Seattle Tattoo Removal doctors

A: tattoo removal on neck

Complete removal can never be guaranteed but black tends to be the most responsive color to laser removal so I'd be optimistic.  Professional tattoos take longer to remove than amateur tattoos.  Some people are content with significant lightening and will need less treatments than those going for maximal lightening or complete removal if possible.

If going for maximal lightening, 5-10 treatments roughly 4-6 weeks apart would be a standard range but there is variation in response that make those numbers just good estimates.  More frequent treatment might speed up resolution but would increase the overall number of treatments needed and your cost.

A: Questions about tattoo laser

In general black inks respond the best to the tattoo lasers.  You should be looking to have treatment with a Q-switched laser (usually either Nd:YAG or Alexandrite).  Multiple treatments will be necessary to get the best outcome and though it may completely disappear with enough treatments, it is certainly quite possible that the lasers will not be able to remove absolutely all of the ink.  Complications are possible with any treatment (including scarring) but in general your risk should be low, especially  for scarring.  You should ask your doctor about all the possible side effects and their likelihood in his/her practice.

Ideally your treatment will be done or directly supervised by an MD with both training and experience in skin and lasers.

A: Tattoo removal laser vs excision Excision is sometimes a reasonable option compared to laser. Excision always replaces the tattoo with a surgical scar, however. In some cases this may be acceptable if it avoids the multiple treatments needed with a laser. In larger tattoos it may not be possible to remove it all in one sitting without needing a skin graft which can definitely be unsightly. Serial excision, in which portions of the tattoo are removed with several weeks between excisions sometimes allows complete removal whole avoiding a skin graft. How feasible this is depends on the skin laxity in the area which differs by anatomic location and patient to patient.