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.