the brighter colour inks.
Yes it does hurt, the pain is likened to being flicked by an elastic band. Numbing agent is applied when you arrive but we do recommend clients apply their own numbing cream one hour before their treatment. We advise reapplication every 15 minutes and for clients to cover the area with cling film. Clients who do this do not feel much at all.
A small tattoo can be treated in a few minutes but tattoos with a multicolour design will take longer due to the set up changes for different colours. We can only treat 10cm x 10cm in one sitting due to the immune system only being able to break up so much ink. This means your treatment will never take longer than 20 minutes. If your tattoo is larger than this you will need another session two weeks later to remove the rest of the tattoo.
Light exercise is ok as long as no sweat is affecting the area. Avoid getting the area wet or letting it soak in water for 10 days after your treatment as this could lead to infection, scarring and prolonging the healing process.
Avoid direct sunlight and sunbeds for 14 days after your treatment.
Keep the area covered when it is rubbing against clothing.
Allow air to the area when there is no risk of it touching other surfaces/clothing.
Apply aloe vera (first day), don’t apply creams until the scabs are healed.
If there are signs of infection clean with salty water but don’t let it soak in water or a bath. Pat dry, do not rub.
