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.