Laser Tattoo Removal

When you get a tattoo, ink is injected into the dermis. In the days following, you may notice the tattoo naturally fades as a result of ink escaping through the surface of the skin, or being cleared away by the body’s natural response to a foreign substance. The final tattoo is made up of ink pigment which is too deep to have escaped through the surface of the skin, and too large to have been removed by the body. Laser tattoo removal selectively targets tattoo ink with light energy in the form of a laser. The beam breaks down large particles of ink into smaller ink particles, that can be more easily cleared away by the body’s immune system.

What is tattoo removal blog

Yes, complete tattoo removal is possible. The amount of sessions required will of course differ from client to client. “Ghosting” can sometimes occur after tattoo removal, which is where the skin retains a pale white shadow of the original image. 

It completely depends on the clients skin tissue and anatomy, the tattoo itself and the machine used. We use an advanced Class 4 Medical Grade Picosecond system which will achieve the desired results in less sessions in comparison to alternative systems. For body tattoos, we recommend 6-12 sessions. For brow tattoo removal we  recommend 2-4 sessions. There is no one size fits all approach to laser tattoo removal – no one wavelength will work for all colours and inks, and some are more difficult to remove than others.

Yes absolutely!

Pain varies from client to client. Our Picosecond system has a very short pulse and is much less painful in comparison to alternative systems.

No, you cannot.

We have to allow 6 months for the ink to heal into the skin when targeting a tattoo on the body. We allow 2 months for cosmetic tattoos to heal in the skin (brow tattoos) We have to allow enough time for the tissue to repair and recover. If you are planning to cover up your eyebrows and have a new set of spmu brows please allow 12 weeks for the skin tissue to fully recover after laser.

We ask you to shave any hair that covers the tattoo the evening before your appointment (excluding SPMU eyebrows)

Unfortunately we are not covered by our insurance to treat Fitzpatrick 5-6 clients

All clients react differently to the laser but the first few sessions especially you could experience redness, swelling, blood spotting, blistering, itchiness.

During the healing stage, you can expect to see the pigment become darker or lighter. It may become darker before it gets lighter, but in general you will see a reduction in the shade of the ink. Different colours may also appear in the skin during the healing stage. Some parts of the tattoo may fade more than others. This is all normal and to be expected.

In general we will treat the client every 8-10 weeks. It isn’t advised to wait longer than 12 weeks between sessions.

Any discomfort that you experience is not the laser beam hitting the skin, it’s the ink shattering. Pre-numbing the area will not numb the skin that is being targeted. We kindly ask that you do not pre numb at home as this can cause a bad reaction to the laser. We will not go ahead with the treatment.

• Self tan – please ensure you are free from fake tan
• Product usage – you must pause using retinols, peels, acids, ahas for at least 14 days
• Medication- no blood thinners or pain relief for 72 hours as this thins the blood.
• No accutane for 12 months.
• Caffeine and alcohol – please avoid these for 72 hour prior as they cause blood to become thinner and you will bleed more during and after your treatment. 
• Brow Lamination – laser should not be performed for 10 weeks post lamination as the hairs are extremely vulnerable and could burn 

You will have a detailed copy of your aftercare to follow after your appointment but here are few main pointers of what to expect:

Day 1 keep the area dry and free from any products for 3 hours. After this time you can apply aloe vera gel. 

72 hours no make-up or tight clothing on the area 

2 weeks drink at least 3 litres of water a day to help the ink to excrete through the lymphatic system. Apply SPF to the area twice a day for 2 weeks. Keep the area hydrated. UV exposure must be avoided for the following 30 days.

The laser beam won’t destroy the hair follicle and stop growth, but it can disable the melanin. The hair can go white temporarily until the colour comes back through after about 3 weeks (for brow tattoo removal we typically do lensless which means no lightening of the hair).

When eyebrow ink stops fading this means you are at the end of your laser journey. If there is any pigment left over very pale (often yellow in colour) this can be titanium dioxide which is unlikely to exit the tissue. You can try removing the leftover ink using an extraction method known as “salt and saline” which we also offer. This can be successful and can often soften the yellow stain in many cases. The needle work can also breakdown scar tissue.

We cannot laser over moles.