Question:
Laser tattoo removal, any idea?
Removal may not be of interest to most on this NG - but some may want a poor
tattoo removed and wonder about laser treatment.
I have two tattoos on my right forearm and three on my left that I wanted
removing. I signed up for laser treatment at Laserase in Liverpool in
February 2003 and had three treatments there before they went bust! I then
moved to Laserase in Bolton and have now had a total of fourteen treatments.
Major problem is that they cannot give you any realistic idea of how many
treatments will be required because a lot depends upon how effective your
body is at disposing of the pigment that has been 'pulverised' by the laser.
It was suggested to me that my tattoos should be gone within 6 to 12
treatments. I've had 14 and there is still a long way to go. Not one of the
five tattoos has completely gone although two are almost there. The cost
goes down as the area to be treated reduces - the problem is that the
tattoos 'fade' rather than vanishing in chunks and so the area being treated
remains constant for much of the time. The laser removes the pigment in
layers - starting off with low power and a wider 'pulse' area and then, in
later sessions, gradually increasing the power to go deeper but with a far
more concentrated and tiny area treated with each pulse (about diameter of a
pencil lead now). The treatment also become far more painful at these higher
levels - feels like having hot fat splashed on your skin. Today's treatment
took 1,280 pulses - down on the previous 1,860 total time to treat all five
tattoos around 40 - 45 minutes. I began by having treatments every four
weeks (which is the minimum) but this was a mistake because the pigment
continues to fade after a single treatment for up to three months. I now go
every two months. Treatment cost was initially £275 per session at Liverpool
and £250 per session at Bolton. This is now reduced to £170 at today's
session - still painful on the wallet. Total cost of treatment so far -
£3,235! A damn sight more than the bloody tattoos cost to have put on
Answer:
- I would have just gone to a good tattoo artist and asked them
to come up with a better design to cover up the old ones, that
would have cost a lot less 8o)
Why do you want them removed that bad? Is it a work thing
or is just that you chose something embarassing? 8o) I can
just think of a lot better things that I would spend £3,235 on
- I had them all done when I joined the Navy - between the ages of 16 - 18.
They were poor tattoos and because of that I had some of them covered over
with fresh tattoos. This may seem like a good idea but over the years (I'm
57 now!) the tattoo beneath and the tattoo above tend to merge into a messy
blob. I don't want it to sound snobbish but I simply move in different
circles today than I did as a teenager and the tattoos were just an
embarassment to me - I very rarely wore short sleeved shirts or T-shirts for
example. I still have a chinese dragon on my right upper arm - this was a
good tattoo and even with short sleeves does not show. The cost of having
this removed as well would have been prohibitive however.
- Well as someone who is almost turning 40 and didn't have their first tattoo
until about 5 years ago I can relate to the embarrassment of having tattoos
where you don't really want them visible.
I took the decision that whatever tattoos I had done, they would be
invisible under normal business clothing and I could 'show them off' if I
wished on more social occasions. I have a small selection of kanji symbols
on my upper right arm and a chain band and coat of arms (my mother's side)
on my left arm.
With normal short sleeve business shirts they are not visible. With some
t-shirts the lower part of the coat of arms and chain band is visible and
that is fine.
I have a few work colleagues who have very prominent tattoos on other parts
of their arms and they can be a 'distraction' if that is the right word ....
they probably don't mind them, but I can imagine it would a little
embarrassing in a formal business meeting. Someone else I know has a tattoo
band on their right wrist, which I know they cover up with either a watch or
woven bracelet .. so as it isn't visible - maybe they are just protecting
their own business interests, but it is obvious they want to cover it up
when needed.
So, I am quite pleased that I had my tattoos done where they are and I am
planning on a further one to celebrate my 40th birthday later in the year. I
will have it done above the band, so again hidden from view, unless I wish
to show it off.
