TATTOO REMOVAL FAQ’S

HOW EXACTLY DOES THE LASER BREAK UP THE TATTOO INK?

Two key processes break up the ink-the pigment in your tattoo will absorb the energy from the laser and break apart; the incredibly fast pulse (6 billionths of a second!) and energy of the laser will cause the ink to shatter like a sugar cube breaking apart.  Some colors (light blue, light green, and teal/turquoise) are difficult to remove completely and patients should expect that no more than 70-80% of this ink can be removed unless the tattoo is very old (20 years or more).  The Q-clear laser is as effective as any available laser at breaking down a considerable amount of this ink when used by a highly trained laser specialist.

HOW DOES THE BODY REMOVE THE SHATTERED INK?

Once the ink is broken down by the tattoo removal laser, the body will respond by moving fluid to the area to help flush away the ink.  This immune-response will be obvious to the patient in the form of some swelling and redness in the area.  Over the next days and weeks the ink will be flushed away.  This doesn’t happen overnight.  Removing a tattoo takes a number of sessions.

HOW MANY SESSIONS WILL I NEED TO REMOVE MY TATTOO??

All tattoos layers of ink, stacked on top of each other and a thick concentration of pigment particles that cannot be completely broken down in one session.  Here at Novus, we’ll go over your entire tattoo with the Q-Clear laser, breaking up as much ink as possible in every session.  Each session will produce some level of fading, although for very new tattoos the fading may not be as visible because the ink is still so thick and dense.  If your tattoo has shading, it will be removed with some degree of ease because shading is just a tattoo without much ink density.  It may only take a few sessions to remove this shading.

The number of sessions needed to remove a tattoo depends on three factors: the age of the tattoo, the color of the ink, and the density of the ink
Age Older tattoos can be removed with less treatments than newer tattoos. A black ink tattoo that is 10 years old may take one or two treatments less than a 1 year old black tattoo.

A 20 year old tattoo may take two to three treatments less than a 1 year old tattoo. A name tattoo written in black (also called “dark green”) ink that is 1 year old may take 5-7 sessions to be removed completely.

Color Certain colors are more easily removed than others. Black and red tattoos are the easiest to remove. Orange, yellow, pink, purple, brown, and other shades are slightly more difficult to remove. The most difficult colors to remove are light green, light blue, and teal/turquoise. During the free consultation we will discuss the number of treatments you’ll need to remove certain colors, but expect that you will need a few more if you have a difficult color, but the most difficult colors may not be able to be faded down completely.
Density of the ink Shading in a tattoo is easily removed. Some tattoos with letters use shading to fill in the outlines of the letters. Some tattoos with certain designs use shading for clouds or other visual effects. Shading will be removed in only a few sessions in most cases.