Many people find themselves wishing they could get rid of a tattoo, for whatever reason. Tattoo removal is increasingly popular, and today there are excellent solutions for getting rid of these unwanted tats. At Oceana Luxe Medspa in Corpus Christi, TX we can help with our effective and easy laser tattoo removal system.
How Long Does Laser Tattoo Removal Take?
There are a couple of factors that will determine how long it takes to remove your tattoo. These include:
- The type of ink used
- The color of the ink
- The age of the tattoo
- Your age
- How you respond to treatment
It does take multiple sessions to get rid of any tattoo, but each session builds on the previous one, and you will see real results a few months after you begin the process. Sessions are typically scheduled about 6 to 8 weeks apart to allow your body plenty of time to get rid of the broken-down ink particles from the previous session. Some people can see their initial results as quickly as 18 weeks. Most people will see their final results between one and two years after treatment.
That said, some people will see real results in just four sessions or so. Others may need as many as 15. If you stick with the treatment, you can effectively get rid of your tattoo, and we’ll explain below exactly why the process isn’t instantaneous and why some people see their results faster than others.
Why It Takes Time
Your skin is cared for, like the rest of your body, by your immune system. When the tattoo ink is injected into the skin, the immune system correctly identifies this as the invasion of foreign particles. Your immune system tries endlessly to remove these particles of ink because that’s its job.
Fortunately for those of us who want to tattoos, but unfortunately for our immune system, the ink particles are too large for the macrophages of our immune system to take them away.
As soon as the ink enters your body, your immune system sends macrophages to absorb the particles and dispose of them. The macrophages are able to absorb it, but, once they do, they cannot move and cannot let it go. That’s why tattoos are more or less permanent, though you may see fading over time as your immune system’s constant efforts start to yield some result.
Working With Your Body
Laser treatments work with your body to remove the ink particles. The laser will be tuned to a certain wavelength, depending on the color of ink it is targeting, and will be directed at the tattoo. The laser energy will break up the ink particles into small enough pieces that your macrophages can get rid of them.
Remember, however, that the ink of your tattoo has been laid down in layers. The top layer protects the layers underneath from the laser energy. That’s why we need to give you multiple sessions. The first session will break up the topmost layer, and then your body needs time for your immune system to remove those ink particles. Then, at your next session, the laser will target the second layer of ink.
How Different Factors Affect the Timeline
Even if you understand the process generally, it can still be confusing to understand why it can take the laser just a few months to get rid of one tattoo but two years to address another. That’s because there are many factors involved:
Age, Depth, and Quality
The older your tattoo is, the easier it is to remove. If you want to remove a tattoo that is really fresh, you do need to wait for your body to fully heal before you can get laser treatment at all. This usually takes about 4 to 6 weeks. Older tattoos have already been broken down a bit by the body and are thus easier to get rid of.
It also matters how deep the tattoo is. The deeper it is, the more layers there are and the longer it will take. Unfortunately, the higher the quality of your tattoo, the more time-consuming it is to remove. That’s because cheap tattoo providers don’t lay down as many layers of ink and use ink of a lower quality that’s easier to break up.
Location
The closer your tattoo is to your heart, the faster your immune system will clear away the broken-up particles of ink. That’s because your immune system depends on your circulation to do its job. Circulation is strongest and fastest closest to the heart. A tattoo on the chest or upper arm will fade more quickly than one on the ankle for this reason.
Immune System Strength
Since you are relying on your immune system to remove the ink particles, the strength of your immune system plays a part in how quickly the process happens. If your immune system is strong and healthy, you will see the fastest results. Your age matters here too, since the older we are the weaker our immune systems tend to be. All other things being equal, someone in their 50s will need a bit more time to clear a tattoo than someone in their 20s.
Ink Color
The color of your tattoo is a major factor in how long it will take. Despite what you might expect, darker colors actually fade more quickly than light ones. That’s because the darker the tattoo ink, the greater the difference in color between the tattoo ink and the skin.
When the contrast is great, the laser can be targeted more aggressively without any worry about damaging the surrounding skin. It will only target the dark color of the age. Lighter tattoos, on the other hand, need a gentler laser wavelength to protect the skin. Because there is not as much contrast, we have to be extra careful.
Size
You probably don’t need us to tell you that a larger tattoo will take a lot longer to remove than a small one. That’s because you can only have so much of your skin targeted in a single session. If you have a very large tattoo, you may have to break it up into sections to work on, treating each section with a separate session.
Can I Speed Things Up?
The good news is there are a few things you can do to make things go faster. Since your immune system is involved, you will not be surprised to learn that supporting your immune system will help it clear the tattoo more quickly.
Eat healthy and nutritious food. Get plenty of sleep. Stay hydrated and avoid drinking too much alcohol. Avoid smoking altogether, because smoking dramatically slows down the process by weakening your immune system. Finally, be sure to avoid getting any sunburn on the treatment area. We are not able to provide laser treatment for sunburned skin, so if you get a burn, you may have to postpone a session.
The Benefits of Laser Tattoo Removal
Change a Design
As we change, our tastes can change. This is normal, and people often seek tattoo removal because they want to reflect a change in relationships, affiliations, or beliefs. Laser tattoo removal can help you align the way you look with your current sense of self, allowing you to feel more confident and happy.
Alter a Tattoo More Easily
Maybe you don’t want to actually remove a tattoo. You just want to change it up a bit. This treatment is perfect for that. You can clear out a certain space or remove just a portion of a tattoo and replace it with something else.
Safe and Effective
People have been trying to remove their tattoos for millennia, and other forms of tattoo removal can be dangerous and ineffective. People have tried to remove their tattoos by sanding them off, cutting them out, and many other harmful methods. These methods rarely work, and they present ample opportunity for infection.
Laser treatments are FDA approved, really work, can be used on tattoos of all colors, and are perfectly safe.
Erase Your Tattoo
Tattoos used to be permanent, but not anymore. These days, laser tattoo removal offers an effective way to safely and completely remove a tattoo you no longer want or change things up so you can get a different tattoo. This treatment works on tattoos of any color and is appropriate for almost anyone of any age or condition. To learn more, reach out to us at Oceana Luxe Medspa in Corpus Christi, TX to get started.
