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.