I was finally able to take someone in with me in order to make a movie for you guys! Here it is....sorry it's not professional or perfectly image stable. I thought it would be fun though! The laser lights made a lot of streaks and bursts on the camera. The PA said some were going to be from the aiming beam. I also had to reduce the video quality in order to upload it.....
Later, I will post with answers to some of the questions that I received since July!
hey sarah, I am five treatments into hopefully a 15 treatment course. having two blue silly things on my back removed with a q-switch laser. had a treatment yesterday, it is full on pain for an hour then it cools down. then the blistering begins. but it is good to be doing something about it! I am excited. your blog is great.
ReplyDeletenice post and it will be really helpful for me.. and please keep posting up Dude!
ReplyDeleteHi Sarah,
ReplyDeletethe
I had my third treatment yesterday for a full arm sleeve (not a solid sleeve, but it spans the full length of my arm). I am in that stage post treatment where the tattoo actually appears much darker rather than lighter, which I hate. I've been reading back a few posts on your blog, and like you, I have noticed that each treatment seems to produce less and less blistering than the ones prior. After my first treatment, my arm was very painful for like three days, HUGE, and pretty much blistered fairly evenly around the entire tattoo. In the last two treatments, the blistering tends to be much more minimal, and only in certain areas (mostly around the black--my tattoo is all red and black). I can already tell that I'm going to have some scarring in certain areas, just because after my 2nd session I peeled some of it way too soon, and it was NOT pretty.
I can't believe you've already had 12 treatments! I was told at least 4-6--I never imagined it could be that many. So that's a bit discouraging. Yours has faded a lot though since you started. Can you tell me how long after your treatments it generally takes for you to see the full result? I've spaced mine out quite a bit more than you have (at least 6 months apart) since mine is so large and expensive per treatment. It's hard because I can be quite impatient, but I do think it helps return the skin to its normal texture and state before assaulting it again.
Anyway, thank you for blogging about your removal. It's good to see where someone else is at in this long process. Perhaps I'll post pictures of mine sometime for you to check out.
I'd love to see the pics of fellow removers! I think I was originally told 8-10 treatments, but from what I have gathered from other people and clinics, the more realistic number is 15 treatments for most tattoos. Scarring will and has happened, but over time, the hyper and hypo-pigmentation and textural changes appear to have lessened and my hope is that they will continue to do so years after I'm done. Thanks for the comments!
DeleteHi Sarah,
ReplyDeleteI had my 3rd laser treatment last Wednesday and for the past two nights have had intense night-time itching! I couldn't sleep - not only were my two tattoo removal areas (back and wrist) were itching but also my whole body. Its odd. This is how I found your blog. I guess my experience is normal but I did email my doctor. I am in NY - I am seeing Dr. Rand. I don't get any local anesthia, he just usually uses a cooling machine before the laser treatments. Its pretty painful but tolerable - 'somewhat'.
Wish you all the best with your treatments!
Yeah, I don't want to recommend any premature peels, because that can increase scarring. I did find that the best help for itching was to rub the Polysporin or Bacitracin (however that is spelled) on it. Itching for me seems to be caused by a drying of the skin. Not sure why it is effecting your whole body, but perhaps your doctor had some good advice for that.
DeleteHi Sarah and everyone,
ReplyDeleteI have just had my 4 th treatment on my 2 forearm tattoo's, they have red, black and green colours, after the first 2 or 3 treatments i noticed good progress, however with this last one it seems (or maybe its in my head) that the colours have increased in brightness compared to last treatment, although i have to say that i have noticed the healing process has 3 distinct phases in the 6 week interval between treatments:
1 Initial euphoria for a week or two because it appears that the tattoo has been blitzed and is vanishing
2 The scabbing and itchiness and apparent lack of fading whatsoever
3 The settling of the skin and some small visible progress.
I guess i am number 2 stage, but i am unsure that the treatment is going to work at all, has anyone else experienced this, or am i just worrying too early???
Paul UK.
Paul,
DeleteThis sounds just like the tribulations that I experience with every treatment. The first two to three treatments are like taking an eraser to pencil on a paper, but after that, things get really slow and change is gradual. My only advice is try to take comfort in the changes you do notice and try not to focus on the change you want to notice. Can't say I have mastered that, but it's a work in progress....
Sarah
Thanks Sarah,
ReplyDeleteI guess you are right, perhaps i am expecting too much all at once, i am happy with the result already because they have faded down (i made the mistake of having them done when i was on holiday and with suntan, the artist obviously thought my skin tone was darker than what it actually is:very fair, therefore leaving me with bright tattoo's)
I will just see what happens, i am prepared for about 10 to 15 treatments, thanks and good luck to you and everyone else having treatment.
Paul. UK.
Paul,
ReplyDeleteI have now had six sessions and expect to have have fifteen in total, fingers crossed. To start I hoped for only ten but after the third realised that it will take longer. Thats cool, I kind of figured they wouldn't vanish overnight.
Now the tattoos are really starting to fade, but at different rates as one was does by a better artist, the bugger really did his job properly and worked that bloody ink right in there! bastard haha. But I can almost visualise the final result and it looks good! I am lucky that when I was young and dumb and got the silly things, that I had them on my back and in blue. Makes life a bit easier.
I stick a special vitamin e cream on them when they have healed and that helps to repair the skin for the next session.
As you know it is an incredibly painful experience and WE only have ourselves to blame.
Now take your punishment like a man!
Good luck.
James
Hi!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your blog! It's great to find someone a trust with honest pictures and experiences when it comes to laser tattoo removal. I don't believe 1/2 the photos I see elsewhere, since they are probably photo-shopped.
I have a large ankle/foot tattoo that I want to go away :(
Its a red ribbon, tied in a bow that goes around my ankle and down my foot. The first time I had it tattooed, it looked horrible. So I had it redone. So it has double the ink!
But I am so scared or the pain. I'm also scared the results will be worse than the tattoo. I'm also worried about the cost, as well.
I will definitely share photos of my experience with you. Where should I send them?
Natalie,
DeleteThe tattoo sounds lovely, but I think people tend think more positively of other's tattoos than we do of our own. Cost, pain, and the psychological barriers, such as fear, are hard hurdles to overcome. My thoughts were always that I could make money over my lifetime, but I could not get back the years I would spend hating a part of my body or my image all together. I also think that pain is a necessary part of anything worth while too. These rationalizations might not work for you though, but I wish you the best of luck in overcoming those hurdles and finding the solution that works best for the whole you! I would love to see your photos as well! If you don't mind sharing them with others, I may have a better way of sharing them than emailing them?
Thanks so much for your nice comment, and I look forward to seeing your pics!
Sarah
lol thanks James! yes i am now expecting about 15 treatments too, i have just had number 6, and i will give the vitamin E cream a try, next time i have decided to leave 7 weeks between treatments instead of the usual 6, has anyone else tried this? does the extra week or two help?
ReplyDeletePaul UK.