Many people choose to express themselves with tattoos. The design might showcase your personality, it might represent something you believe in and are passionate about, it might be an expression of your love or friendship for someone. However, what resonates with you today may not be the case years down the track. There are so many reasons you decide you no longer want that particular piece of body art.

The good news is that it’s possible to have a tattoo professionally removed. Before you consider the options available, it’s important to arm yourself with the facts about laser tattoo removal and to be aware of the myths surrounding the process. 

Here are the 5 most common laser tattoo removal myths that we’ve encountered.

Laser tattoo removal is unbearably painful

You may have heard the treatment is as painful, or more so than the tattooing was. This is not the case and even though there is some sensation or pain with the treatment, it varies from one person to another and is short-lived. We use a cooling device prior to, throughout and after your treatment on the tattooed area which also helps to alleviate discomfort. Skin cooling acts to protect the skin and reduces the impact of the laser beam.

Laser tattoo removal will leave scars

Permanent scarring is something often assumed when it comes to tattoo removal by laser, and unfortunately was a common occurrence throughout the early introduction of laser tattoo removal. A professional should allow enough time between your treatment and any follow-ups to enable proper healing of your skin, which means the risk of a visible scar is small, particularly when your tattoo is being treated by the right technology. 

While nanosecond technology was once considered to be the most viable option for tattoo removal, picosecond technology has now become the gold standard for it. A picosecond pulse operates at a much faster speed, minimising the time that the laser is interacting with your skin and often within the thermal relaxation time that skin needs to recover from the laser beam hitting your skin. This leads to a faster recovery time and a significantly reduced risk of scarring.

You can only remove the whole tattoo, not part of it

The accuracy of laser tattoo removal means that you don’t have to remove the entire tattoo. If you wish, You can select a specific part of the tattoo to keep. You can even remove just one of the colours while keeping the rest.

Only an older, faded tattoo can be removed

What if your tattoo is very new and still very sharp but you want to reverse your decision to get it? No, you don’t need to wait until it is much older and already a little faded. With PicoWay technology, as long as your skin has healed from receiving the tattoo and there are no scabs, you can begin the removal process. Newer tattoos may take a little longer to remove than one that already has some fading but the laser removal process is still every bit as effective.

Tattoos can be removed in one session by laser technology

A tattoo will often require more than one session for complete removal. Factors that influence the number of sessions your tattoo may require include

• the depth & consistency of the ink
• the location of the tattoo on the body
• the type of tattoo (i.e. amateur, professional, tribal, etc.)
• and your overall immune health

Professionally applied tattoos are typically removed within 4 to 10 sessions. If your aim is to cover up your tattoo with new work, you may only need a few sessions to achieve the level of fade required to get that new artwork applied successfully.

Being aware of the myths can help you decide if laser tattoo removal is for you. If you’re looking for laser tattoo removal in Sydney, book a free consultation with one of our friendly and experienced clinicians today.