Simply Having a Wonderful Christmas Time

I haven't written anything in a while, I hadn't forgotten about the blog, just been bust with work and real life, etc.  It's been just short of 2 months since my last session. I'm seeing an increasing amount of fading but nothing really amazing. The last time I waited this long for another session I was surprised how much it had faded, I'm hopeful of seeing a big difference by next month.

11 Dec 2016

The above picture is awful, it looked better on my phone. I didn't realise the tattoo was shaded, makes it harder to see detail. The fading is going quite well, the legs are becoming more see through, the hat has very little dark ink left. If I look at a photo from 9 months ago, there's a big difference. It's still a very slow process though.

In January it will be one year since I started this journey. I had assumed I would have no tattoo at this stage. How wrong I was. I think I need to make some montages of the fading process, it will give me motivation. I have paid for another 4 sessions. I think I'll need more, but that could be pessimism. I'll know more after the next one, when I'm half way.

I've now had 4 q-switched and 2 picosure sessions. My usual way to measure the fading is a photo from the night before the next session, I see that as the maximum fading before the laser comes back. I've seen photos online where a black tattoo is totally gone after that amount of sessions. I think it's safe to say those are fake photos.

It's unlikely I'll post again before new year. Next post will be one year since I started this, it will be interesting to see how things look. I'd like to do a side by side comparison, but like an idiot, did not take a picture. Still chin up, keep going. It's fading, it will vanish, it just takes a lot of patience.

The Residents

I've been trying to promote the blog a bit more lately. Originally I was just writing it and if people found it, great. However I had expected that more people would have found it by now. While posting on Google+ (Yes, it still exists!), someone asked "Is that meant to be The Residents?",  "No",  I replied, "and you're not the first person to ask me that, another reason for the removal". When I got the tattoo, I was probably aware of The Residents. I'm not a fan and in no way would I intentionally get band artwork tattooed on my forearm, but I know that others would. I was tempted to get a Neubauten logo, but when I wore my Neubauten t-shirt, people thought it was to match this tatttoo.

If you don't know the Residents, here's a link, I don't want to post the image in case of copy-write etc. I understand why I get asked that question a lot. I'm not against getting band art work tattooed, some bands have very cool art work, just not for me. It always frustrates me a little, that people have thought I'm a massive fan of a band I actually don't really like. Again, consider your tattoos carefully before they're permanent.

Ghostbusters

Ah Hallowe'en, how I used to enjoy you. I've spent the last week tired, sick, minding a sick baby, tired and currently working. By Hallowe'en I'll be too tired to even want to have fun. The joys of adulthood. This whole working weekends thing isn't great. On the upside, it's not busy yet and I'm still getting paid. The downside is, I feel I can't leave this spot in case I miss something.

I think this week I've seen quite a bit of progress in the fading. It's only been two weeks since my last session but I think progress is being made. I'm again feeling relatively positive about the whole process, though it's still slow, painful, costly and annoying in general. Choose your tattoos carefully kids.

29 Oct 2016

I think that's the closest to accurate colour I've taken in the last few months. I used daylight instead of a lamp. I don't think my iPhone can quite white balance the lamp I've been using. However it's not yet quite worth setting up a full studio rig for pictures. I'd probably at least want some sponsorship of the blog first.

The tattoo is still quite noticeable, to say otherwise would be... disingenuous. But it is fading and the darker ink is thinning. The waste and legs area is starting to thin more. I'm really noticing it on the left leg. There is still the very dark patch on the torso which makes the whole thing look darker but that's a little less obvious in real life. Parts of it are getting very see through and I've seen a few, very small, patches of what I believe to be skin colour coming through.

Tattoo removal is slow. This process takes patience. I'm actually quite happy with how faded it is, anyone considering removal is probably thinking that it's not working. It really is, old photos are the key. It was so much darker than this when I started (almost 10 months ago) that I'm happy with how it's progressing. However as I've  already typed, I thought it would take a couple of months until it was gone.

I still have about 3 months until my next session. Last time I took a break of that long was where I really noticed it changing. Hopefully by January I'll be able to get a decent photo where we can really see some progress.

Eye

On Thursday morning, my son hit me square in the eye with one finger. It was (and still is) very painful. I wonder if that's how my tattoo feels when it gets lasered. Healing is going well, no more pain. I've started putting on bio oil instead of aloe vera. No idea if it works. It doesn't seem to hurt anyway so I'll keep going.

23 Oct 2016

I'm beginning to think I should stop taking pictures, I think it looks more faded than that in real life. One of the things that I've really noticed is how parts of the eye are invisible, then I post this photo where it is quite visible. I have been rubbing oil on it which may be making it look darker. I also noticed I have a spot on the cornea of the eye, I can't see that in real life. I know it's there, now, but didn't before I took the photo. I'll have to go back to the drawing board on how to take photos of this. I thought  I had a good, consistent spot, but it's make it look darker than it really is.

Heal the world

Healing Time With Picosure Tattoo Removal

My arm has totally healed now.  I have what I can't tell if is a blister or pimple on the tattoos face, it is a teenager after all.  I kept applying aloe vera for a week, just in case it needed longer healing. It felt hot for almost a week. It wasn't at all painful, just felt a bit warm. It's cold here now so it could have been my body heat, I thought it better safe than sorry.

I've started applying bio-oil now. I honestly don't know if it's worth doing or not. The technician was quite insistent that I should, I'm just not sure if it's really the wonder product he makes out. Some people online say it works wonders for scars and skin conditions, some say it doesn't do anything. I'll post my review of it here when the tattoo is gone.

 I do think I'm seeing some fading now, however I'm likely seeing fading related to the previous 5 sessions, not the latest one. Tattoos always fade, it's the immune system trying to remove them. The laser breaks down the ink so the immune system can deal with it faster. In my mind, the fading from the previous session stops right at the next. Of course that isn't how it works. From what I was told, even one session will make a big difference, it will just take longer. I still don't think I've had a break through fade moment. It still isn't obvious that it's being removed, unless you look closely.

Disco Inferno

It's still a little red, only slightly. No bruising at all. I like Picosure. I've been putting a lot of aloe vera on. The after care instructions say to apply every 4 hours for 48 hours, I've been doing a lot more. I figure:

• I can't apply it when I'm sleeping
• More is presumably good

I could still feel some heat from the tattoo yesterday so thought I'd keep going with the aloe. The fact it's a little red makes me think I should wait before moving to bio oil. The technician really implied I should keep going with the bio oil, I'm thinking I should continually apply it, not just for a couple of weeks. Apparently it does wonders to help with scarring. He said I should use it over any other product. He gave me a free bottle last time, I don't see why he'd promote unless he believes it.

I already think I'm seeing some fading. It's hard to know if I'm imagining that. It hasn't healed quite as quickly as I'd hoped but with q-switched, I had bruising for a few days. This is just a little red with some very slight swelling. I honestly wouldn't notice it.

17 Oct 2016

That was taken around 7.30am this morning. Not bad considering it was shot with a high intensity laser 4 days earlier.

12 hours after number 2 (I said number 2)

Picosure Healing Time

Still a little swollen and red, the tattoo that is. The swelling has gone way down but is still noticeable. Still better than the day after any q-switched session. My arm is a little sensitive and I'm trying to be cautious of it but it's not bad. If this is as bad as my Picosure experience will get, I'd gladly go the same intensity again, if it will remove the tattoo faster.

14 Oct 2016

You can see some of the redness in the photo, I didn't have any of that last time. Most of the spot bleeding has gone. No blistering yet. I didn't do anything to cool it this time, perhaps that was a mistake. Still adding aloe vera. I came into work today sans-aloe, hopefully I don't regret that. The Photo is taken around 12 hours after the session, I think a little less. I'm hopeful / confident the swelling will be gone by Monday at latest.

Session 6, Picosure 2: Q-switched's revenge

Second Picosure Laser Session

Sixth Tattoo Removal Session

Four Q-switched Sessions

Ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow oooowwwwwwww ooooOOOOOOUUUUUUCHHHHHHHH. Just back from the session. This one hurt. He asked how the healing was last time, I said good. He asked about the pain, I said little. He then said he was going to up the laser intensity today, he must have read last night's post! The first shot really hurt and it continued to do so. I'm ok with that, I really don't mind. It was just such a shock compared to the last session. It really reminded me of my previous experience with q-switched.

He said to come back in January, that's close to 3 months. It's longer than I'd like but the time will ensure it heals and hopefully fade more. He said that the higher intensity of this session should make a big difference but I'd need the extra time to heal. I am happy about this but with 4 sessions left, at this rate it'll be a year before the tattoo is gone. That will be about 2 years of sessions.

13 Oct 2016

The photo looks out of focus, it isn't, that's the swelling. I think it's more swollen that it was after the last session. Though the last one was swollen, it just healed very quickly. There's some spot bleeding this time. I can't remember if I got that with q-switched at all. It's not bad but I can see blood at the hat and a little at the foot.  I've been applying a lot of aloe vera.

Looking at it now, my arm not the photo, I actually think the swelling is receding. I'll upload a photo tomorrow. Emotional state is good right now. I'm feeling positive that this will be the session that changes it all and makes a difference. Likely I'm setting myself up for a fall, again. Still have to stay positive. 3 months of waiting will be tough, if I can see some notable progress it will really help. The problem is I'll then be keen for the next session.

What Happens Tomorrow

Second Picosure session tomorrow. I'm not really sure how I feel about it. I still have the same desire for the tattoo to be gone but I'm so bored of the whole process. It is so much slower than I had expected. I'm going to a conference in November. I had hoped that it would be a few faint marks at that stage. It's possible but I think it very, very unlikely.

12 Oct 2016

That was taken about 20 minutes ago. My last session and first Picosure was on August 18th. I'm relatively happy with how it has faded in that time but so disappointed. I think that I hoped / expected Picosure to be some miracle removal and the tattoo would be nearly gone by now. I should have learned with my previous experience that this was never going to be the case. I still want it gone and won't stop the treatment but it's becoming boring.

It has definitely faded over the last 2 months, I have no doubt of that. I'm fairly certain that Picosure is still the way to go. I think there was more fading in the last 2 months than I would have seen with q-switched. The crosses, particularly the one you can't see, have faded a lot, some parts are nearly gone. Overall I think it has gone down a shade, again. I can see more freckles underneath now, slightly more skin colour, but not nearly what I'd have hoped for.

Picosure hurts less than q-switched, it heals faster and I think it is more effective. For the lower pain and quicker healing it's worth it. I can't help but wonder if turning up the laser would be more effective and faster. I'm sure it would hurt more but the sensation was unnoticeable compared to q-switched. I'm sure there's a reason he's not doing that, likely it would lead to scarring. I'm sure the technician knows what he's doing. I have 5 more sessions with him, I should probably let him do his job. So far he hasn't attempted to tell me how to do mine. I like our relationship.

As always, I'm hoping tomorrow's session, my sixth overall, is the one that really makes a difference. I have no doubt that it's fading, it's just slow. I will take a photo tomorrow evening and upload with the detail. I'm not sure if I'll get two more sessions in before year end. I'm keen to finish the course but as I learned over the summer, healing time is really important in the fading process. From what I've read and what I've experienced, this seems to be really common. I think everyone goes through the same emotions with this. I think when I started the blog, I expected my experience to somehow be different.

Happy Birthday To You

The tattoo turned 14 yesterday and I forgot to wish it a happy birthday. Probably because it was the first time I've worn long sleeves since May. 14, that's old (relatively). I remember when I turned 14, it was a seriously formative year for me. MTV was still cool, worth watching. It was different back then, it showed music videos. Being the mid-90s it showed quite a lot of good music videos. Good is obviously subjective, but it showed music I liked. I used to spend hours watching MTV... I don't think my tattoo has ever watched MTV, definitely not for music.

When I was 14 I'd say Nirvana were still my favourite band. It was also around the time I started getting into Nine Inch Nails and from there, Industrial music. I've been listening to a lot of 90s music lately. Either a coincidence or my tattoo is aging the way I did and is forcing me to listen to the music I liked when I was its age. I'd say the latter is more likely. I had initially thought that my tattoo must be the first 14 year old I've ever wanted to blast off of the earth with a laser, but I doubt that's true. I suspect that when I was 14, there were quite a few people I'd have liked to blast off of the earth with a laser.

My current goal is that the tattoo doesn't get to turn 15. I didn't think it would make it to 14 but that was seriously naive of me. Tattoos aren't easy to remove. I worked out that I have 43 weeks left on my current schedule of laser sessions. That's assuming they stay at an eight week frequency. They might space them apart more to allow it fade better. I've paid for another 5 sessions already I'm just not sure if he'll want to do them all as soon as reasonable or if he'll want to space them out further.

I'm still both happy and unhappy with how its going. I do think Picosure is worth paying for. While I wish it was fading faster, I do think I'm seeing better results from it that I had with previous sessions. My next session is scheduled for Oct 13 but I'm getting really impatient. I need to remind myself that the healing time is probably more important than the number of sessions. It's just tedious. I'd like to say that if I'd known tattoo removal was such a long process I wouldn't have gotten the tattoo, however I know that's nonsense. Even after I got this one, I had planned on getting more. Thankfully I was a student and didn't have the time or money.

Anyway, that's the bleakest birthday writing that I've done since I was about 14. I think the biggest difference between me and my tattoo being 14 is that the world started to really open up for me when I was 14 and its starting to end for my tattoo. Almost fitting that it's coming into Winter and it will be covered for most of the days. Hopefully by next summer when it's t-shirt weather again and I have my 14th birthday (for the 22nd time) the tattoo will be at best a few blotches of ink on my arm.

Five and four

It's now 4 weeks after my first picosure sessions and fifth laser session. I'm quite happy with the results, relatively. The whole process is slow and I think the more faint the tattoo gets, the harder it will be to notice fading. I took two photos last night and it surprised me how faded it looked. I still don't think it's noticeable to others though, unless they look closely. While I can see a lot of fading, there are no gaps or parts missing.

I took two photos:

This was taken without flash. The shading from my phone makes it a little harder to see. I think it looks a lot more faded than the picture I uploaded two weeks ago.

The above is with flash. I think the different light makes the ink look darker but the more faded parts stand out more.

I think it's pretty good fading for 4 weeks. My next session is scheduled for 13th Oct. Not sure I'll make that date but hoping it will have faded some more in that period. 5th Jan will be one year since I started. I know that it has faded a lot since then, I'm hoping it will be really obvious by 5th Jan 2017.

Two weeks

Healing After Picosure Tattoo Removal

I think it's fading, I should really compare with pictures, however my left-handed photography means that no two images are quite the same. I'm kind of disappointed with how it's fading, not because it isn't. Rather, it seems to be quite even. I'm not noticing anything vanishing, I just think the whole thing has gotten a shade lighter.

Looking at that on my computer screen, I think I can see some parts which have thinned, under the face and around the legs in particular. My nemesis is still the chest. If that would lose the darkness, it would look much more noticeably faded. I know it will get there, it's just so much slower than I had expected.

• Regret 1: Not starting around this time last year like I had meant to (even in the tattoo shop)
• Regret 2: Not knowing about picosure until much later and having started with it

I've done some reading and am now thinking I was mistaken. I believe the laser in the tattoo shop would have eventually removed my tattoo. It wasn't a passive q-switched, it was Nd:yag. These will work on dark inks, like blue and black. However I still think I made the right choice going for picosure. This is only two weeks and I'm seeing a difference, the lack of pain, swelling and bruising alone makes it worth it.

I'm taking a week of holidays next week so no blogging. I'll be interested to see how it looks in two weeks (you won't recognise he-eer), I won't notice as I see it everyday, but the photos should help.

PIcosure - One week on

One week on and I'm definitely convinced by the healing time. I've been rubbing bio oil in every day and have had no pain. After the session, it felt like sunburn but there has been nothing since. It think it has completely healed and I think it's already beginning to fade, though that could be optimism.

I took that picture last night, I think it's 6 minutes off of being exactly 168 hours since the first picture I took post-picosure. It looks a little red but that because it's under an incandescent lamp. Rest assured, my skin is pasty white.

I think the ink looks a little lighter and is breaking up a bit more. There are still parts, particularly around the centre which are very dark, that's probably where the ink is thickest. I think once these start to visibly break down, the whole thing will look noticeably more faded.

Three Days

Not much to report. The tattoo is still slightly raised of my skin. You can't really tell by looking at it but it feels raised to the touch. I've stopped applying aloe vera and am now trying bio oil. Previously I'd been using E45 cream, which I quite liked, I hope bio oil is as effective.

While I'm thinking about it, you should follow after care instructions. On my first session, I did not. About a week after the session, the tattoo got incredibly itchy. It was horrible. I knew I couldn't scratch it so I'd do whatever I could to relieve it. I actually don't remember it well, just that it was very irritating. At this stage, I bought E45 cream and had been using that for every subsequent session. That was definitely working. I hope bio oil is as effective.

This picture was taken tonight. I think it's 72 hours and 10 minutes after the first one (from 18th Aug). My arm looks a lot better. No fading I can see yet, but that normally takes a couple of weeks.

Today

Good progress on the swelling. Still a little red around the tattoo and still slightly swollen but much better than it had been. Photo taken about 37 hours after the session.

I don't see any noticeable fading as yet but it typically takes a couple of weeks for that to be noticeable. Healing time so far is great, my previous sessions were close to a week to heal. Too hard to say if this is just how picosure works. He might increase the laser intensity next time and I might see worse. Still, so far so good.

The Day Today

This is taken about 13 hours after my first picosure session. It is still a little swollen and a little red but it's fine. This one feels more like sunburn, the sessions in the previous place were more like a burn. So far I'm happy. I've been putting aloe vera on it but nothing more than that. I expect the swelling will be gone by Monday. What I'm not clear on about this is:

1. Is this how picosure lasers feel
2. Was the intensity too low
3. Was the last place too intense

We'll see as time goes by.

13 hours later

Session 5 - first picosure

 First Picosure Session

Fifth Laser Tattoo Removal Session

Four Q-switched Sessions

Just back from session number 5, the first with picosure. The consultation was good, they were a lot more thorough than the tattoo studio but it is a proper clinic. Technician was a nice guy, I'd be less likely to go for a pint with him that the chap from the tattoo studio though. We discussed all the details of tattoo removal how they do it, what to expect. He showed me some photos, explained how it worked. All good. We talk about numbing creams, I say I have a pretty good pain threshold and doubt I'll need it but we'll see - I hate saying things like that, I feel like I'm trying to be an alpha-male - I tell him we'll decide after the first session. He tells me we should be able to remove it completely with a pack of 6 sessions at €450. This sounds perfect. He has a few people to see and he asks me to come back in 30 minutes. I ask should I pay now and he says we can break it down to monthly payments or whatever I like, no need to spend so much upfront. I get worried.

Picosure is meant to be expensive. €450 / 6 = €75 per session. That's cheap. €450 isn't that much, why would I need a payment plan. Did he mean 6 sessions at €450 each? That's €2,700 - ouch. I reasoned this, the first place I went to, with q-switched wanted €960 upfront for 8 sessions. Picosure is more expensive than q-switched. The picosure is in the suburbs vs city centre, but it's in an upmarket area and as far as I know, the only place in Ireland that has this laser. This will hurt. All the things I plan to buy (TV, Car, new bed, other fancy goods) are gone. Best batten down the hatches. The tattoo cost me €80 to have and will cost just shy of €3,000, minimum, to remove. At least it's a good way to tell people not to get a tattoo unless they're really certain.

I go back for the session, the machine is Cynosure, I know the brand from reading. He has a separate machine that blows cool air over my arm while he fires the laser, quite a bit more upmarket than a cold pack. He fires a few shots and asks how it feels. I tell him I didn't even notice. We decide to up the laser intensity. This will make it hurt more but remove it faster.

It really didn't hurt much. I thought it would be worse than q-switched. The cool air could be a factor but really, I hardly noticed it. The session was much quicker than before, not sure how I feel about this yet. In the tattoo studio, he was very thorough to make sure he got every part. This was like he painted over me very quickly. We'll know the results in a couple of weeks. Once he took the air off, it began swelling and hurting a little, not too bad though. I ask about aftercare, aloe vera for 2 days then bio oil until it heals. I ask about keeping it cool when I get home, I don't tell him about my weird method. He says no need, just let it get air.

As I'm leaving we discuss my payment options. I ask him what the total will be be for the six sessions. €450. I pay all upfront, he throws in the bio oil for free! I'm not going to name the clinic as I don't want to promote places. If you've pieced together where it is, book. They're very good, €75 per session is only slightly more than the tattoo studio, has a better laser and better experience - again, not wanting to take away from the studio but I have to be honest. My next session is for Oct 13. By memory, I won't see much fading until then. We'll see how this goes.

18 Aug 2016

18 Aug 2016

Two pictures at different distances. Definitely a little swollen and red but feels fine, no sign of any blistering. We'll see how it looks over the next couple of weeks. I can't say yet if picosure is better  than q-switched, however for only a 25% increase in cost over a laser which cannot completely remove the tattoo, it definitely seems worth giving it a shot.

New Dawn Fades

The Night Before My First Picosure Laser Tattoo Removal

Tomorrow (18th of August) I have my first Picosure session. I'm excited, I may be disappointed. The clinic I'm going to say typically sessions are every 6 to 8 weeks. I might space this out more depending on the cost and the results. One of the things I've learned is the importance of waiting between sessions. Your body needs time to remove the ink, this is by no means an instant process. Today is 16 weeks since my last session and I'm really beginning to see a difference now. No where near as substantial as I had hoped it to be by now. If you're only starting on your removal journey, space out the sessions, give your body time to remove the ink and heal. More time healing will likely mean less sessions over all.

I took two pictures tonight, one with flash, one with out.

Flash

This one was taken with a flash. It highlights the fading better. On the legs, body and hat you can see some freckles now.

Sans-flash

 This one is taken without flash. I think it shows the true colour better than the one above.

The tattoo is still quite visible, I'm hoping 4 q-switched and 1 Picosure (with 8 to 12 weeks healing) will have a significant impact. While it still looks dark here, if I stretch the skin, even the darker bits, I can see skin colour underneath. Compared to where I was before the fourth session, I'm actually quite happy with the progress. Also, while it still looks dark, when I look back at the earlier photos, I realise how much darker it was when I started this process.

I'll try to post tomorrow evening after the session when the memory is still fresh. I'm not sure what level of dressing they'll put on it. They may bandage it up more than the studio did. We'll see tomorrow.

It's The Final Countdown

A Recap of What I Have Learned About Tattoo Removal

It's the 15th of August, I'm due to have my first Picosure session in three days. I decided I'd recap everything:

Lasers

Three types of laser:

• Q-switched passive - good for fading tattoos for cover-ups, will never comepletely remove
• Q-switched active - used to be the gold standard in removal, I have no experience with this
• Picosure / picosecond - I am having my first session in a few days, review to come

If you're about to start, I would say look around carefully. Ensure you get the right type of laser. If I could start again (... a million miles away...) I would start with a picosecond laser. I would definitely recommend a clinic over a studio, make sure you know that it's and active and not passive laser. Again, no ill will toward the studio or the technician from me, my own fault for not reading enough.

Stay healthy

The advice I got for healing:

• Keep it cool (immediately afterwards)
• Get plenty of cardio exercise
• Drink lots of water
• Ensure good nutrition
• Don't smoke

I appreciate that the above are basically tips on how to live, however they're important in tattoo removal. The removal is done by your immune system, healthy immune system means better fading. Don't smoke is probably the most important one. A smokers body does so much work to try to keep the lungs clean that the immune system suffers. I'm not anti-smoking, but if you smoke and are considering tattoo removal, you should seriously consider giving up smoking too, it will help.

Other methods

I've read about some other tattoo removal methods; creams, burns, invisible ink, dermabrasion. I can't speak from experience but I don't think any could be as effective as a laser. If you can prove otherwise, I'd love to hear your experience. 

I'm excited about my next session but also worried. I've read so much about how amazing picosecond lasers are. I really hope this can live up to the hype. I'll definitely post some before and after pictures, though the after could take a while. It normally takes close to a week for the swelling to subside. 

All That Could Have Been

It's now a couple of days after my last session. I'm disappointed by how slow it's going and Picsoure is still on my mind. Still, I like the technician, the price is great. Maybe I'll book a Picosure session, I haven't committed to another session in the studio. If the Picosure isn't worth it, I'll just go back to the studio. No harm done, still get a session, all good. I start researching, trying to find the difference Picosure can make on black ink, trying to find how effective it is after previous q-switch sessions (remember, I don't believe most pictures online). Then I make a discovery... there are two types of q-switched laser; active & passive. I learn a passive laser will never fully remove a tattoo, it can't. They can fade them but never completely remove them. I don't know what the studio use but I lean toward passive. I search... I find a photo that closely resembles the machine they've been using on me. It looks a lot like:

This is a passive laser. It will never remove the tattoo. My heart kind of sank at this moment. To emphasize, I do not blame the studio or the technician for this. This was my mistake, this is why tattoo studios and beauty salons can offer such cheap tattoo removal, these machines are cheap. An active laser is a much bigger, more expensive machine as are the treatment costs. The studio nor the technician never claimed they could fully remove my tattoo. They also didn't tell me they couldn't. It makes sense though, tattoo studios are just that, they are not removal studios. Their business is tattooing, if they fade tattoos, they can do better cover ups. I have no ill will toward the studio or the technician, I just wish I'd known more, done more research, had better questions. I somewhat dived in but knew I wouldn't have started otherwise. I've now spent €240 on removal, three times the price of the tattoo and I have no idea if that was money well spent or not. Maybe the clinic that said I had to pay €960 up front would have had better results in four sessions, I'll never know. This is a part of why I started this blog, so others don't make the mistakes I made.

There's only one thing for it, call the place in Dublin that has Picosure. I call them a few days later. Scheduling is a bit of hassle because of my holiday. We tentatively agree on 23rd of July. I tell them that's just one week after my holiday and I could be tanned. They say I have to reschedule if I am tanned, there's a much bigger risk of pigment damage on tanned or darker skin. This is fine though, I like the sun but I don't try to tan, I can't I just burn. 23rd of July will be fine. I have to pay €30 consultation fee, had I not had previous treatment, this would be deducted from the session cost. To me, it's an extra payment. I have now spent €270 on tattoo removal.

The above was taken 26th of June. No idea why, probably because it was seven weeks since my last session and just before my holiday, also a month before my first Picosure session. It is beginning to look more faded. No where near where I wanted to be now, but fading.

I come back from Italy, I honestly don't think I have ever been so tanned. I've been to many sunny countries but never tanned like this. I didn't even try to tan, I wore factor 50 at all times and did my best to stay out of the sun. I drop into the clinic on 18th July to show them. We reschedule to 13th of August. Over the next few weeks I'm really worried about the tan. I'm keen for this Picosure session but need my tan to fade. On the 10th of August I get a call from the clinic saying there's a problem with the laser and they're moving me to 18th of August.


UPDATE Nov 6 - I have since found out that the machine above is not a passive laser (I think). I genuinely thought it was. However this was the catalyst that motivated me to change to picosure instead, a decision I so far think was the correct one.

The forth session - Nanu-Nanu

Forth Tattoo Removal Session

The 4th of May, my forth session and last to date (memory was I'd had five, but the dates don't add up). I remember this one as it was Battlestar Galactica day (I'm actually a Star Wars fan, I just hate that "joke"). I was excited about this one, this was hopefully going to make a big difference. I had also decided this would be my last before Italy. Six weeks later would be mid June, too close to holiday. Sun burn and hot arm tattoo laser burn are not meant to be a winning combination. I had now accepted that there was no chance of the tattoo being gone for my holiday. Regret at not starting last September really sank in... Here's a picture from 3rd of May:

I got to the studio at my usual time. To my horror, I could hear the laser machine. Someone was in there before me! This had never happened before. I went in, we had a chat the technician was happy with the progress. He told me that after the next session was when we'd start spacing them out more. I was happy with this, explained my holiday, how easily my freckly skin burns etc etc.

He put the cool pack on, it wasn't very cool. Cold but not straight out fridge cold. I expect this is one of the differences between a tattoo studio and a laser clinic. We begin, he was very thorough, making sure to get every part of it. It hurt more than usual due to not being as cold as normal. I followed my usual aftercare routine but I had more blisters than normal. A part of me thinks this is because I was more careless than I had been, the other part of me thinks it was because the cold pack was more of a slightly below room temperature pack. I'll never know.

When leaving I tell him that I won't book now as it'll be a few months before my skin is back to normal after my holidays. I tell him I'll be back in July. I didn't know then that this was going to be my last session in that studio.

Session The Third

Third Laser Removal Session

It's 22nd March and I have a brainwave: "I should start a blog documenting my tattoo removal experience" - It only took my 5 months to actually start said blog. My third session is tomorrow, 23 March. I think at this point I was becoming disillusioned with the whole experience. I had expected far faster results - no one told me to expect faster, I just thought it would. I had been told early on that really you don't see anything noticeable until the fourth session, however I still expected more.

That's after two laser sessions and almost 3 months. You can see some of the top left of the hat is thinning and some of the outfit on the right. I think the upside down cross and the hands are a little too. When I started, I genuinely believed that it would be nearly gone by now, not just slightly faded. I had found a place in Dublin that had a Picosure laser. I was considering it but not convinced.

In this session, we upped the laser intensity, it hurt more. The technician said this would help break it down faster. I told him about my aftercare routine, he said "If it's working, keep doing it". He said due to the higher intensity, I would be more prone to blistering. I took this on board, went home, followed my routine, no blisters. It did hurt more and took longer to heal but was fine.

My next session was on the 4th of May - Live long and prosper.

Inbetween Days

I had started getting more and more interested in tattoo removal, I was keen for this to be gone and wanted to learn about other people's experiences. A really informative site is realself. I'm not promoting this or in anyway affiliated, I just found so much helpful information there. "Then why this blog?" you ask. Because while it's helpful, it wasn't MY experience, just a lot of good information.
One of the things I learned is that you're better off waiting longer between sessions. Most claim you should wait minimum six weeks and some up to ten weeks. I was a little worried how my next session, 22 March, was only five weeks after my previous. The way removal works is the laser breaks down the ink and your body takes time to remove it - I really need to emphasize this. The technician said he thought I was healing well and 5 weeks would be fine. I believed him, but was still apprehensive about the shorter time frame. I was also keen to get as many sessions in before July (holiday) as I could. I went ahead with the session after 5 weeks and all was fine (next page).

While reading about removal,  I learned about the picosure / picosecond laser.

Picosecond lasers are the newest tattoo removal laser. The fire in picosecond bursts and will break the ink into much smaller parts. This results in faster removal time and less sessions. However it's new and still expensive. You'll find a lot of images that claim to show complete removal after 6 sessions, I don't believe these images. I'm not trying to take away from the technology, I just don't believe that it's that perfect. In these pictures, the person is in the same place and holding their arm in the exact same position. It almost looks like it was doctored using some mysterious photo-shopping software. I don't know if there's a term for that kind of image manipulation.

I did some reading between picosecond and q-switched and decided I'd stick with the q-switched. It was far cheaper and for my tattoo, probably fine. I also like the technician who's removing my tattoo and don't really see a need to change. Picosure may be better but it's also much more expensive. While I'm becoming impatient, I have only had two sessions and this will take time. Some even claim that q-switched is better in many cases. I'll stay the course and continue as I started

Second Session

Second Q-Switched Laser Session

The second session was on 17 February. Honestly, I don't remember much from this. I went in with an idea of what to expect. I remember thinking that it hurt less than the first one, I assumed that was because I knew how it goes. The technician told me that most people find the second worse.

I was a bit smarter this time, I took the afternoon off work. I think I drove in too, so I could get home faster. I got home, soaked a tea towel in cold water and put it over the tattoo. That seemed to help a lot but was short lived. I tried putting some ice on top of the towel at the tattoo but I couldn't hold it there. Then my wife suggested a wine bottle cooler. I don't know what these are really called. I doubt anyone does, even the person that invented it. One of those things that you keep in the freezer and put around an open bottle of white wine to keep it cool, those things. It worked really well, that became my post session ritual. Wet tea towel over tattoo, wine cooler thing on top of it. Using this method, I had less swelling and no blistering.*

This is the same picture as an earlier post, I had the date wrong. This is taken on the night of this session. It is swollen and red but what do you expect? I was shot with a laser. However the first was much worse, there was blistering and way more swelling - I stress this was my fault, I didn't follow the after care instructions.

*While typing this I thought "Maybe I should just buy a cold pack". But why do this when I have wine thing and a tea towel

The First Session

My First Q-Swichted Laser Tattoo Removal

My first session was on 6th January, 2016. I went to the studio at lunchtime. I hadn't told anyone I was doing this, even my wife. I tend to need to start something before I'll tell people. I didn't want to say I was doing this, then not go ahead with it. I walked in, the technician was there so we had a chat about it. - He is really nice guy, really informative and helpful. I'm not going to name him or the studio as that's not the point. Should he be reading and want to be mentioned, I'm happy to do so - I showed him the tattoo, told him how old it was, why I wanted it removed. We agreed €60 per session and we'd start immediately, once I filled out the consent form. I was delighted with this.

During the consultation phase, he told me

• It may not be possible to completely remove the tattoo 
• It would probably take 8 - 10 sessions, though could be more
• Asked if I wanted complete removal or cover up
• Showed me a faded tattoo on his back that I think was on 6th session
• Explained how the treatment works

I was quite surprised by how visible the tattoo was on his back. It had gone kind of see through, you could clearly see skin but there was a lot of ink still visible. He told me that it had been black, very black. It was now a very light, see through kind of grey. This seemed ok, mine was a little faded, I'm still pretty certain it will only take around 4 sessions to completely remove... and be gone by July.

What I found really interesting was how laser tattoo removal works. The laser doesn't actually remove the tattoo. From the moment you get a tattoo, your immune system is trying to remove it. The ink particles are too large to be broken down so it stays visible. This is why they'll always slightly fade over time. The laser breaks the ink into smaller particles that your body can remove. Each session, you're breaking down more ink and your body can remove these smaller particles.

After this, we go into the studio. A cold pack is put on my arm to numb and cool it. I'm kind of nervous at this stage as I have no idea what to expect. I said "I don't think my arm has ever felt so cold.", the reply was "It's about to get really hot." We begin.

The laser is loud. There's a constant beeping noise and a snapping sound each time it fires. I can't describe how it feels. There's definitely an element of pain but it's not too bad. I think the tattoo application hurt more. Some describe it as being hit with a rubber band, that doesn't seem right to me. It was more like being flicked on a very small surface area over and over. While this is happening, I could feel my arm getting hot and could see it swelling. We take a break to cool the tattoo and start again. The pain isn't too bad. The tattoo goes completely white - I'm told this is the water vapor in your skin evaporating -  and then settles back down looking a little red & swollen.

I remember saying to the technician that I'd been thinking about this for years and now that I've started, I'm kind of sad. I joked that I should go out and get another layer of ink put on it. We chat about after care, I'm told to keep it cool and apply aloe vera and E45 cream. Basically treat it like sun burn. I'm also advised to drink lots of water and do cardio exercise, basically keep my immune system healthy. All of this is good advice. We agree I'll come back for my next session in 6 weeks.

I go back to work saying nothing about it to anyone. It was January so I had long sleeves on. Through out the day I had some bad flashes of pain. It did remind me of sun burn but concentrated. Normally with sun burn, I don't have it covered and constantly apply cream / aloe / ice pack, not just work away like nothing has happened; while a section of my arm almost feels like it's on fire.

I get home that evening and apply lots of aloe. I show my wife who is also surprised. I had told her I was considering it but she also thought I would never actually do it. I can't remember what I did to cool it that night, anything I could think of. It was swollen quite badly with a couple of small blisters. The pain / swelling / blistering was not the fault of the studio. It was entirely my own fault. I made no effort to keep it cool for about 6 hours after the treatment. I learned from this, with every other session I treated it like a burn and the healing time was much faster.

I didn't take any photos that night. I think I expected it would be 50% gone in 3 weeks so there was no need to take a photo. It's going to be a quick removal process, less than 6 months. It's not like I'm going to write a blog about it or anything.

The History

The tattoo has been completed and I like it. I like the design, I like the quirkiness. Honestly, I think it suits me. Over the next few years, up to and including this morning, some people tell me they like it. Some don't tell me that they don't like it, but I can tell that they don't. While I like it, I'm always conscious that this is permanent and not going to get me a job as such. Still, it's far enough up my arm that I can cover it with sleeves etc. While I like it, I'm not sure if I'm going to keep it forever - I'm thinking this the night it was completed.

I don't remember if it was one or two years after I got it that I first inquired about removing it. I emailed somewhere and they said I'd have to come in for a consultation, that was too much work. Besides, I couldn't get it removed, what would my friends think? What would the artist that did it think? What would the tattoo crew I hardly knew and don't see any more think? Clearly, all of those people's opinions on this are more important than what I think. I'll keep this, I mean I don't hate it and I have my street cred to think about.

A couple of years later (in 2009), a tattoo studio opened near where I lived. They offered laser tattoo removal. I wasn't really friendly with the tattoo scene any more, I still had friends who were part of it, but I saw them less. I used to walk by the place frequently and consider inquiring about it but I decided against it. I mean, what if the artist that did it worked there? What would he think? Would would the others that work there think? What if I knew someone working there, what would they think. No, I best leave it, I mean I don't hate it and I have my street cred to think about.

So, It's 2013, I'm in my 30s. Really beginning to think about removal. I say it to some friends, one asks "Is this your equivalent of a boob job?". A valid question, perhaps he's right. Am I just thinking about this as I have it in my head that this is the one thing that will make me happy? Some people tell me not to bother. I walk by that tattoo studio every night and think of dropping in but never do, I mean what if I knew someone working there, what would they think? No, I best leave it, I mean I don't hate it and I have my street cred to think about.

One night around Christmas in a pub, some drunk guy starts telling me how much he loves it. He's shocked to hear I work in IT, his exact words "I thought you were some mad raver or something". This changes everything!!! This tattoo has made me an icon, people assume that it generates so much revenue that I have no need to work. Clearly, in the eyes of others, this tattoo is the greatest thing ever. I cannot have this removed I mean, what would that drunk guy in the pub think?

September 2015, we decide that in July 2016 my entire family (parents, brothers & their families, my wife & child) are all going on a holiday together to celebrate my parents 50th wedding anniversary. I decide I will try to get the tattoo removed for that. My mother always hated it so I think it will be a nice surprise. I search around for a place that will do it, find one near enough to where I work and go for a consultation. They tell me it will cost €120 per session and I must pay for 8 up front, €960. I ask what if it takes less than 8 sessions and they tell me I can put the balance toward another treatment. I decide against this. For one, I don't have €960. Secondly, I doubt it will take 8 sessions. Thirdly, I know that it's cheaper in the tattoo studio near where I used to live. I do nothing...

January 6, 2016, I have my first session. I go to the tattoo studio near where I used to live. The technician is a really nice guy. Goes through it in detail, tells me what I can expect,  the laser is q-switched (that was all I knew - then), costs €60 per session. All sounds good, we get started.

The date is somewhat important here. - I just realised that I've had this for nearly 14 years, I had thought 13 up to right now - This is over 13 years since I first got it, first regretted it. If you're considering having a tattoo removed, start now. Don't worry what other people might think. It's your body, your tattoo, your decision.

The Application

I got the Tattoo when I had just turned 21. The exact date was 19 September 2002. I remember this as it's a good friend's birthday. I don't think I had ever planned on getting a tattoo, I had quite a lot of ear piercings, 10, which I had removed about 5 months earlier but tattooing was never for me, I was always afraid I'd regret it...

I used to spend a lot of my time in one of Dublin's piercing & tattoo studios. I had friends that worked there and knew the owner. I was friendly with a lot of that scene and as a result, knew a lot of heavily tattooed people. One day, while I was going through a relatively tough time, I was in the shop and saw a design I liked, I thought it humorous and cute. As the day went on, I thought about it more and more and decided I would get it tattooed on my forearm. This was to be the first of many tattoos as I was going to add more. I was definitely going to progress to sleeves, maybe more. Later that day we started, as soon as the needle went in and I saw the first bit of ink, I thought "this is bad". The one piece of advice I'd give you is never get your first tattoo the same day you decide. Go home and think about it overnight. Ask the studio if they'll do a transfer, so you can see how it looks. Keep it for a night before going all in.

So, about an hour later, the tattoo was finished. It should have cost me €100 but as I knew the owner of the studio, they did it for €80. The same night, I got a phone call from the friend whose birthday it was telling me that his dad had died. This has always given me a sentimental attachment to the tattoo that I would not have otherwise had.

I couldn't find an old photo of it anywhere, I guess I never really took pictures of myself, I'm pre-selfie generation. The one below is taken the day of my first session (I know, I've ruined the suspense). It's swollen here so hard to get a proper idea of how it looked but it shows the colour. You can't properly tell how dark it was though.

First post

I'm posting this a little late... 7 months after my first laser session and 3 months after my fifth. I decided to start this blog as I couldn't quite find the information I wanted online, I thought I'd document my own experience with laser tattoo removal.

I will post some photos in due course. Sadly, I didn't take one from immediately before my first session but I'm sure I have some around. I do have photos from the night before each session after that.

Some details about my tattoo:

• On my right forearm
• Black ink (though composition can vary)
• Professionally done
• 12 years old on my first session

Aw, 12 years old. Almost a teenager (wow I'm old!!!). However unlike most teenagers, I'm hoping this one will be nearly invisible by the time it comes of age. Disclaimer: I do not encourage readers to shoot all 12 year olds with a laser, just tattoos.

Some advice I will give anyone thinking about getting their tattoo removed is to carefully research it, There are a lot of different lasers and not all are equal. The ones I know about are:

• Q-switched (passive)
• Q-switched (active)
• Picosure

What I recently learned is that a Q-switched (passive) will never fully remove a tattoo. These are the ones you will typically find in tattoo shops. If you only want to get a cover up, these are fine, the will fade the tattoo. If you're looking for full removal, look for Q-switched (active) or picosure. These are far more expensive, larger machines and will typically only be found in specialist clinics and dermatologists.

Picosure is new(-ish) and apparently the best. I will have my first session with a Picosecond laser on Aug 13. I'll review it afterward.