2 Become 1

One Week After Picosure

It's now a week after my fifth Picosure and ninth overall laser tattoo removal session. My last session was a double pass, basically two passes of the laser. The healing time has gone quickly but slower than I thought / hoped. I think the pain had gone by Sunday but I had hoped the swelling would be completely gone by Monday, it was not.

30 Oct 2017

The above shows that there is still some swelling and some reddening. It's slight but it's there. If you look around the edges, particularly the top of the hat, you can see some bruising. It was mild but it exists. This is the first time I have gotten bruising from Picosure. I got it every time with q-switched. To me that's still +1 Picosure. I took another picture tonight as it's now 168 hours since the session. Since then I have slept (not enough) many times, consumed booze quite a few, cycled a decent bit and eaten several meals. The healing is coming on nicely but it still has a ways to go.

2 Nov 2017

I really need to stop taking comparable photos in different light. I blame Ireland and it's perilously dark evenings at this time of year. The healing is coming along nicely buy it's still not fully healed. It still looks darker than it did before the last session. There is still some redness, again around the hat. It still feels a little raised above my skin. This time next week I expect it to look and feel normal again. Curious how long it will be before I start to see fading. Memory is there's normally quite a bit by the sixth week and then it slows. It will continue to fade after that but I think sixth week is the main point. Obviously with this one, the double pass, I'm hoping it will be significant.

Session 9, Picosure 5: Mission to Make Go

The Benefits of Picosure

I had my fifth Picosure session around 15 hours ago. I thought I'd treat you all (at this time, I have no loyal fan base of which I am aware) to a different post format. As you all (who don't exist) are now aware, I typically do one post before the session, one just after and a few over the following days, thereby showing you all (you aren't) the progress. Well what with Halloween being upon us, I thought I'd spice things up and do a megapost! I hope you non-existent people are as excited to (not) read this as I am to write it.

For clarity, the session was on Oct 26, 2017 at 7pm. I shaved my arm in the morning. I don't think you have to do this but I don't like the smell of burning hair. The photos always look different with shaven arm. I took the one below while I was in the waiting area.

26 Oct 2017

The session went well. He did what he called a double pass. As the name suggests, this is indeed two passes of the laser. Did it hurt? Yes, yes it did. The first pass was with a wider spot. This targets the darker (I think deeper) ink and should help smash that up into smaller pieces. After this he used a narrow spot. This should get the lighter ink. I think a part of this is that the darker ink has been smashed in the first pass and its pieces the get hit with the second pass. This should have a big effect. I do remember last time he used a wider spot I was skeptical but it in fact the wider spot made a significant difference.

He told me that the first session, wider spot would be the less painful of the two passes. I disagreed, it was painful. He then told me that the next one would hurt more but my skin was now more adapted to the laser so I wouldn't feel the pain so much. I'm not 100% sure I agree with this logic. It still hurt, a pain that's hard to describe, a bit like being shot in the arm with a f*$&@%g laser! I took this next photo just after I left the clinic. I would say this was around 2 minutes after the session.

26 Oct 2017

This picture shows the swelling starting. The tattoo is getting a bit red but it's fine. It's quite elevated from the skin. I wouldn't say it was painful but it was definitely uncomfortable. The weird shine is aloe-vera gel. The lighting isn't that good but I was in a busy shopping centre at the time. I chose not to wear my jacket home. I had cycled to work, to the clinic and was cycling home. I had gotten stuck in work so cycled fast to make the appointment, I was pouring sweat, like some sort of over-watered, disgusting smelling cactus. I thought it would be good to let some cool, Irish, October air at my skin.

26 Oct 2017

Above is taken about 30 minutes after the session whenI got home. The gel has settled in but you can see some spot bleeding beginning to appear. I had put a frozen tea towel over it to try to keep the swelling down. I didn't do this for long, I had to eat etc. so need my arm. He told me that spot bleeding is good, it shows the laser is getting down deep. If it's rupturing blood vessels, it's getting to the deeper ink. Again, no idea if this is true but he removes tattoos for a living so I believe him. Before going bed I thought I'd put more aloe on it. I washed off what was there and thought time for one last picture.

26 Oct 2017

This is about 3 hours after the session. I thought it was funny, it's so red. There's quite a bit of spot bleeding, I think the most I've had yet. It wasn't that sore but I was clearly aware of it. I took the photo, put some aloe on and went to bed.

27 Oct 2017

I took that this morning, it was around 12 hours after the session. It actually looks worse than it feels. It's still quite tender and obviously red. We all know that I don't like my tattoo much, hence the blog, the removal and the pain; I definitely wouldn't show it off in its current state but it's ok. It's still tender but fine. I'm not in work today so am yet to shower. I have applied aloe only once to cool it. I actually keep forgetting that it was shot at by laser last night. This lack of pain is why I prefer Picosure. I honestly can't say if it's better or faster than q-switched. I can tell you that q-switched hurt a lot more and took a lot longer to heal. From memory, around two weeks. Last night's Picosure was a double pass, basically two sessions in one, and the swelling is almost gone. I'd say this will be completely healed on Monday. If you are getting removal, try to find somewhere with Picosure. Even if it costs a little more, the reduced healing time alone is worth it.

I'm curious to see what impact the double pass will have. He told me that you don't want to do this early on, you're better off waiting until later in the process. My thinking is that this is because the skin becomes more adapted to the laser over time. The double pass is different and hopefully more effective. I'm not sure when I'm going to get my next session. My first was on 4 January 2015 I had hoped this would take 6 months, a year, 2 years to be gone. It seems impossible that I'll make the 2 year mark now. If I have my next session in mid January, hopefully I'll know by mid-March if I need any more sessions or not. My feeling is that I will, but we'll see how this impacts.

Living Dead Girl

Coming up to Hallowe'en, I always get excited by it, even though I'm passed my trick or treating prime. I think I'm actually passed the point I care. I like the idea of Hallowe'en but I just see it as winter coming, weather colding, evenings darking, etc. I'm really getting miserable in my old age. I was trying to come up with a Hallowe'en related title for this and I'm sad to admit, the first thing I thought of was Sneaky Bat Machine. Ah, I miss the bad music I liked when I was younger. All I do now is work.

I had meant to take a photo today showing the fading over the last 3 months, I was supposed to have a session 3 months ago. I was so busy in work this week (I've worked 10 days straight) that I haven't had an opportunity. I took a photo this evening but it was dark out and it's under CFL opposed to sunlight.

11 Oct 2017

I can't tell how much it has faded over the last 3 months, it is fading. Because of the different light in the most recent photo it's hard to tell. I think there is more skin colour visible in the most recent but that could be the light. Here's my thinking! My body has had more time to remove the ink than I would normally give it. I'm hoping the next session will break down more ink as the smaller particles have been removed. However I have realised that I basically have no idea what influences tattoo removal.

11 Aug / Sept / Oct 2017

My next session is in 2 weeks. I'm going to ask him when I should get the next. I've waited 5 months between sessions now. I believe longer is better. I'm curious if the extra months will have helped. Last March I told my niece I expected it to be gone by this coming March. Now I'm not so sure. I have two more paid sessions. Hopefully after them it will just be a matter of waiting. Time will tell...

Happy Birthday Tattoo

Tomorrow my tattoo turns 15, what a time to be alive. I need to be careful of it. If I am the pillar of society I think I am, I can expect my tattoo to start drinking and smoking now. It'll be bringing home girls next. Oh the stress of being a parent.

18 Sept 2017

It turns 15 tomorrow but I don't expect it will have changed much in a day. The picture above shows a (nearly) 15 year old black ink tattoo after 4 q-switched and 4 Picosure laser removal sessions. This removal lark really is a slow process. I've talked before how removal is a roller coaster of emotion. At one stage you're optimistic that it's nearly gone, at another you're pessimistic thinking it will never be gone. I'm currently happy with how it's fading but I'm worried it's going to have a 16th birthday next year. I have two more sessions prepaid. I have seen really good fading lately so must try to stay positive.

Little 15

It's now one month after I was supposed to have a session and decided not to! More importantly my tattoo turns 15 next week. 15! I remember being 15, I thought I was a grown up. Christ I'd love to be that young again. 15 was fun, 15 was optimistic, though I'm sure as a teenager I hadn't realised it. 15 was carefree. 15 meant being home by 10. In a lot of ways mid to late 30's are better.

The tattoo is definitely going to see it's 15th birthday. I'd hoped it wouldn't make 14, I was naive. I had hoped it wouldn't make 15 but it will. There's a chance it won't make 16 but I'm nearly afraid to think that. Last March I told my 8 year old niece that I expect the tattoo to be gone in a year. I hope I didn't lie to her. I'd say a year is to her what 10 is to to me.

11 Sept 2017

I think it was around 2 years ago that I first inquired about removal. I still wish I had started then but am glad I did not start in that place. Over the last 2 years, I have still spent less on removal that they tried to charge me in the first place. €960 for 8 q-switched sessions! I have now had 4 Picosure and 4 Q-switched. I doubt paying €120 per session for Q-switched would have made that big a difference. I just wish I had gone straight to the studio I started in that day, instead of waiting until January. The extra 3 months might have made a big difference. I just thought of a fun game. I need to do my best to make sure removal costs less than €960. Even if it costs more, it didn't cost that up front.

Fading is still going well. I am beginning to want to have another session but know waiting is best. I really think that not getting lasered last month was a good idea. There is a lot of fading and more parts starting to lighten. I'm beginning to think that some of my skin is starting to dry or scar. I am putting some bio oil on but not very often.

Well, it turns 15 next week. I'll likely add another photo, if I remember. I don't think there'll be much of a difference between this week and next, I am curious how it will look on the 11 October. Next session is 26th October. Hopefully this patience is worth it.

Oops!... I Did It Again

Tanning, Fading and Rest

I'm just back from holidays, I spent 8 days in Portugal and again got tanned. My usual approach of factor 50 sun cream and avoiding the sun seems to have again resulted in a suntan. I still don't know if a tan impacts the fading. I had to postpone my first Picosure session due to getting unexpectedly tanned in Italy. The tattoo is now beginning to look really faded. I was supposed to have a session in early August but decided I would be better postponing that until October. I think waiting was worthwhile. I've noticed a lot of fading in the last couple of weeks, I don't think it would be so apparent had I had a session three weeks ago.

One of the things I've realised is that there's no magic point in tattoo removal where suddenly it's nearly gone, it's just a gradual fade. Everything I read said this but I still expected something different. You may have moments where you notice a significant fade but it will be a fade, not a vanish. However at this time I'm pretty happy with the progress,  I'm starting to see some of the darker patches become more see through and some of the lighter show up even more skin colour. I'm pleased. I'm still trying to work out if six Picosure sessions will be enough for removal. I'm thinking now that it might.

1 Sept 2017

The picture was taken today. Yes, my arm is tanned in that photo! That's what my pasty Irish skin looks like with a tan. The darker bits of ink are still there and still darker but it's really beginning to clear now. The hat looks so thin now as does the leg with the knee on the right hand side of the picture. That leg was one of the darker parts of ink and it's looking very faded now. If I stretch the skin on it it goes very white with some spots of black. I think the next session could clear that completely. There are still some obviously darker patches, but when I stretch the skin, some white appears beneath. Sadly I don't have a macro lens, I'd love to get some macro shots of it to see how it looks at macro level.

The tattoo will be 15 years old on September 19. Curious to see how it will look on it's 15th birthday.

Where are We Now

Patience

Waiting between sessions

I was supposed to have a Picosure session today but I rescheduled. My last session was on 13 May, slightly under 3 months ago, I felt I was better waiting to see how it clears. It dawned on me that today was a good day to take a photo. I'll do the same on the day of my session in October and see the progress. I'll then have a good idea if waiting longer really is better. My own feeling is that it is, I think I've noticed quite a bit of fading in the last week!

Someone in work remarked that my tattoo was beginning to look a little faded, he then asked how old it was and assumed it was just ageing. While I wish it was more gone, I was happy the fading is being noticed. I think anyone that remembers how black it was will really think it has faded, anyone who doesn't know me well will not. Still though, little wins...

11 Aug 2017

The photo isn't taken in my usual spot. It wasn't taken in direct sunlight and the weather was dull today. I think it's looking pretty faded. I know I shouldn't be, but I'm actually excited to compare this with how it looks on 26 Oct.  I might even do a montage of monthly photos!

Happy Birthday Blog

One Year Anniversary of This Blog

I stared this blog a year ago. On Tuesday night I spent a little time going over the first posts. It was funny, the optimism, the pessimism, the questions, the lack of comments. I'm really happy I started this blog. I don't think I have any followers, no one has ever commented and it has less than 1,200 (and counting) views. I would not call this successful. However for me it's been like a diary. It's been really interesting to read back and see what I've learned.

I have also started another blog. Shaving FFS! Is this mid 30s? You undo anything that made you cool and spend your time typing about how you shave? I think even 35 year old me hates 36 year old me. I think 34 year old me hated the concept of blogging. 35 year old me thought maybe, just maybe I'd have a really popular blog on tattoo removal. 36 year old me wants to blog about whatever thing I can think of next. So, random, since the blog is a year old I thought I'd put some random notes that are there for me. Andy was here a few weeks ago. My current favourite song is "Just" by 'Bicep'. Brandon & Tash just moved to Ireland.

I am surprisingly tanned. I wrote earlier how I don't tan, then found out in July 2016 that I do if I wear factor 50 and avoid the sun. I have been doing that all summer and am somewhat tanned. As such I have pushed my next laser removal session out to end of October. This will allow the tan time to fade and prevent pigment damage. Along with the tan fading, the tattoo should also fade! I'm curious to see what that long a wait will have done to it. It will be nearly 6 months between sessions at that stage. Hopefully there's a significant fade between now and then.

Here's a photo I took today, to celebrate this blog turning 1.

04 Aug 2017

Amazingly, yet classically me, I didn't take a photo from when I started the blog. The comparison here is today's photo and one from 17 Aug 2016, which was on this post. It's less than a year, by 13 days. The left hand side is after 4 q-switched. The Right hand side is an additional 4 Picosure. I know the lighting isn't comparable, the angles are different etc. But I'd call that progress.

Aug 2016 & 2017

My Neck Got Bloody

2 Months Since My Forth Picosure

4 q-switched and 4 Picosure later

I have recently become disillusioned with the price of razor blades. I tried a cheap disposable from one of the German discounter retails, while I have gotten used to it, it just wasn't as good as my premium brand razor. I have decided to give safety razors a go. So far I am not impressed, though this is my technique, not the fault of the razor. I bought a cheap safety razor that came with 5 blades. This is meant to be temporary, if I decide I like this, I'll buy a good razor... then probably different blades, then creams / soaps / aftershaves / balms etc. Knowing me this will end up costly

I have used it twice so far. The fist was on Saturday (15 July) where I went out for dinner with my wife. I think I lost about 2 litres of blood shaving, not a good look when going out for dinner. I have just used it the second time. This time was better, but my neck looks like something from a Tom & Jerry / Itchy & Scratchy scene. I'd say there are about 10 blood spots. I'm worried that if I drink something, it will all spew out of my neck.  I estimate I've been shaving for between 21 and 25 years, this is me relearning how to shave, more challenging than one would think.

My Neck Got Bloody

I guess I had a lot of practice with the disposable cartridges, I'm going to try this for a while and hope I get better at it. I remember learning to shave and always cutting myself. This will likely take time but I'll improve. Whether it's really worth my while or not is another matter entirely. I do know that I don't like spending ~ €2.50 per razor cartridge though.

Anyway, this blog is "My arm got hot" not "My neck got bloody" (perhaps my next blog?)*. I'm just over two months since the last Picosure session. Progress is still there but is still slow. I'm slowly starting to see some of the dark ink recede and become more 'speckley', a bit like my neck, only desirable. I have two more sessions left and I think it very unlikely that the tattoo will be completely gone at that stage.

16 July 2017

That isn't taken from my usual place so the light is different, it is taken in sun light. Also taken in a supermarket car park which gives it a certain seedy quality that my other photos lack. I think the bright light makes it look a bit more faded than it actually is. Still, progress. I had assumed it would be totally gone by July 2016 (6 months of lasers), optimistic it would be gone by July 2017, hopeful it will be gone by July 2018. I'm due to have my next session on 11 August, I think that's too soon as this stage. I am going to push back to late September / early October. Time will allow my body to remove more of the ink allowing the laser to be more effective. While I don't think I can remove the tattoo in 2 more sessions, I think spacing the sessions out further is the only way I'm likely to have it removed in 2 sessions. I'll be interesting to see where we are in July 2018. Hopefully I'll at least be able to shave by then.

*Update 1 Aug: Since writing this post, I have decided that would be my My Neck Got Bloody next blog.

Summer Time

Six Weeks After Forth Picosure 

Wow, July already, Happy Independence day to any American readers, I hope that movie was wrong about alien invasions. July 2017, wow! Why am I so excited you ask? Well anyone who has been following me since I started this blog (note: there are none) will know that when I started the removal process in January 2016, I was pretty confident that the tattoo would be nearly, if not completely, gone by July 2016 for my family holiday. Yes, 6 months and 4 to 6 laser sessions was all I expected it to take. It turns out it takes longer than that, quite a bit longer than that in fact.

I'm still pretty happy with the progress, I still have two prepaid sessions. In all honesty, I think it will take longer than two more sessions. The good / bad news is life is working against me getting shot in the near future. I'm due to go in August (3 month later) but I don't think I'll be able to. Then with various things going on, I think I'll be lucky if I can get there for October. I'm actually quite excited to see what difference that time will make to the fading.

01 July 2017

That was taken two days ago, unfortunately in bad light. The weird looking lines are because I had just pulled up my sleeve for the photo. Yes, we need sleeves in Ireland in July. I am quite happy with how the fading is going. The darker bits of ink are starting to break up, there is a LOT more skin colour coming through and I can see more of my freckles underneath. I'm also about as tanned as my pasty Irish skin gets, I genuinely think tanning speeds up the fading process, though that's pure speculation. I thought I saw more progress last summer and I think I'm seeing similar again. Though I might be talking pure nonsense. If anyone has any science around this, please science me. Me like science good.


I'm weirdly excited at the prospect of having to wait a while for my next session. I've read that at this stage, 3 months should be the minimum wait period between sessions. This is because it is such a large trauma to the skin. The body has to heal then it begins removing the ink. Healing will take less time than that but more healing = better removal.  I think 4 months is the longest I've gone (if even) but I think it could end up being 5 before the next. I might even drag that out if I see good progress. You definitely start to see progress in the weeks after each session but more weeks means more progress. I'm actually curious now if I stopped altogether would it vanish, just over a longer period.

I recently met a friend who is also having a tattoo removed, hers was also black ink and between her shoulder blades on her back. I won't lie, I had total fade envy.  I think she has had 2 q-switched and 6 Picosure, that's the same total number as me but more Picosure. I could really see the difference. One big advantage for her is the location; the closer to the heart, the faster it fades. Also I'm sure that more Picosure has helped too. I think she said it was 2 months since her last session but she wants to get another soon. I tried to persuade her to wait but her mind was made up. Everything I have read says it's all about patience. If you're considering removal, you will have to be patient, it's definitely going to take more than 6 months and 4 to 6 laser sessions.

Street Spirit

12 Days After My Fourth Picosure

My last Picosure session was undoubtedly the most painful. The healing time was about a week, 7 days. I have had worse with q-switch but this was the most painful Picosure session I have had. I'm still hoping the higher intensity will lead to better clearing. The technician told me this would be a bad one and it's still better than q-switched. If I felt / was told that higher intensity was better results, I would be happy for him to go higher.

I've been extremely busy with real life lately so am cramming two posts into one.

20 May 2017

I took this last week, one week after the session. You can still see a little bit of redness, though it is mostly gone, and the ink is still a bit swollen. I'm going by memory but I think it was still hot at this stage. Not very, but warmer than the rest of my skin.

25 May 2017

That was take this morning. There actually looks to be some progression already but I think that's more to do with healing and my skin returning to normal. I think typically it's around 2 weeks before anything is noticeable.

The evenness / unevenness of the fading is still my pet peeve. If the darker bits would fade more quickly the whole tattoo would look so much more faded. I still don't think I could wear short sleeves if meeting customers / trying to sign a new customer. I think the darker ink on the hat is beginning to break down. If the darker ink on the body would do the same the impact would be significant.

For a reminder, when I started this process, I thought it would be about 4 months before the tattoo was nearly completely gone. How wrong I was. I'm now 17 months into it and it's still very noticeable. If you're reading this and contemplating removal, start now. My advice would be to try to find Picosure and start there but see what's available. If you're hoping your tattoo will be gone by a certain date, you'd want that date to be at least 18 months away. This is a slow process.

A Day

After My Fourth Picosure

It's now 2 days since my fourth Picosure session. My arm is still pretty swollen and quite sensitive. I know I said this was more painful than previous session but I'm surprised it's still so swollen. What I genuinely don't know is if higher intensity equals better results. I would have thought so but my previous session did not hurt at all and I was really happy with the results. Two days is too early to tell but I thought I noticed some pretty quick results after the previous session.

14 May 2017

Above was taken about 23 hours after the session. The swelling had reduced but you can still see it is swollen and red. The "frosting" on my skin that looks like pealing is aloe. Due to pain I've been putting a lot on.

15 May 2017

That was taken about 10 minutes ago, ~54 hours after being shot with a laser. It's still a little swollen and red. There's still some spot bleeding visible but it's healing. I didn't apply any aloe while in work today and I think today will be my last day of it from this session. The tattoo is still a bit hotter than the rest of my arm but nothing much. I expect tomorrow the swelling will have receded completely.

I'm pessimistic about this session, I don't know why. I think the higher intensity threw me. I didn't expect much from the previous session yet it had a significant impact but it targeted the darker deeper ink. he said it was the wider spot size. This one was a smaller, more intense spot. Hopefully I'm just being pessimistic and the additional pain will yield a better result.

Session 8, PIcosure 4: The Quest for Pieces

Fourth Picosure Session

I had my fourth Picosure session about 6 hours ago. This one hurt. He told me he was going to up the intensity and he did. I'm not sure if this was the most painful (Picosure) or if the second one was worse. Either way, I'm in quite a bit of pain right now. He said that it was worth increasing the intensity this time as it would accelerate the removal process. The only reason I'm concerned is the last one he said lower intensity wider spot would be more effective. I'm assuming he knows what he's doing. I have always found the Picosure healing time to be faster than q-switched, I'm curious to see how long this takes to return to normal.

13 May, 2017

The above was taken about 3 hours before the session with a shaven arm. The tattoo was fading quite nicely, most importantly, my arm didn't hurt back then. These were good times.

13 May, 2017

That was around 40 minutes after the session. The weird white stuff is just aloe vera gel. It's still quite swollen there and you can see some spot bleeding beginning, particularly around the base of the hat. I've been applying aloe a lot but a weird thing happened today. The aloe made my skin dry and any skin which touched it go horribly red. It made it more painful than normal. My theory on this was too much aloe. The technician applied quite a lot, then I applied some after I took that photo. I then applied more about an hour later and that's when the pain started. I washed it off an let it dry for a while.

13 May, 2016

 I took this one 2 hours ago, about 4 hours after the session. The weird aloe redness was gone at that stage so the red you can see is just from being shot with a laser. There's more spot bleeding visible, particularly the cross. I have applied more aloe since and it's beginning to recede. I'll update tomorrow with the progress after 24 hours.

What a Difference a Year Makes

1 Year After My Fourth Q-switched Session

Yay, Spaceballs day is here again. The Internet, full of hilarity because the date (in American) sounds a bit like a line from a movie. What's worse is people's belief that it's still funny. Ah well. So, because the date is memorable, I remembered earlier that my forth q-switched session was also on 4th May. I thought it would be interesting to see how it had progressed, one year on from my fourth session. Honestly, I am quite impressed, there has been a substantial change since that picture was taken. I knew it had faded a lot over the year but I didn't realise it had been that much.

4th May 2017

That photo was taken in my usual spot with natural light. I learned something today, HDR on my phone. I rarely use it but did accidentally today. It turns out that hdr gets a much better representation of how the the tattoo actually looks. I did a comparison with normal and it looks like all my other pictures, the black parts are too dark and it's hard to see the fading. All my future pictures will be with hdr. I'm sad I can't go back in time and redo the others. This is probably the first time ever that time travel could have been beneficial to anyone.

I looked back and found that the image from last year was taken on 3rd May, one day before the session. I also have this image which shows how it looked about 7 weeks after the fourth q-switched session. Today's picture shows the difference three Picosure (after four q-swtiched) and sessions  and one year will make.

4 May 2016 / 2017

The collage shows three dates, 3 May 2016 (3 q-switched sessions), 26 June 2016 (4 q-switched sessions) and 4 May 2017 (4 q-switched and 3 Picosure sessions). The difference over the year is quite significant. I have had a total of 7 laser sessions, that's quite a lot. By the time I'm finished my current plan, I will have had 10.

I have booked my next appointment for 13th May, that's just one week away. I'm again quite excited about this session. The progress has been going well and I'm positive about it. This will be my fourth (of six paid in advance) Picosure session. Seeing the difference a year made, I now feel very confident that six (3 more) Picosure will be enough to remove the tattoo. After this session, I'm going to wait until September / October. This time I've gone four months between sessions and I think it faded the most in the last month. I feel it's a good idea to start spacing the sessions out more. I'm hopeful it will be fully gone by January (2 years of lasers) but that could be optimistic. I think more time will yield better results.

Acid Test

Tattoo Removal with Acid Injection

I have recently returned from 5 weeks of travelling. One of my stops was Sydney, Australia to visit my brother who has been living there for around 20 years. Last time I saw him was my holiday in July in Italy, not long ago but he was aware of my tattoo removal journey. He had told me of someone he knows that does tattoo removal but not using lasers, using acid!

Apparently acid (lactic I think) is injected into the tattoo. This causes the tattoo to burn up to the surface of the skin and fall off as a scab. Apparently this is very fast as it will heal in a couple of weeks and the treated ink will be gone! Proponents of this method say it is safer than lasers as the ink falls out of your body instead of being broken up by your lymphatic system. They say that since tattoo inks are made of heavy metals, having your body absorb them is bad. Using acid, it is not absorbed by your body, rather your body ejects the tattoo and acid.

The method sounds excellent, if it really does work. I question the safer part though. While it is true that lasers break up the tattoo and have your lymphatic system remove the ink, once you get a tattoo, it is in your skin. Your immune system is working on breaking it down immediately. I (no medical training) can't imagine laser treatment makes this any worse. It would happen faster but those same metals are already in my skin and my lymphatic system has been trying to remove them since I got this, 14 years ago.

I think I'm too far along my laser journey to try a different method but I am fascinated by this. If it really is this fast to remove a tattoo, it changes everything. Tattoos could likely be removed in a matter of months, not years (I'm now at 15 months since my first laser session). I did a little (very little) reading on this method after I heard about it. Apparently it does work but is risky, if done even slightly wrong it can leave permanent scarring. I have probably read the same about laser treatment though. I think people say lasers are better as they've been used for longer and are more proven. I really would love to learn more about this acid method though. If anyone has gotten it or knows someone that has, I'd love to hear how effective it is.

14 Apr 2017

I took the above image today, 3 months since my last Picosure session. I really am seeing progress now. I know that waiting is best, the more wait the more it will fade but I'm really keen for another session. I really want to see how much difference the next one will make. I'm pretty certain that this is the first time since I started on this journey that I have felt really positive about the removal process.

I'm planning on waiting until May or June for my next session, maybe even longer depending on the weather / plans. It's much easier to manage laser treatment in the winter, no chance of sunburn leading to scarring.  There's also the unlikely possibility in summer of a tan, they won't laser you if you're tanned, it can lead to pigmentation loss.

It's Just a Question of TIme

The Effect of Sun on Tattoo Fading

I'm just home after 5 weeks of travelling. I have literally gone around the world, Dublin -> Auckland -> Sydney -> San Francisco -> Dublin. Mostly a very nice time but happy to be home. I've never been all that much a fan of Dublin (despite living here my whole life) but home is home. 3 of these weeks were for work so that probably didn't help. If you've never done business travel, it's like working at home only you're in another country but don't have time to see anything and miss all of your own stuff. If it's as far away as Auckland, you'll probably be tired too.

One of the things I was keen to learn was the affect of a sun tan on a tattoo undergoing treatment. I am slightly tanned but luck was against me. Sydney, where I spent two weeks, experienced its wettest March in 33 years. I had assumed Sydney is where I would get most sun, not least. As such, I don't think I can adequately state the impact of a sun tan on a fading tattoo. I know the sun can lighten the ink but it's slow. My thinking is that it may help fade some of the already damaged ink particles

I'm still really upbeat about the removal process, I think this is the first time I have posted that statement in this blog! The last session seems to have made a big difference, I had hoped the sun would add to that. I'm still thinking of waiting until around May for my next session, I think I'm just under 3 months since the last, so May will only be 5. I'm curious to see how it looks by then. I don't want to leave longer as we'll be into summer by then and I'll risk tanning again. I could wait until October but that seems long.

31 Mar 2017

In the interests of transparency I will state that I was slightly inebriated when I took the above photo, It was also in a hotel in San Francisco, not my sitting room window like I normally do, The tattoo has gotten lighter again, when I pull the skin it looks more patchy. That big bit of dark ink on the torso still hasn't broken down as much as I would like but it is thinning. I noticed yesterday that there used to be shading on the eye, I can still just about see it but it is nearly completely gone!

The last session I think was the biggest single impact since I started this process. I'm not sure if it will be possible to see such a leap with a single session again. My current thinking is that the last made such a difference is it is the total product of 4 q-switched and 3 picosure sessions. Assuming that the process is incremental, I am expecting the next session should again really make a difference. I have 3 prepaid sessions left. Since the last one, I am now kind of confident that this will be enough. I'm under no illusion though, I might need to space these out over a 12 month period.

Fade to Black

Injuries and Tattoo Removal

Last week I managed to burn myself cooking not once, not twice but thrice! Worse still they were all separate incidents on different dishes. This weekend, while up a tree sawing branches, I have managed to cut my hand on the saw. Not badly, just enough to be noticeable and annoying. I probably shouldn't be up a tree with a saw. I believe the people that do that for a living are trained and not careless... I'm also currently defrosting the freezer, I wonder how I can injure myself or damage that. As you can see, life in my mid-30s is pretty rock and roll.

It's now two weeks since my last (and third) picosure session. I'm pretty sure I'm fully healed and now we wait for fading. I really think I'm already seeing a difference in the last two weeks. I'm thinking that perhaps the pace of fading is starting to accelerate. I could be massively wrong about that. I remember being told that smokers take longer to fade, as the body is always trying to cleanse the tar and other chemicals. I'm wondering if my (slight) injuries could also be delaying the healing. Also curious if having colds etc. makes it take longer / does it fade faster in warmer temperatures.

28 January 2017

It's hard to notice but I genuinely think the more faded parts are getting clearer, I think there more skin tone coming through. I think some of the bigger dark patches are beginning to break down. There's the spot on the right hand side of the body which is the bit I'm keenest to see fade, that's when it will look really obvious. The hat is getting clear, still some dark patches but they're lightening. When I stretch my skin around the darker parts it does seem like the ink is beginning to separate.

I'm still going to leave it a few months before my next session but I think this is the first one, since I started that I've felt this positive about the removal process. We'll see how I feel in 2 months... 

There is a Crack in Everything

It's been quite a week. A new president in the US! Apparently he wants to bring the country together while getting to power through a highly divisive campaign. It's impossible to know what the future holds there. Maybe he'll be an amazing president that unifies or maybe he'll be the opposite. Only time will tell. I take some solace that the other half of the electorate were probably genuinely terrified when Obama got in.

I think it's fair to say that the most important thing that happened over the last week was the healing of my arm from my laser tattoo removal session. Obviously a US presidential inauguration is a significant event in history but as yet, this has not had a direct impact on neither my arm nor my tattoo. As such, I can't say it has much relevance to this blog.

The healing is coming along well. There was very little swelling or pain from the last session so this is to be expected. I have had 4 q-switched sessions and 3 picosure sessions. The pain from the q-switched was so much greater and the healing time much longer. I would definitely recommend picosure over q-switched. So far there was only one picosure session that even comparable to the q-switched sessions.

I think I'm beginning to see some additional fading since last week. One week on is too early to tell, it's normally a few before there's any notable change. I had begun to notice it thinning last week so likely it's a continuation from that. At this moment, I'm feeling positive about the removal again. I'm still planning on leaving it until May / June before I get another session.

21 January 2017

The Next Day

Picosure Tattoo Removal Healing Time

It's now one day after my third Picosure session. Healing is going well. Still a little swollen, but just the ink. You can't see the swelling any more but can feel it if you touch the tattoo. All my bravado yesterday was misplaced, it reddened up after a while. It wasn't bad but the tattoo turned a kind of purple colour with red behind. It was still quite sensitive but I wouldn't describe as sore. Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture!

15 January 2017

The picture above shows now. It pretty much looks fine. The colour is a little off and a little swollen. It's still a bit sensitive but nothing to worry about. I'd nearly forget I had been shot with a laser yesterday. It does feel warmer than the rest of my skin to the touch. I think in a day or two it will feel normal again. So far, I'm still recommending Picosure for tattoo removal.

Session 7, picosure 3: Return of the Lasers

Third Picosure Laser Tattoo Removal Session

Just back from my third picosure session. Really not too bad this time. He said he was going to use a lower intensity but wider spot this time. Apparently this will break down the darker ink faster and should help with removing the outlines. There was very little pain this time. It's a little swollen, I have been shot with a laser, but very little reddening. I recall my last session there was a lot of redness and some spot bleeding. This has none of those painful factors

The fading had been beginning to pick up. Two weeks ago when I made the collage I had become a little disillusioned with the whole process, again. There was obvious fading but it wasn't as fast as I'd like. Since making said collage, I had noticed an increase in the fading. My wife thinks it obviously fading, I think as I'm looking at it every day it makes it less apparent.

14 January 2017

The above was taken this morning, about an hour before the session. Caveat, the light is good here so it looks more faded than it really is. It seems in good light looks quite faded, in bad looks quite dark. I judge more the bad light as my reference is the likelihood of someone noticing that I have a tattoo. In case you missed the picture, it's quite noticeable still. I'm genuinely not sure if I imagined it or if it faded quite a bit in those 10 days. To me it seems it did.

14 January 2017

The above was taken just after I got home, around 90 minutes after the first. You can see there is some swelling. It's definitely sensitive, has been shot with a laser, but not sore. I've put some aloe vera on it and will continue to do so. After last session it was so painful I felt I had to keep applying it, I think this will be easier. I expect the swelling will have gone by tomorrow and then the waiting begins.

I think I'm going to take more time for the next session. I've noticed and it's widely documented that more time leads to more fading and better results. I'm thinking of waiting until June for the next session. The problem with this is that I've already paid and am keen to get what I paid for. I have another 3 sessions paid upfront. Waiting 6 months will mean another 18 months before finishing this pack of sessions, only then will I know if I need more. I'll see how I feel closer to the time. If I'm seeing noticeable results by May / June it will be easier to wait. If the tattoo is still quite obvious, I'll want to laser that ink again.

1 Year, 4 q-switched and 2 picosure

One Year of Tattoo Removal:

Three Q-swtiched and 2 Picosure later

It's now sort of one year since my first q-switched session. I say sort of as the 6th was the first session, but it was a leap year, but it was a Wednesday. I decided 364 days constitutes a year. It's close enough. Don't take time advice from me. If you came here to find out how long a year is, you've come to the wrong place.

I really thought that the tattoo would be long gone by now. It has definitely faded a lot and continues to do so. I have my next session scheduled for 14 January. That will be just 3 months since my last, I know that waiting longer is better for fading but this whole process is quite stressful. People keep telling me that I should just get it covered. For me it was never that I didn't like that tattoo, it's that I don't like tattoos. Getting it covered just makes the problem worse.

4 Jan 2017

Here's a small collage showing what I have from the last year. The first picture is 22 March, that was after 2 Q-switched sessions.

1 Year Collage

The dates are 22 March, 26 June & 4 January. A pretty good indication of the progress over the year. After making the collage I realised that the dates show the middle was also after my last q-switched. The image shows 2 q-switched, 4 q-switched and 2 picosure.

I'm still of the opinion that picosure is worth it, the lower pain and faster healing alone makes me think that. I also think there's a bigger difference between June to January than there is between March to June. Though that is subjective and January is a total of 6 sessions where as June is 4.