Massive Dark Tattoo = Depressed - Newcastle Upon Tyne, GB

Very quick update with pics. Not much fading since the last update but my skin has totally healed. No scarring at all and only still slightly pink. My next session is booked for January so hopefully see the blacks fade a bit more.
Also tried to upload some before and after videos. Excuse the background music if that plays, I swear that was on the radio!

Well it's been a few weeks since my lasering now so it's time to share some photos with you all.
The skin is still itchy as hell and kind of bumpy but all scabs and blisters have gone. As I thought would happen, the lighter shaded parts of the tattoo have been pretty much cleared (I say pretty much because it's still pink so hard to be 100% sure all the ink has gone yet). The deep blacks are being more stubborn but will hopefully fade more over the next couple of months before I go again. Remember I'm not going for full removal but for a reduction on just the arm enough to get a lighter cover up. The clock face is staying.

Well I am now part of the laser club and have began my journey. Last Thursday I went down to London on the train to see Wayne at the Removal Rooms to start my Picosure blasting.
I will try to keep all the boring details of my day out of the review and keep it to what people want to know! However....the Oreo cheesecake at Hard Rock Cafe is so good - one armed or not!
Anyway, The Circle where the Removal Room is based is cool. Pretty much what you'd expect from a tattoo studio. It was clean and friendly and had a good atmosphere. Easy to find too.
Wayne met me at the door and was extremely welcoming and friendly. Very nice guy indeed.
I went on and filled in a general form about my health etc and then went into the Picosure room with Wayne. We spent probably half an hour going through the procedure, how the laser worked, the worst case scenarios possible and what would likely happen. A lot of time was spent talking about aftercare too. Very important stuff. He told me he had the new boost software on the pico which I think is a good thing! We both agreed the best and most realistic course of action was for a reduction as much as possible to get a lighter cover up that I am happy with.
And onto the lasering....For the people who say it hurts more than getting tattooed - I disagree. It is maybe on par with getting the white highlights put into your tattoos. Similar pain but slightly sharper. Plus the fact it is much quicker makes it much better.
Wayne lasered my whole Icarus piece and the eyes piece on my inner bicep. At this point I will admit the inner arm hurt more than the other parts!
Once it was done it felt like my arm was on fire, we went through the aftercare stuff again and I was all wrapped up and on my way.
I felt sick with the ache and heat for the rest of the day (didn't stop me getting the cheesecake!) and the tube journey to Kings Cross was not fun!
The day after I took off the dressing hoping not to have blistered and...oh....man had I blistered...like a [RS bleep]! I had not seen blisters like this before in my life. All of the worst ones you've probably seen doing your research on this topic, mine were worse! Also my arm was swollen almost twice the size of the other one. After a short panic and a few emails to Wayne who told me hang on in there I kept strapping it up for the next few days afterwards. Let me tell you, the aftermath is HARD! I am so glad I took a week off work. I would recommend anyone else does too. At least!
It is now 6 days later and pretty much all of the blisters have shrivelled. The whole thing is still red as hell and feels like a really bad sunburn. The swelling has gone down but is still noticeable.
I have not done any exercise for a week and this has almost killed me as I normally go to the gym every day.
The important part - has any ink came out? Yes it has. The light shading seems to have been wiped out by the pico, the dark bits look the same but obviously I know they should fade with time.
Now I've been through it I realise the trauma that your skin goes through for the process. I will be looking at at least December before even considering doing it again to let my skin forgive me and recover. I hope the next time won't be as bad...but it probably will. At least I know what to expect.
Post lasering I was very very down, wondering what I had done to myself (again!) mostly because the blisters were so shocking and I was basically housebound. I live alone so dressing my arm was a friggin challenge!
I am feeling better about it now it is starting to heal though. Another positive is that I emailed my tattoo artist and explained the situation. I wanted him to hear from me rather than stumble over it on another site or instagram or something. Thankfully he was great about it and even said he would be happy to do whatever coverup I decide to go with.
I will post photos when the redness has gone down. Any questions feel free to ask.
Cheers for listening guys.