Laser Tattoo Removal: How long until you can see results?
I am always being asked how long it will be before each clients start seeing results from their treatments.
It is important to understand that everyone has a different tattoo removal journey and results differ from person to person as well as tattoo to tattoo.
There are many factors that impact ones tattoo removal journey:
- age of tattoo
- each person’s immune system
- the density, depth and colour of inks used
- the time between treatments
- location of tattoo
It is important to take these factors into consideration when starting your own laser journey.
It is not uncommon for your tattoo to remain the same in appearance following your first or even your second treatment. For most, visible changes start to occur around the third treatment, however, this can be different for everyone.
We generally recommend 6-12 treatments for complete removal.
For those who have grey wash tattoos (less density of ink in the skin) visible changes can happen almost immediately or at a quicker rate (sometimes 2-6 treatments for complete removal) in comparison to very deep, dark and dense ink.
Depth and density of ink in the skin
The depth of ink plays a big role in how quickly a tattoo can be removed.
Heavier line work tattoos are often sitting a lot deeper in the skin compared to shading, grey wash and fine line tattoos.
When the ink is sitting deeper and the density is higher, it will take a longer course of treatments to fully remove.
Therefore it may be a few treatments in before you see some changes in your tattoo.
Tattoos that are made up of mostly grey wash often see a change very quickly with laser treatments.
The more ink pigments in the tattoo, the more pigment your body has to remove through its lymphatic system. It is not uncommon for it to take multiple treatments before you can start to see a visible change.
Colour tattoos
Some coloured pigments of ink can often take longer to remove than others. This all depends on the colour and make up/ingredients of the ink and the wavelength we are using with the laser.
I use the newest Q-switch laser technology allowing me to treat all colours with four different wavelengths.
Tattoos with multiple colours take longer to remove than other tattoos due to the multiple pigments that need targeting with our lasers. Lighter colours such as pink, yellow and orange can be harder to remove, especially if they contain white pigment as they can be reflective of the laser.
Time in between treatments
The longer you leave between your treatments the better your results will be. For those patient and happy to wait longer between treatments you will generally need less treatments in the long run compared to coming in every 6 weeks. The tradeoff is that it will take a longer time of course. You will notice results will progressively appear with your removal with time, even if you left it 3 months, 6 months or even a year.
For those wanting to have a piece removed as quick as possible, you are able to come in every 6 weeks but you may require more treatments over a shorter time period.
Results from laser are progressive. In other words, results become more obvious the more laser treatments that you have and the longer that you leave between treatments. Laser tattoo removal is not considered a ‘quick fix’ and can take months, even years to achieve complete removal.
It is super important to remember that there is no specific way your tattoo ‘should’ look after each treatment and everyone and every tattoo will respond differently and at varied rates. Some tattoos will respond quicker than others and some tattoos will respond slower and that’s okay!
I am passionate about tattoo removal and absolutely love being able to achieve great results for you.
If you have any questions feel free to contact me!
Call: 0416 720 474
Email: hello@flashbackltr.com.au
Or book a consultation HERE