How Long Does It Takes?

The amount of time for a full tattoo removal can vary from a couple of months to years.  Let’s take a look at some factors that contribute to that variance:

• Most professionally done tattoos have more ink in them vs. “party tattoos” that people got while experimenting as teens or just having anyone else other than a tattoo artist ink ’em up.  The reason for this is mostly just quality of design – if you go to a professional looking for a real piece of art, they’ll usually put a little more time and effort (and ink) into tattooing something that’s really supposed to last.

Today's result as I am posting this blog.

• As a tattoo ages, tiny particles of ink are naturally circulated out by the lymphatic system. This is what causes natural fading as the tattoo ages. What the laser does during tattoo removal is speed up this process by breaking up the cellular walls that are within the area of the tattoo.  The particles that are circulated out because of laser treatments end up being much, much bigger than when the tattoo is naturally fading. That said, keep in mind that if the tattoo’s older, it’s already on it’s way in a sense!

23 days after 2nd treatment

• How effectively your tattoo can be totally removed has a lot to do with how strong your lymphatic system is, which in turn has at least a little bit to do with how healthy you are in general. People who are more active and make it a point to drink a lot of water regularly are the people who experience the quickest, most effective removals with the least amount of side effects.