This is my first post here - long time lurker, took forever to get my account approved and kind of forgot to come back. In any event - Mods - I am not trying to spam - shoot me a DM if you have questions.
Everyone else - I own a laser tattoo removal business - and for the sake of trying to not be "spammy" I won't be linking to it unless the mods / everyone else is fine with that. With that, I'm going to do my best to address some of the questions and misinformation here.
Some background. Lasers don't remove tattoos. They facilitate the body to dispose of the pigments within the skin. The technique used originally, ink, aftercare and your own immune system are all factors in how effective each treatment will be. A laser will fragment pigment to a much smaller size that the body's immune system can then dispose of.
I am currently having several tattoos removed, by my business partner. I will be sharing my first hand knowledge both treating others and receiving treatments.
Take the before and after with a grain of salt. Digital cameras (I'm also a professional photographer, mikepanic.com is my site, I've worked in the photography industry - including shooting MMA and write photography related articles for very popular blogs) are huge variables, especially the white balance. Additionally, treatments are 4-6 weeks apart, sometimes longer. People will tan, outside lighting will vary as it comes through windows, there are lots of variables. You'll see in my personal before / after photo. Also, it is possible to Photoshop images. But, why bother, it works. It's possible to remove 95% or better of all pigments in most people. Scars are rare, but can happen - mostly from poor aftercare. It's also a possibility to have hyper or hypo-pigmentation, or slight lightening or darkening of the skin. Again these are small variables that affect a small variety. This is all covered in any consult. Blacks and reds react the best / fastest to treatments, blue, yellow and some greens can be a bit more stubborn but can still be removed.
They can facilitate tattoo removal, moles, birth marks, sun spots, tattoos from radiation treatments (cancer) - some lasers on the market are for hair removal and others are for re-surfacing (helping to reduce / remove scars).
Sure, this is my leg:
The "after" has a slight orange tinge to it due to more natural sunlight coming in (5500k) than the before photo, which was taken in a different part of my office under tube lighting, which was a little cooler and closer to the 6500k range. It's my own fault for not doing a custom white balance.
With other businesses, my issue is that the before / after photos are always so small, so I try to make sure we use larger photos, since all the wording in the world doesn't do as nice of a job selling the service as the actual results.
The healing process is closer to 4-6 weeks, maybe that's a typo as "months" in your post. Most people tend to wait 6-10 weeks because life does get in the way and it is expensive. I'm treating someone now with a full sleeve and leg sleeve from knee to ankle. He wants it lightened so he can get some better quality work.
Regarding pain, please understand that it's really different for everyone. I usually tell people it feels like the last 5 minutes of the longest tattoo session you've sat through, and on fire. Most people say it's similar to a hot rubber band being smacked over and over. Women tend to do the best with the pain I've found.
Also, treatment time is fast. Something the size of an iPhone can usually be totally treated in under 4 minutes. Within 20-60 minutes of the treatment, after the heat has dissipated from the body, the vast majority of pain also leaves too. There's also no burning feeling in the shower the following day.
False. Most scarring happens because some people are more prone to it than others. Other factors include the tech not running the machine properly causing a more cautious aftercare, and then neglect of aftercare. What you are describing is keloid scarring, aka 3d tattoos. And you're right, the tattoo can be removed but the bumps won't ever go away.
You should know that the healing process should be completed within 10-21 days but you will see the vast majority of fading happen between 21 days and 6 months.
I'm going to subscribe to this thread, please ask whatever questions you want and I'll do my best to answer them. If you're current undergoing treatment and have concerns or questions regarding aftercare I strongly suggest you contact them immediately.
