How many sessions remove tattoo

Since these clients have taken better care of their health, their skin is in better health as well. This makes it easier to put the laser treatment to work and naturally helps the ink come off faster.

For older patients, those who smoke, or those who are not in the best health, the laser treatment may take a little longer. The client may simply need a session or two more to get the tattoo removed. The type of ink used can affect how many sessions the client needs.

How much ink, and how dark the ink is, will factor in as well. Clients need to realize that tattoo ink is not regulated. Some inks are better than others.

Each professional you visit for your tattoo may use a different type of ink. Since there is no standard, there is a lot of variation in ink types. This results in a variance in how long it takes to remove the ink. Your specialist can discuss the type of ink on your skin and figure out how many sessions are necessary. The older the tattoo, the easier it is to remove. Older tattoos have had time to fade as the body naturally rids itself of the ink.

This is a slow process that takes many years. It does explain also why a tattoo that is 50 years old looks faded compared to a brand-new tattoo. Medical lasers used for cosmetic reasons are great for removing tattoos from the skin. There are lasers designed to handle any tattoo, even tattoos with many details and colors. All wavelengths and strengths of these medical lasers can help remove the tattoo while leaving your skin flawless. The neat thing here is that certain colors of light can be absorbed by specific colors in the ink of your tattoo.

The light energy will fragment or vaporize the particles of ink on the skin. The body can then naturally absorb up these fragments, and over a few weeks, the tattoo will start to fade from your skin. There are a few different lasers that are used for this treatment. The newest is the Q-switched lasers. They are known to be the most useful for removing these tattoos. Some of the Q-switched lasers that may be used include:.

This laser is used to help deliver more than one wavelength of energy in small, nanosecond pulses. This allows the laser to be used to target the unwanted molecules of pigment while helping to minimize the risk to the tissue that is near to it. When used in removing tattoos, it effectively removes the ink without harming the skin. This laser can be good for removing a tattoo while also lightening and improving other pigmentations on the skin. This can include sun spots, age spots, and melasma.

This is a laser that is designed to treat unwanted tattoos in fewer sessions compared to other laser treatments. This happens because the laser delivers a concentrated amount of energy to the ink you target in faster, shorter bursts that are measured in picoseconds. This is much faster than other laser treatments. Fortunately, laser tattoo removal is a safe, proven solution. So, how long does it take to see the results of this treatment?

The amount of time it takes for you to see your laser tattoo removal process starts to fade depends on how your body responds to the treatment. The kind of ink used is also a major factor. Getting rid of a tattoo completely takes multiple sessions, but the results accumulate with each one. The sessions are spaced six to eight weeks apart, which allows your skin to process the treatment.

Many people start to see their ink fade after three appointments. Given six to eight weeks between each session, you can expect the results to start showing a few months after the process starts. The timeline of this treatment varies greatly from person to person, but most patients need between six and twelve sessions to completely remove a tattoo.

Given the time in between each appointment, this means that you can see your final results within one or two years. That said, some people can be done after only four sessions while others will require as many as fifteen.

While the process does not provide immediate final results, most patients enjoy seeing the gradual progression. With each session, you will experience cumulative improvements. By sticking with this treatment, you can watch your tattoo fade into oblivion for good. For most patients, the time it takes to get rid of a tattoo is well worth it.

If you thought you might have to live with your unwanted ink forever, it can be a great relief to know that a laser treatment can erase it in as little as one year. So, how does this process work? Not too long ago, tattoos were permanent. That was bad news for anyone whose tastes changed. Today, laser technology can do amazing things in the fields of medicine and cosmetics. When used to treat tattoos, they provide a safe, effective way to clear the skin of unwanted designs.

Our lasers emit focused beams that specifically target the colors that appear in your tattoo. The pigment in the ink absorbs this energy and ruptures. This process happens safely, because the beams are not attracted to the surrounding tissue. Once the ink particles have been blasted into tiny fragments, your body is able to safely reabsorb them. This happens through the natural process of your immune system.

Before laser tattoo removal, getting rid of tattoo ink was incredibly tricky. Even now, it takes time. This is because of the way it locks into your cells. Your skin is a complex organ that is regulated by your immune system. Your body can detect foreign substances, such as tattoo ink, and works to get rid of them. In most cases, it can clear these elements with special cells called macrophages. Under normal circumstances, the macrophages absorb potentially dangerous particles and dispose of them.

Tattoo ink poses a problem for the macrophages. If a macrophage that contains tattoo ink ruptures, the ink is absorbed by other macrophages.

Getting laser treatments is the safest and most complete way to get rid of your tattoo. With each session, the wavelengths blast some of the ink particles into fragments that are small enough for the macrophages to eliminate. Your body needs some time after every session to go through its clearing processes.

By continuing your sessions, you will ultimately see your tattoo fade away. Some patients can see their final results after several months, while others can take two years.

Why does the speed of this treatment vary so much from person to person? The answer is that there are many factors that can make a tattoo harder or easier to treat. Here are a few:. Tattoos that are older are easier and faster to remove than fresh ink. Tattoos that are brand new need to heal a bit before receiving treatment. If you have had a change of heart immediately after getting a tattoo, you should wait between four to six weeks before starting the removal process.

Tattoos can be done at different levels of depth inside your skin, which is another important factor. In fact, some side effects are an important part of the immune response that helps eliminate ink from the skin. We encourage practitioners to not gloss over side effects during the initial consultation — explain the various side effects in full detail. This way, when your patients commit to the tattoo removal process, they're informed and aren't shocked the next day when their skin is sensitive and they are potentially limited from their normal activities or clothing.

The most common side effects are:. If all of the proper protocols are used based on the tattoo and the patient's skin tone, all of these side effects are temporary. Redness, tenderness, and swelling typically subside within a day or two following treatment.

Blisters usually appear within 24 hours of treatment; sometimes the blisters are very large and may look alarming — this is completely normal. Scabs, bruising, and blistering may take up to a week or longer to heal. Hyperpigmentation and hypopigmentation occur when the body's production of melanin is skewed after a laser treatment. With hyperpigmentation, the body overproduces melanin in reaction to the laser treatment, so skin in the treated area is darker than the natural skin tone.

With hypopigmentation, the melanin is depleted by the laser treatment and the skin appears bleached. Both hypopigmentation and hyperpigmentation are typically temporary and resolve naturally with time. Patients with middle to darker skin tones are at the greatest risk for pigmentation changes and should avoid sun exposure the weeks following each treatment.

For patients with pigmentation issues, do not treat at the regular treatment intervals — wait until the area has returned to its normal skin tone before treating again. The main risk for permanent pigmentation changes is if the practitioner continues to treat an affected area too aggressively.

Even from the start, it is important to treat darker skin tones conservatively — using wavelengths that have less absorption by melanin and reduced fluence levels. Patients are generally more concerned of permanent side effects than temporary ones; the side effects that could be permanent are scarring or pigmentation changes. All permanent side effects are completely avoidable if the proper protocols and aftercare are used. We encourage practices to discuss aftercare during the consultation, have aftercare posted clearly on the website, and give patients a take-home sheet of aftercare instructions.

Much of the aftercare for a tattoo removal treatment are similar to that of aftercare after having a tattoo applied, so patients should be familiar with it. How does laser tattoo removal work? Honestly, this is one of the least common asked questions on this list. Most patients are concerned about the results — not how the laser achieves them. That said, discussing the science behind laser tattoo removal should still be an important part of the patient consultation.

Many patients have the misconception that the laser "burns" the tattoo ink out of the skin. By discussing how tattoo removal works, you can help patients appreciate the role that the laser and their body has in eliminating their unwanted tattoo. We use different wavelengths of laser light to treat different colors of ink in your tattoo. As the light energy is directed into your skin, it is selectively absorbed by the tattoo ink particles trapped in the dermis of your skin.

When the ink particles absorb this energy, they instantly shatter into tiny fragments. Once the laser has broken the ink into smaller pieces, your body's immune system works to remove the ink over the following weeks, flushing it away from the tattooed area. We see the result of this as the tattoo lightening in appearance. Each additional laser treatment breaks down more and more ink until the tattoo can no longer be seen. We've seen that if a patient is informed, they're more likely to continue with treatment until completion, handle side effects properly, and be satisfied with their tattoo removal experience.

When patients understand the basics of laser-skin interaction, they know that you are a knowledgeable practitioner with a powerful tool — but not a magician.

Expectations are realistic — so patients are encouraged by the fading along the way and pleased with the end result. Contact Astanza.

Akard Street Ste. How much does laser tattoo removal cost? Once the tattoo is gone, it's gone forever. If you don't like your tattoo, it's a worthwhile expense. How long will it take to remove my tattoo? The speed of removal depends on the patient and their tattoo. T he scale accounts for the following factors that affect the rate of removal: Fitzpatrick skin type Tattoo layering if the tattoo is a cover-up Location on the body Ink colors Amount of ink vividness of tattoo, if it was professionally applied Pre-existing scarring The Kirby-Desai scale was published in , and technology has improved since then to remove tattoos, but it continues to be an excellent tool for assessing where a patient stands on the bell curve.

Does tattoo removal hurt? It hurts, but it's bearable. Offer skin numbing to keep patients feeling happy. We have a blog post dedicated to the topic of pain management for this procedure: Skin Numbing for Tattoo Removal Treatments 4.

Will it leave a scar? If the tattoo already features scarring, expect that to remain. Improper aftercare or incorrect protocols pose a risk. Scarring from tattoo removal is highly unusual. Can you help me revise this tattoo?

Never judge a patient for their tattoos.