Category: Tattoo Removal

What to Expect During Tattoo Removal

Since the process of getting a tattoo is painful, it makes sense to assume that the process of removing a tattoo will be painful as well. But how painful will it be? How will your skin react to the laser? Will the tattoo disappear completely? Before you head in to your appointment, you might want to know what to expect during tattoo removal. However, the process varies dramatically from person to person in the extreme. To learn more about your specific case and the procedure that will be used, you’ll need to make a consultation with a tattoo removal specialist. But if you just want a general idea of what the process might entail, scroll down for some insight.

What to Expect During Tattoo Removal

First, you might want to check out our last blog post, in which we detailed how tattoo removal works, focusing on laser procedures and salt/saline solutions. Laser treatment is the more effective solution, because the lasers are able to target the tattoo’s pigment and break down the particles. Plus, different lasers are able to target different tattoo colors. Salt/saline solutions are less effective and take more time, but they’re also safer.

So what can you expect during and after these treatments?

DISCOMFORT. There will undoubtedly be some discomfort, although the amount of discomfort can range from moderate to severe depending on the person and their tattoo. If you’re wondering what a tattoo removal laser feels like, imagine a rubber band snapping against your skin or hot oil splashing onto you (as some clients have described the discomfort). The treated area will remain tender for several days afterward as well. We do use topical anesthetics to assist comfort levels during treatment; however, some people find them more effective than others.

REDNESS & BRUSING. After the procedure, the treated area will appear pink, red, and/or bruised. This is similar to the reaction of skin after a fresh tattoo is applied. To protect the area, you will be asked to cover the treated area with a bandage for 48 hours and apply Medical Barrier Cream on the tattoo for at least one week. The tattoo also may blister, but if this occurs, leave the blisters alone and allow them to heal without help. Finally, you may notice that your skin’s color or texture has changed slightly. These changes should fade over time.

A FADED TATTOO. Be realistic about the procedure. When you had the tattoo applied, you expected it to last forever, and while laser and salt/saline treatments are helpful and can fade or lighten the tattoo, they won’t always erase it completely. The process isn’t as simple as erasing pencil marks from paper. Your body, your tattoo, and your choice of treatment will determine how effective the treatment is in the end, but don’t expect your tattoo to disappear overnight.

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Ready to get started? If you would like to have a tattoo removed and you live in or near Springfield, MO, contact DermaHealth Laser & Skin Care Clinic. We offer the newest laser technology for tattoo removal, using the dual wavelength laser Enlighten from Cutera to fade tattoos on all skin colors. To learn more about our tattoo removal services, please give us a call at 417-447-7777 or click here to schedule your free consultation.

How Tattoo Removal Works

Everyone makes mistakes. If you regret getting a tattoo, you may erase that decision through the use of laser technology. Are you ready to say goodbye to that tattoo of your ex-spouse’s name? What about the misshapen tattoo on your arm? Or how about the tattoo you got during a wild weekend in college? No matter what the color of your skin or the color of the tattoo, you can find a way to make it fade and potentially disappear altogether. However, before you make an appointment, you might want to know how tattoo removal works . . .

How Tattoo Removal Works

There are three main treatments to choose from: laser tattoo removal, a salt/saline solution lightening, and surgical removal of the tattoo. Having a doctor cut the tattoo out of the skin is the fastest and surest way to get rid of a tattoo, but clients are left with a scar and it can only be done on smaller tattoos in areas with extra skin. Salt/saline solutions require more time and offer less dramatic results while laser treatments are faster and more effective but slightly more risky.

Topical fading solutions are becoming more widely-know. They are solutions that cause the skin chemical trauma. This causes the skin to increase cell turnover as it attempts to heal, and it can potentially cause the tattoo to fade a bit. These topical “tattoo treatments” are not very effective and will not cause a noticeable fading in a tattoo.

LASER PROCEDURE

During a laser tattoo removal treatment, a laser targets the color of the tattoo’s pigment and breaks down the particles so that they can be absorbed by the body. Some lasers target dark tattoo colors best (like black and navy), others target light tattoo colors best (like reds and oranges), and the Ruby laser targets green colors specifically.

Traditional lasers have a nanosecond light speed, which is great for getting heavy, dense colors, but cannot target the faded, greyed, and worn out colors. Some newer lasers are a picoseconds light speed, which is good for the faded colors, but is higher risk for blistering and changing the color of the skin, especially on darker skinned clients.

The DermaHealth’s laser for tattoo removal, the Enlighten by Cutera, combines both a 1064 and 532 frequency laser for color diversity and it is the first and only laser that combines the nanosecond and picoseconds options into one machine, changing the speed and density of the laser’s energy (and helping them to better break down the pigments).

SALT/SALINE SOLUTION

If you want a safer and slower treatment, you can choose a salt/saline solution for tattoo removal. During one sitting, up to a 4″x4″ area of skin is tattooed with a salt/saline solution (the process is similar to the procedure for a regular tattoo). Then, the area is covered with a salt paste, which draws the pigment to the skin’s surface. After that, as the skin exfoliates over time, the pigment will fade away bit by bit. Although this process takes a lot of time it is safer than a laser and works well on dark skin colors. The salt/saline solution is also the only tattoo removal option that is safe directly around the eyes. The skin can be re-tattooed after it heals.

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Although both procedures can lighten your tattoo’s color and help it fade over time, be realistic as you head into a tattoo removal treatment. After all, when you received the tattoo, you were committing to that design for a lifetime; and although tattoo removal will make the tattoo less noticeable, it isn’t likely that the tattoo will completely disappear.

Not sure which procedure will work best for your skin color, tattoo color, and removal goals? Meet with a tattoo removal specialist for a consultation and discuss your specific situation. If you would like to have a tattoo removed and you live in or near Springfield, MO, contact DermaHealth Laser & Skin Care Clinic. We offer the newest laser technology for tattoo removal, using the dual wavelength laser Enlighten from Cutera to fade tattoos on all skin colors. To learn more about our tattoo removal services, please give us a call at 417-447-7777 or click here to schedule your free consultation.