27 Year Old Woman Removing Foot Tattoo - San Francisco, CA

I am 27 years old and in the process of removing a small, black tattoo on my foot that I got at the stupid age of 19. Matching foot tattoos with your "best friend" from high school seemed like a good idea at the time. Over the years, my relationships and tastes have changed. After I got married last year, I decided that it's finally time to get rid of this thing before I turn 30.

During my consultation, I was informed that the estimated number of treatments it would take for full removal would be between 6-11 treatments. Since I have a fairly small tattoo, I was quoted the minimum per treatment ($79 per session) and also received 10% off since I paid for 5 treatments upfront. My laser technician also told me that tattoos located on your lower extremities, such as the feet, would take longer to remove compared to tattoos located closer to the heart.

Since beginning my tattoo removal journey in September 2014, my tattoo has been fading nicely after 4 sessions, spaced 8 weeks after. The worst parts of this whole process is not getting zapped, but 1) the extreme itching that proceeded for the two weeks after each session (Benadryl helps) and 2) the agony of waiting so long between each session. After my 4th treatment, the technician suggested that I wait at least 12 weeks before my next treatment to give more time for my immune system to remove the ink particles that are already broken down. I scheduled an appointment exactly 12 weeks out, but ended up needing to reschedule and the earliest next appointment is in 3 weeks, totaling 15 weeks out. I'll provide another update after the 5th session.

I've been a longtime lurker of this forum and contemplated for a long time whether I should even write a review. Not that many people in my personal life know that I even have a tattoo and even fewer know that I'm getting it removed. However, I've finally decided to write about this experience as a form of catharsis and am glad to get this off my chest! Hopefully, I can get this thing off my foot as well.

It has been 3.5 months since my 5th treatment back in June 2015. I'd go in sooner for my next treatment, but the laser technician strongly advised me to wait at least 4 months to 7 months (which is too long for me). Waiting longer between sessions is supposed to reduce the risk of infection, scarring, and also the number of treatments needed to achieve the best results since you're allowing time for your body to get rid of the ink.
I'm scheduled for my 6th treatment in the beginning of October. Can't wait!

I had my 6th treatment in the beginning of October. I always know what to expect during and after each session that the process has become almost perfunctory. This is typically what happens:
After checking in, numbing cream is applied to my foot and I sit in the waiting room for about 20-30 minutes. James, the laser technician, calls me in and asks me about my last session (i.e. if there were any issues, if I noticed any lightening in the tattoo, etc.). I usually have the same answer: No to major issues. Yes to notice in lightening. Then he offers me some stress balls and protective eyewear. He will then apply an ice pack directly to the tattoo for several seconds. Test zap and then zap, zap, zap for less than 5 minutes. Is it painful? Yes, but I'm used to it by now. After the zapping session, James applies some vitamin cream to the affected area and wraps my foot up with an elastic bandage. My next appointment is then scheduled 12 weeks out. One thing that was different at my last session: Since I am considered "halfway" done, he took a picture of my tattoo before treatment 6.

For the next two weeks, the area is extremely itchy. This part is definitely the worst. At the very beginning of my removal process, I would spend about 30 minutes staring and agonizing over my tattoo almost every day. Now, there are days where I don't even think about it.

Here is a side by side picture of my tattoo before any treatments and one 7 weeks after treatment #6. Despite what the picture shows, the tattoo is actually more noticeable in person than in the pictures. However, based on the results so far, I'm optimistic that my tattoo will eventually be gone!