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| Welcome to the start of my tattoo removal journey! |
| Removery provided this service for free. Our opinions are ours alone and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by Removery.️ |
| I’d been thinking about getting my tattoo removed before I even finished my last session in May 2023. I researched different options and talked to several people about it for months. After getting a word-of-mouth referral from a tattoo artist I trust, I made the decision to move forward and book my first session with Removery.️️ |
During the consultation, I learned a bunch of interesting tattoo removal facts:
- Laser tattoo removal is considered the most successful and cost-effective method (over options like dermabrasion or surgery).
- From the second we get a tattoo, our immune system tries to eliminate the ink, but it can’t because the particles are too big. The laser, especially a picolaser, helps to break down the ink into smaller pieces that our body can successfully dissolve over time.
- Black ink is the easiest color to remove, so the artist did me a favor by forgetting to add white highlights (white is the hardest color to remove).
- Some tattoos may never fully go away, especially if you have scarring. Bigger tattoos, like mine, may take 2+ years to “fully” treat.
Before we began, I was handed an ugly pair of goggles to protect my vision and a black stress ball to squeeze any pain away. The technician snapped a few before pictures, iced my arm, did a few test zaps, and then started treating 3/4 of my arm. I asked if we could do the full tattoo in one sitting, but she said no. Apparently, going all the way around my arm would cut off my circulation. Fair enough. 🤷🏻♀️ |
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| If you watch the video linked below, don’t let my calm face fool you: The laser HURTS. It felt like hot bacon grease constantly splattering all over my skin.️️ |
| Deep breathing exercises, squeezing that stress ball, and distracting myself by talking with the techs helped chill me out. Then, before I knew it, we were done! The treatment took maybe 20 minutes. Then I scheduled my next appointment and walked out with a goodie bag full of lollipops and Vaseline, aftercare instructions, and a very red arm.️️ |
| As soon as I left the studio, I noticed that my skin was incredibly sensitive to sunlight. Sun exposure felt like an excruciating sunburn. But the worst part, hands down, was the swelling. My arm blew up like a balloon, so ice packs were my best friend for 3 days straight. But all of these side effects were clearly communicated to me ahead of time (so I didn’t panic) and gradually went away within a week.
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| I’ve been staring at my tattoo all month just waiting to see changes. Compared to my own before and after photos, I already notice a *slight* difference. Finer lines of ink are starting to break down, and there’s a faint blend where there was once a distinction between the ink and my skin. But I anticipate bigger changes to come in the next few months.
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| I’ll update you all on my progress, maybe 6 months from now — I can’t wait! In the meantime, feel free to email me with any questions at wellne...@healthline.com or click below to see some videos taken during my first appointment.
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