Bye, Bye Burn...

On this last treatment, the heat for the "black" laser was turned up to 9 which is one level under the max. I was freaked out for the potential healing implications, but it went well! I actually peeled today almost wholly. I usually take many days to peel entirely, and I don't even begin to peel until after seven days. I am only at day 6 today.  I am not sure how this happened, but this was the best bout of healing so far!

One of the best parts of this past week was that I didn't even feel the burn...not once. I am not sure if it has to do with the amount of heat harming my nerves so much I didn't even feel it or if I am adapting to the burn to where it doesn't even enter my consciousness anymore. Not sure? I just feel like it all flew by.

The only downside was the amount of bruising. Right away when I took off my bandages, the tattoo itself was purple (never seen that before), and it hurt to the touch instantaneously. I have often wondered what causes the bruise...the force of the pops...the heat of the laser? I am still not sure, but there was an increase in heat and an increase in the bruising atop the tattoo...so? I took some pictures of the purpleishness, but often when taking pictures of my tattoo, I will look back and realize the pics I took really were not good (too much glare..etc).

Some pics I really want to share are those right after a peel, because the tattoo looks pretty scarred and really pink. I thought it might help those persons just taking off the burnt skin for the first time feel a little better, because it gets a lot better. In a about four to five weeks, it will look a lot less tinted. (This is also why I cannot take progress pics until just before my next treatment.)

Here I go again.....

Well, I can't believe I have already done this to myself seven times, but I am sitting icky with blisters again. Looking at the pics from each time to the next is getting less and less thrilling, but here is the side-by-side after #5 and after #6. Tell me if you notice a difference?

The one thing I see is a bit of browning (in the center) from getting too much sun, but apparently here in Arizona even avoiding direct sun exposure and wearing sunscreen under my clothes, doesn't appear to be enough to keep away a tan. Bummer!

I wanted some drama, so I made a pic showing my progress so far from beginning to now. This is the left side:

I mean I lost a lot of ink, but how persistent is this! My only recourse for happy thoughts is that maybe with a few or five more treatments and a tan - I think it will blend?

This is comforting, but the image on the right is a little darker than it should be!

Numero Six is Out of the Way

I just had treatment number six, and it went great as usual! I am getting used to the needle pricks and pops of the laser, but of course the PA does a great job of making sure I feel as little as possible (Thank you Jennifer!). 

This time (April 1, 2010) I finally remembered my camera, so I can share an "ash" photo. I guess this is my skin turning to ash...lol!


















**Notice the instant swelling, as depicted by the bulge on the left side of my arm.  This is why bandaging the first night is an arduous task. It becomes my arm with a tennis ball and a tent a-top!

Here are some other photos while I was in the doctor's office, so you see what it was for me pre-six:

Here is the before and after for my last treatment, so the photo on the right was taken in the same place and time (for lighting purposes) as the one just before treatment number 5. You are therefore seeing the effects of one laser treatment, before and after treatment five.

Very subtle! It really exemplifies the whole reality that the laser "fades" the tattoo away.

Well...I'll keep you posted. Thanks for visiting, and a special Thank You to everyone who has left encouraging and supportive comments, I really appreciate it!

The Look of Peel!

This is a pic from my last peel session (after treatment # 5). 

I took this photo a week after my last treatment, but I must have forgotten about it. This image clearly shows the layer of dark, "burned", skin that lays over the tattoo and eventually peels off. It makes the fading process a real surprise, because I have no idea what's left under that skin.  I'm always excited to see!

Moving Along After Number 5

Well, I had treatment number five as scheduled on Friday the 19th.  From that experience, I have a couple things to clear up.  The first is that when I asked about the max heat the PA said it was not the highest heat possible as far as the laser goes, but it was as hot I was going (that is the 755).  Secondly, she mentioned the "textural changes" might diminish or go away all-together. This does not mean it is not scarring - just that it is not permanent.


So here I am on day three post treatment, and the healing process is not the same as it has been.  I can say from these five treatments that the healing process is never the same even though nothing changed from session 4 to 5.  One thing I was told early on is that the laser responds to ink, so perhaps the healing process will never be the same from treatment to treatment, because the ink concentrations and locations are changing.  I think about this with the image of those uniform blisters in mind which in retrospect was a sign of even ink. Now, I get massively large blisters where the ink is darkest, and yet, I don't get any blisters in some areas, even where the laser hit it.  Very interesting! Also, this time around and to date (day 3), I have had almost no bleeding and no oozing.   The cleanest bandages so far, which is helping me make a change in wound maintenance.

Now, I am only changing my bandages once per day. During the last heal sessions, I was changing them twice a day (once in the morning and once in the evening after my shower), but I started to get blisters from the tape I use to keep on the tefla pads.  The paper tape was ripping and rubbing at my skin causing reddness, blisters, and pigment changes.  Changing the bandage only once per day wouldn't have been possible if I had been bleeding and oozing like before, so I am glad to have this opportunity. My skin needs it!  The only caution I have for doing it once per day is that it requires more polysporin/bactatracin (spelling?) to keep the tattoo from drying out. 

Here's to hoping for a short heal time!

Side by Side ~ Tattoo Removal Before and After Only 4 Treatments!!

** After 4 Treatments **

Here is where I am at before treatment number 5 which I will be getting later today! If you look at the original pics from the dermatologists office, I am making some progress! How many treatments do you think I have left until I am done?

!! I Finally Peeled !!

Well, I finally got that yuck skin off last night.  One thing I always notice is that the peel session really amps up the burning feeling (in general and to the touch).  I wonder why the brown layer coming off would have this effect, or how could having that skin on mask the intensity of the hot feeling if it was always there?  This time I am going to ice it (or put a cold beer on it in between sips) and see if the sensation will subside any faster.  This could improve the look of it...speed the healing...or just stop the burn!

Also, when I went in for treatment number four, the PA said, "OK, you have some textural changes" which in layman's term means the petal on my left (the one that is going away the fastest) is scarring.  Yes, if you hear, "textural change" that means you're headed to a scar if you're not careful.  I think it's taking more hits and rubbing due to the fact that I sleep on my back.  So, my goal this time around was to sleep on my stomach as much I could.  I figured wear away at the other petal, and maybe they will even out! Additionally, I used more cream on that area than before.

I will post a pic tomorrow of how I am looking.

Pic Problems

I am trying to post some pics of my last treatment, but for some reason they are being flipped.  I guess I will just post them and change them later.

I wanted to post this one, because this is what I seen on day four and thought, "Woohoo, will all this pink and red my treatments are probably over!".

Not quite!  This is really what I am now looking at...more color! However, I think
  some of this color could be due to the bruising.









         This is good shot of those initial blisters, but
          it is also a good way to see how the
   laser really does not harm or puncture the skin.









I will say as far as healing goes that I am starting to itch which means that burned or "black" layer of skin will be ready to come off in a couple to a few days.  I really hope this isn't the start of two week long healing bouts...scary!

4th Treatment Done!!!

Well I had my 4th treatment done on Monday the 18th, so it has been exactly one week.  Usually at this point I am completely healed and done wearing bandages, but not this time.  For this treatment, I heard her say maximum heat at 755 or 752 (I can't remember), but I do remember the increase in pain.  Usually I can't feel a thing, but I did this time...a lot of pain.  It was not unbearable just more than usual.  Well the sensory difference wasn't the only I noticed to be different.  As soon as I took off the first bandage, I noticed a lot of blood, and I had large blisters already forming.  The last treatment I noticed a good reduction in bruising to where I had none that was visible (although I could feel it to the touch), but this time I have bruises equal to the 2nd treatment.  Where it is all around the tattoo, but the marks are not running down my arm as was the case post-treatment number one.  The strange thing is that I do not have any pain to the touch.  It is as if this time the damage to my arm is entirely, versus before where it almost felt as though my muscle was bruised.


I am not sure why I am not healed yet.  I think it probably has more to do with a greater intensity of the lasers than my immune system, but we will have to see.  I will definitely post when I am off the cream!  I feel I am almost at the stage where my skin gets foggy.  I am pretty sure that will happen soon, so looks like I am close.

I will post some pics of how it is looking now as soon as I can edit them. I can't wait to post an after I am healed!  Technically according to my consultation, I am half way done!!! Woohoo!

Progress Pics!!!

Sorry it has been so long since I posted, I won't let that happen again! I had a treatment done on December 3rd, and I was able to get my progress pics up until that point (3 treatments in)! I posted them below!

It's looking good so far, and I am happy with the work of the lasers each time I go. I have been warned that at treatment 5 or 6, which I will be nearing soon, can get depressing as the progress slows, but I am still pleased and happy to be trucking along! My last treatment went just as the others have. The only thing I really notice to be different is the bruising doesn't really show up anymore around the area surrounding the tattoo, but it seems as though I feel pain when I touch the actual tattoo area for many weeks after now. For example, it has been almost a month since my last treatment, and it still hurts to the touch as if there is deep-tissue damage. While I feel my skin is getting used to this, the tissue underneath seems to be wearing tired of getting zapped every six/eight weeks.

One thing I wanted to mention about me personally as it relates to my progress, I have been on immune suppressant drugs from the beginning of these treatments, because I have a "hyper-active" immune system which means I have an autoimmune disorder. So the reason I may be making such good progress is because my immune system is at the ready to destroy anything and everything. This also can complicate my progress, because my skin is slightly worse off or weak than normal tissue. I thought I would mention this, because it obviously has some effect. If things are not going for you perfectly similar to me, perhaps it is because I am not exactly functioning with the usual immune system. And what we know from these pigment targeted lasers is that they break-up the pigment molecules to be small enough for your immune system to cart them off and out. I can't say what difference this translates to, but maybe you can tell me your progress, so we can juxtaposition!

Thanks for the comments! I am glad to hear this is informative for people. My mission was to fill in the blanks of what to really expect when getting lasered, as the clinics just talk about the "minimal pain". I wanted real details, and I hope I am providing that to you! Good luck with your treatments, and let me know how it goes!

Third day brings familiarity....

The thing to note in this picture is the blood pooling in the petals did not happen the first time around. Scroll down to see the pics from day 3.


The third day brings familiarity, because the small uniform blisters have made their appearance as scheduled. One thing I noticed early on after this treatment was the immediate appearance of blisters, so I thought this time around the healing process would be unpredictable (most likely from the increase in heat). It's nice to see the healing happening in a familiar progression, so I can be a little more confident in how it will turn out at the end of this round. I don't want any scarring!! There is still a bit of a difference, because the blisters are actually blood blisters. If I had to pick one thing to note about my 2nd time around, it would be that I'm always bleeding, whereas the first time almost none at all (except that which came from the needle pricks).

Also, I am starting to see the characteristic bruising, although I think since I did not get the laser for the red ink, which last time felt really hot on the surrounding skin (the skin not anesthetized), I won't bruise as much. I really believe that laser hit not only hotter but harder.

2nd Treatment Out of The Way!

This is me after taking off the first bandage post-treatment and contemplating my next week of polysporin and bandages :(



Well my 2nd treatment is done. Well part of it anyway. There was a problem with the machine, so this time only the black and green got lasered. This time was also different, because today and from now on, the intensity of the laser will increase each time to see how much my skin can take. I think I definitely noticed this increase, because upon taking off my bandage, I discovered a lot of blood unlike last time when I had next to none. Also, the softball of inflammation is already there, and this time around I am having to use an ace bandage over my non-stick pads, because the paper tape cannot compare to the swelling, and it just wouldn't lay down.

I have taken some initial pictures today, but it is dark and my camera is either too bright with the flash or too dark without when taking up-close shots. The only thing I really wanted to show was that the blisters are already making their appearance, because if you remember, last time it took days for the blisters to form. This time they are also less uniform and large in size. So I will get my pics of today edited and put them up as well.

In the upcoming weeks, I will address some things I should have specified in regards to my healing process and some mistakes I made the first time around. For informational purposes, I will also be posting the name and types of lasers I am using just in the case anyone wanted to know (see "Stats"). Also, the dermatologists office has been taking pictures, and I will hopefully get copies of those as well, as they are much better than my camera.

The last thing I wanted to note is the doctor said she was really impressed with my progress, and she said she is not easily impressed at this point in her career!! Yeah to some good news!

Next Treatment Jitters!

Well, I go for my next treatment on Thursday (the 29th), and I am getting anxious. I think about peeling off the skin again to see how much ink will have disappeared this time, and I am worried this time around I may feel like it is taking too long. My estimate for complete removal was 5-8 treatments, so you'd think after two I would look like I was half way there...hopefully?. Maybe I will reserve that thought for after treatment three...not sure. One thing I cannot do is exercise for at least 3-5 days afterward, so I will be getting as many workouts in before Wednesday as possible.

Brown Clouds?

Well my tattoo is starting to feel a little like it did a week ago. I am experiencing some itching and bumps, but the bumps are under the tattoo not atop as before. I believe this to be a sign of my immune system attacking the now smaller pigments. I wish I could see this progress, but I have also developed a brown cloud in the tattoo. I thought it was just the on the perimeter, but it is inside as well. I believe this is why it looks more true to red now instead of the pretty pink flower I had upon removing the burned skin. I wonder if this is a scar. I know I tend to hyper-pigment when I get a cut, but it always fades rather quickly. I have my next treatment in about 6 weeks, and I am starting to think what is going to happen to this wound over time from getting this done again and again. I really want to see my skin completely normal at least two weeks before the next treatment. I wonder what I can do to speed the healing?

2 Weeks Post Treatment

Well after the first two weeks, I am still not to normal. A day or two after the scratch fest and subsequent peeling incident, the skin over-top the tattoo began to look very glossy and slightly wrinked, like a thin scar, and that skin has been peeling for awhile. The good new is the feeling of being hot to the touch has disappeared. The tattoo does seem to have darkened in color since the peeling incident when the tattoo was bright pink, so I am not sure why but I hope it is due to the scar like tissue or a residual 'tan'. In some places there is a dark brown cloud, I believe this to be why it is darker and due to some wort of "tanning" from having my skin hot for so long. Bummer...I was really looking forward to having a pink rose for awhile! Next time, when it gets to the point where I can put lotion on but it is still hot, I am going to use straight Aloe Vera to take out the heat.

This photo shows pigment breaks pretty well as the outlining was really sharp and dark.

Day 10....It puts the lotion on it's skin

The PA told me I would know it was healed when I could use lotion again, and that is exactly where I am at. I feel the need to lotion it up as often as possible. It is also still really hot to the touch, but almost all the itching has gone away. What itch is left is usually soothed by rubbing on the lotion. I am glad. I have a lot to be happy for, because I feel normal again, and I have been able to completely abandon the creme.

My philosophy for life is that it is always a bad day when you're schlepping on some creme!

Day 9....Hot and Peeling

With the wound now feeling completely gone, the skin on my tattoo feels very hot to the touch exactly like a sunburn, but it has lasted all these days. The skin is now peeling on top of tattoo, so it just looks a like really dry skin. There is a shimmer as if the top layer (the one that is left) is scarred, but I have a feeling this whole layer will peel off. As of yet, I can't get any good picture of it. The bruising is almost completely gone, and I feel like it took exactly 7 days to heal.

Middle of the Night Scratch Fest...

In the middle of the night for day eight going on to the ninth day, the itching was waking me up, and I kept trying to satisfy it by scratching around the tattoo. It wasn't helping, and while asleep I accidentally scratched the tattoo. It woke me up, and I was afraid to see what I had done. But I think it was a good thing! I peeled off some skin and decided to go for the whole lot of it. I started peeling, and what came off was black and brown skin. It came off really easy, and it was only the skin atop the tattoo. What was underneath was a now a pink rose and pretty good looking skin!

Days 6, 7, and 8....Itching!!!

So, now I have gone through bruising, burning, bumps, oozing, and now insatiable ITCHING, like crazy. I will spend a couple of days like this and not quite sure what to make of it. Then after my shower on the 7th night, I noticed the skin was moving around on top of my tattoo when I applied the creme. It would wrinkle and bubble. It was obvious the skin was only attached at the perimeter. I thought I would scar if I did anything, so I let it air out a bit. I stopped wearing bandages and limited my creme. Well, day 8 fades into the night, and after my shower, the skin is fogged up underneath and the itching is too much too ignore. (See Skin Fog Photo)

Day 4...Ooozing

My skin is yellowing from the bruise fading immediately around the tattoo, and the bumps are oozing a little yellow especially if the movement in my arm squeezes the bandage which squeezes the blisters. At this point, I would take extra precaution to over tape the bandage to prevent clothes from getting stained.

This feels like a divorce....

At this point, I realize I actually got it done after all of these years of wanting to and debating, and now it's sad. It feels like a divorce. I am not sure how I will actually handle having it gone and not being able to see it anymore. I really liked my tattoo some days, but the days I didn't...I hated it with a passion and those times took precedence. I didn't take many pictures of it cause as the years went on the color faded and the original tattoo came through pretty well to make the rose really dark, so it was a depressing...dark flower. I thought about at times having it redone to make it look blue, but I knew from far away it would like a blob. I am kind of sad about this, but I have wanted this for so long. I realize if anything I can have something of my choosing put over it if it comes to that.

Day 4....Bumps!

On the fourth day, two things changed. The first was that the bruise was creeping down all the way toward my elbow it was as if my muscle had been bruised. It looked like I lost the fight! Also, the whole tattoo turned into mini "bumps" which were probably blisters. I kept pouring on the polysporin. I was advised not to let it dry out and keep it from sticking to anything, and I am still changing my bandages which were tefla pads and paper tape twice a day (morning and after my shower just before bed).

Pics

Day 2 and 3...Keepin it Covered

For the second and third day, I didn't do much with my arm but take pics and keep it covered. It still felt a little alien from the creme, bandage, and the soreness which was spreading down my arm. It looked as if a tennis ball was placed under my tattoo.

The Next Morning...

This was the first morning after getting my first treatment!

The first shower…later that night:

For anyone that has ever been burned, scraped, or slid through rocks, the first shower is always scary, and I was not looking forward to the water running over a fresh wound. The shower went fine. It was not painful like getting dragged through the rocks which meant my skin was still intact. I did keep it out of the stream as that would of been to much pressure on the skin. When washing it, I gently rubbed some soap on it. The soap I use is pretty clean meaning no chemicals or nasty stuff. I used the Method Brand bars of bath soap (I love those!) and then I just splashed some water on it to get the soap off. There was still a little ointement residue, but I do not recommend trying to get it all off. It's protecting the skin more than anything and preventing scarring is the ultimate goal, so we do not want to disturb the injured skin. After my shower, I was interested to see what I would find with most of the polysporin and blood removed. There was a lot of bruising. The entire perimeter was bruised, and there was a giant fluid sac of a bruise spanning an inch below the tattoo. This was the pain and soreness I was feeling. No burning, just pain to the touch. When looking at my tattoo from the side, it was clearly raised and swollen about 1/4 inch off of my arm. It really looked beat up! But felt great compared to what I was expecting.

Removing the Bandage...Day One

After 7 hours of wearing the bandage they put on me at the Doctor's Office, this is what I found. Not too bad, only a little blood from the needle pricks. It smelled pretty foul though. I would not recommend going to work or school afterward. You smell and you're really tired.

Hour One Post Procedure:

I was told the pain would not come until the anesthesia wore off, so as I got in the car, I started getting nervous again. As time went on, maybe an hour later, the pain came. It was a burning like a sunburn when you are still in the sun. You feel this need to cover your arm as if it will help. Then I started feeling like someone had punched me in the arm over and over again. I knew there may be some muscle weakness, so I chalked it up to that.

After the first four hours, I couldn’t feel anything other than sore.

The first procedure: August 27, 2009:

Well, I must admit when going to see doctors and the like I am not one to ask too many questions, so it was no surprise when consulting with the dermatologist's office about getting my tattoo removed, I did not ask any questions. Basically, when can I do it? An important question would have been, does it hurt? Luckily, PA Allison remembered after our consultation to tell me that I would get anesthesia. However I took this to mean I would get a topical kind of some sort but still feel it. So the day of the procedure, I was nervous. As I laid down in the chair, I started to get super nervous. My heart raced. My hands started shaking, and I started holding my breath which is exactly what I did in anticipation of the pain when I got my first tattoo. I almost passed out eleven years ago, so it was easy for me think of the ways in which I was going to fade out this time.

The anesthesia came and to my surprise it was injections or local anesthesia. The anesthesia had epinephrine in it, so if you are sensitive to caffeine, you may want to prepare for a good buzz. (My tattoo eraser told me later to have a good meal before hand which would be good advice if you get nauseous from nerves). I got a lot of the injections, and before the treatment even started, the PA checked my "awareness" with a poker of some sort to see if I could feel anything. So needless to say, I couldn’t feel much during the treatment. I maybe felt 10-12 of the “pops” on the edges of my tattoo. Considering I was so very well anesthetized, I doubt I really “felt” those in full intensity anyway. I got two lasers one was the laser for black and the other was the laser for the red and green. The only difference was the “green” laser came off a little hotter. I guess I felt this from the neighboring nerves but I had not sensed any heat from the “black” laser. The procedure itself took maybe 20 minutes, and the majority of the time was really spent numbing my skin.

Stats

Current Tattoo: Rose with a red flower and two green and yellow petals on both sides
Colors Included: Red, green, yellow, white, and black
Size: 4" X 1 ½"

Originally Tattooed: February 1999
Cover-Up: End of 2000

Cost Per Treatment: $350

Lasers:
Trivantage Laser (candela)
Qswitched
532- red/yellow/orange
755- green/teal
1064- black/purple

Time in between treatments: 8 Weeks
The PA said my immune system will remove the particles for up to 8 weeks after each treatment, so getting them done any sooner is a waste of money and increasing the scarring or pigmentation problems.

I started this chronicle in a notepad, so you may notice the dates don't match up or I may fix that later. Let me know if you have any questions about my tattoo removal or anything I may have left out about the process!

Background

So, I got tattooed when I was sixteen. I didn't think too much about it. I wanted a tattoo, and there was a guy living in my apartment complex that was just starting out which means he had only tattooed himself. up to that point.  I don't think he was much older than me maybe 18 or 19. He was willing to do it for free, so I said OK. It didn't take long for me to regret this, so as soon as I turned 18, I went downtown and got it covered up. I wanted to get something in black, all-black, but the guy didn't think it would work out without looking bad. He drew the flower by hand and a little later I returned to get it. In retrospect, I am not sure why even got it. I hated roses. Nine years later, I am getting it lasered off! 

 

I am doing the modern day laser tattoo removal method which uses different lasers and wavelengths to target each color of pigment and blasts them into smaller pieces, so my immune system will remove them. I wanted to do this blog, because when looking for real information from a source other than the companies which peddle the laser guns, I couldn't find anything which would take me through the whole process for an honest and in-depth forecast.