Laser tattoo removal! With gross pics!
I had my first laser tattoo removal session today. I have 6 tattoos. 4 small ones, 1 medium, one large. My doctor is Jeanine Stein in Melbourne, Florida, who is a dermatological surgeon and ENT (ear, nose, throat). She is funny as hell, adorable and smart! It was refreshing.
I would have let her laser all 6 at once because I just want to get it over with, but she wanted to do one small and the medium one to see how my skin reacts to the laser. All of my tattoos are black, which is the easiet color to remove. It absorbs the whole spectrum of the laser. Remember elementary school science? This is why gray pavement stays cooler than black pavement. The medium one is black covering the same tattoo which used to be brown, so we tested that one today also. Usually she'll just do one the first time. I'm an ideal candidate - a fair skinned person with black tattoos. I should have NO scarring if I don't pick at them and keep them clean and moist.
I meet a nice Jersey Girl in the waiting room who was having an Italian flag removed from her ankle, and she's been getting treatments once every six weeks for TWO YEARS. Red and green are incredibly hard to remove, and her's isn't budging. I feel bad for the girl. She also said it was VERY painful and she HAD to be numbed out. She said her black ink was gone in about 3-4 sessions.
So, I'm totally nervous and I finally get called back to the LASER room. This thing is FRIGHTENING.
The laser:
http://pic15.picturetrail.com/VOL586.../223809518.jpg
Dr. Stein has us put on our goggles, and they're fun, as modelled here by my best friend, Amy, who is wearing her scrubs for nursing school. Those goggles are $250 a pair!
http://pic15.picturetrail.com/VOL586.../223809765.jpg
Dr. Stein explains to me that she can inject me and numb me, but she'll do one pulse with the laser first to see how I feel about it. She hands me a squishy rubber ball to fidget with, and I squeeze that thing for DEAR LIFE! I'm SO terrified, because everyone has made this out to be horrible. She does the first pass with the laser on my arm, and I tell her just to do it. I'm not scared of some wuss laser! I breathe deeply in and out, and about 60 seconds later it's over. It's the longest minute of my life! You know how people say it feels like someone is snapping a rubber band that was dipped in hot grease on your skin? It's TRUE. It really, really hurts. Dr. Stein's nurse uses a handheld vaccuum tube to suck away the bits of vaporized flesh that float off from the site. But I suck it up and just let her do it. We move on to the one on the back of my neck, which is bigger and in a more sensitive spot. She does one pulse with the laser, and it hurts even more. She asks me if I want to be numbed out, but I really just want it to be over so I refuse again. This one takes about a good 2 minutes, and when it's over my best friend points out I'm shaking.
Right afterwards, the tattoos are covered in ashy white VAPORIZED skin and are lightly bleeding. The nurse puts antibiotic ointment and a bandage over each. My best friend, always a nurturer, is smart enough to ask the aftercare questions I didn't think to ask. I pay the $250 it is for this test session and we head out to dinner. I'm still shaken up. I can't believe how much it hurt! Every session from here on out is going to be $400 minimum. Next time we're doing 2 small and one medium. It'll be more expensive once we get to the big piece on my back. How much? I don't know yet. It's pretty big.
Check them out! They're gross! They're oozing pus and bloody. They're going to form scabs soon. Nasty!
Medium tattoo, black infinity symbol covering the same in brown. Back of the neck. It was SOLID heavy black before this first session today. Notice that there are already patches of FLESH peaking through.
http://pic15.picturetrail.com/VOL586.../223805739.jpg
One of the small ones. Bee on my left shoulder. There's a bird on my right, the birds and the bees, get it? Har Har. I was wasted. Pretty significant fading.
http://pic15.picturetrail.com/VOL586.../223804033.jpg
These results are only the beginning. The laser itself doesn't do the work of removing it, it just breaks down the pigments so the body can carry them away like they're foreign objects. This takes time. I'm repeating the process every 6 weeks until they're gone.
It's expensive and painful, but it's going to be so worth it to have a "clean slate" again.
Re: Laser tattoo removal! With gross pics!
Well that looks fun.
What made you want to get them lasered off?? Good luck with that ....I'm a picker (I pick at every pimple, blister, bump, etc) so that would never work for me. The scarring would end up being worse than the actual tattoo! (not that I have any ....I'm too chicken shit of needles!)
Re: Laser tattoo removal! With gross pics!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Hello_Kitty27
What made you want to get them lasered off??
I just don't like them. I got ALL of them when I was 18 and a little punk, and I'm 24 and a classy bitch now, so the visible tattoos GOTTA GO! They look good on some girls, I just don't think they fit my personality.
Re: Laser tattoo removal! With gross pics!
So strange, I was going to post a topic about this yesterday. I am going thru the same thing you are going thru-- got them when I was 18, now I feel like they are "not me".
Someone told me about wrecking balm, have you heard of it? did your doctor disspell all the myths about the loctions/chemical peels that claim to get rid of tats?
Re: Laser tattoo removal! With gross pics!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Kalligirl
So strange, I was going to post a topic about this yesterday. I am going thru the same thing you are going thru-- got them when I was 18, now I feel like they are "not me".
Someone told me about wrecking balm, have you heard of it? did your doctor disspell all the myths about the loctions/chemical peels that claim to get rid of tats?
Don't apply anything topical. It really scars you and probably won't work. It works by dissolving layers of skin. You might as well take a cheese grater to your skin. Laser is the way to go. It breaks down the pigment and your body carries those particles away, leaving the skin around it undamaged.
Re: Laser tattoo removal! With gross pics!
Is it just me or do those glasses look like the ones they wear in Willy Wonka? lol
Re: Laser tattoo removal! With gross pics!
Ok, it's almost 24 hours later, and I took off my bandages to clean up. I'm peeling, the spots are swollen, and some parts look like they're bruised. I'm definitely noticing a lot of fading ALREADY in the bee. Pretty cool!
Re: Laser tattoo removal! With gross pics!
Well, it's good to know the laser is working for you. I'll wish a minimum discomfort for you.
It's this reason that makes me happy I never got any tattoos. I'm very indecisive and I go through phases of things I like (music, art, books, tattoos...everything!) and there is no way I could ever pick anything that I'd still like even a month after the fact. Besides that, I was always too afraid of needles.
Re: Laser tattoo removal! With gross pics!
I'm very interested in this....keep us posted with updates and pics.
What colors did you have in your bee? My tat is mostly black and purple....and I want it gone!
Re: Laser tattoo removal! With gross pics!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Emily
I'm very interested in this....keep us posted with updates and pics.
What colors did you have in your bee? My tat is mostly black and purple....and I want it gone!
The bee was totally black.
I'll definitely keep this thread updated!
Re: Laser tattoo removal! With gross pics!
Me too, please let us know! ;D Mine is black and purple as well. If your is $400 a session, I can only imagine what it will be to get the damn arm band off me... :-\
Re: Laser tattoo removal! With gross pics!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Kalligirl
Me too, please let us know! ;D Mine is black and purple as well. If your is $400 a session, I can only imagine what it will be to get the damn arm band off me... :-\
It's SO expensive. But it'll be worth it to be rid of my tattoos for the REST OF MY LIFE. I can't imagine being 60 with these things.
Re: Laser tattoo removal! With gross pics!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Glamgirl
Is it just me or do those glasses look like the ones they wear in Willy Wonka? lol
That's what I was thinking!! LOL
ViolaStrings--You have a rockin' body!!
Re: Laser tattoo removal! With gross pics!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Glamazon
That's what I was thinking!! LOL
ViolaStrings--You have a rockin' body!!
It's a living, baby :) Thanks!
Re: Laser tattoo removal! With gross pics!
48 hours after: the bee which was black is definitely spotty and grey, and little patches of flesh are poking out from behind the infinity symbol.
Re: Laser tattoo removal! With gross pics!
Omg that look painful :O
You're a trooper!
Re: Laser tattoo removal! With gross pics!
your thread has been very helpful. i have a few tattoos as well, but all of them i am keeping - except ONE. one TERRIBLE tattoo that seems to make all my GOOD tattoos not so good looking. i'm looking to remove that one.
Re: Laser tattoo removal! With gross pics!
I always wondered about getting tat's lasered off... For some reason, I never thought there would be any blood? I can't believe you didn't opt for the numbing stuff! Pain is bad! :(
Re: Laser tattoo removal! With gross pics!
I keep wondering if I can get mine removed. It's black as well, but it was done illeglly and I found out later that the guy used fucking india ink when he told me otherwise. :/
That's so cool though!! Thank GOD for black tattoos no?
Re: Laser tattoo removal! With gross pics!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
lilithmorrigan
I keep wondering if I can get mine removed. It's black as well, but it was done illeglly and I found out later that the guy used fucking india ink when he told me otherwise. :/
That's so cool though!! Thank GOD for black tattoos no?
Tattoos done by hand or with regular pen ink are actually EASIER to remove than regular professional tattoos. "Prison" or "street" tattoos disappear after about 2-3 sessions with the ruby q-switched laser, whereas regular tattoos can take up to TEN sessions or MORE.
Re: Laser tattoo removal! With gross pics!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Bella21
I always wondered about getting tat's lasered off... For some reason, I never thought there would be any blood? I can't believe you didn't opt for the numbing stuff! Pain is bad! :(
The blood is just from little capillaries near the surface bursting. Pretty gross.
Re: Laser tattoo removal! With gross pics!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
ViolaStrings
Tattoos done by hand or with regular pen ink are actually EASIER to remove than regular professional tattoos. "Prison" or "street" tattoos disappear after about 2-3 sessions with the ruby q-switched laser, whereas regular tattoos can take up to TEN sessions or MORE.
SWEET! THANK YOU! *KISS KISS KISS!!!!*