You just got a tattoo and don’t like it. When is it safe to start the removal process?
You should wait for at least 6-8 weeks before you attempt to do laser tattoo removal.
For professional, high density tattoos the minimum wait is 10-12 weeks.
For microblading or cosmetic tattoos, the pigment is placed in a shallower layer, so wait time is 6-8 weeks.
For colored tattoos, especially those with iridescent, vivid sky blues, yellows, white, chartreuse, the recommended wait time is greater than 12 weeks.
Waiting decreases the risk of blistering, scarring, paradoxical ink darkening and hypopigmentation.
Early on after a tattoo is applied, the ink is still mobile in the dermis and macrophage uptake is ongoing, so removal attempts are not efficient or safe. Also, the skin is in repair mode, so collagen is being remodeled and scarring can be triggered by the tattoo removal process.
Finally, some of the ink may be in the superficial dermis, and the laser generated heat can lead to blistering.
Because our PICO laser does not generate heat during treatment, treatment can be started earlier if the involved skin is smooth, and not red, scaly, tender and the tattoo is no longer “shiny”.
How many sessions is my tattoo removal going to require?
Laser treatments are the golden standard for tattoo removal. However, not all lasers are equal in their efficiency and safety.
Q-Switched lasers were commonly used for tattoo removal until the picosecond laser was introduced. The main difference is that Q-Switched lasers are predominantly nanosecond lasers while picosecond lasers have a 1000x shorter pulse, so they deliver large amounts of energy in a very, very short time. This makes tattoo removal safer and more efficient.
For instance, for a single-color tattoo (black/grey), Q-Switched laser treatment usually takes 10+ sessions. A recent study[1] of monochromic laser tattoo removal including 116 subjects using a 755nm wavelength Picosecond laser showed the average number of sessions necessary was 6.
Newer tattoos, those on fingers or lower legs, and professionally applied dense ink required more sessions.
