Laser Tattoo Removal Facts: FAQ’s

The lasers deliver very short pulses of high intensity light into the treated area. The tattoo inks and pigments then selectively absorb the light without destroying the normal surrounding skin tissue in the process. The tattoo is dissolved into smaller ink particles that are harmlessly removed by the body's immune system in the weeks following treatment.

Removing a professionally applied tattoo is a fading process that requires a series of treatments scheduled 5 weeks apart. Professional tattoos can take up to 8-15 treatments for complete tattoo removal. The black colored inks usually responds quicker than the bright colors because they absorb the light better. The depth, color and amount of ink, as well as the location of the tattoo on your body are all determining factors in how long and how quick we will be able get your tattoo off. Most amateur or "street tattoos" can be removed with as little as 8-12 treatments scheduled 5 weeks apart.

In most cases tattoos are completely removed. Though there are many factors involved in complete tattoo removal. The depth, density and types of colors are probably the biggest determining factors. After each treatment a little bit more ink is fragmented a little deeper into your skin.

Most or our patients say that the laser treatment feels like being snapped by a rubber band and that the discomfort is roughly equivalent to having a tattoo applied. Here at Tat2BeGone Medical Group we pride ourselves on making every patient procedure as comfortable as possible by offering a topical anesthetic cream that can help lessen the discomfort by 75%. Almost all of our patients are able to resume their normal activities immediately following treatment.

In order to remove a tattoo without scarring, a Q-Switched laser must be used. The term Q-Switched indicates that the laser is pulsed so quickly (billionths of a second) that it is able to dissolve the ink without destroying the live tissue in the process. Similar to running your hand over a candle very quickly, there's not enough time to burn the skin. Redness, swelling, blistering and scabbing are common symptoms that often follow tattoo removal laser treatments.

Many tattoo artists encourage customers to lighten an existing tattoo before covering it with a new one. This dramatically reduces any chance of the old tattoo appearing through the new one. In most cases, a minimum of 3-6 treatments is all that's required in lightening an existing tattoo in preparation of cover-up.