Laser Tattoo Removal - Sevierville, TN

So I didn't really set out to put this out on the web until I found this website. That is why there is not before photos.

This is my quest to have a very large tribal band on my right ankle removed I got this tattoo about 12 years ago. Over the past few years I've just grown to hate it more and more every time I looked at it.

I go for the consultation and was pleasantly surprised. The doctor discussed with me that I had a good skin type for the removal process and since it was mostly black it would respond to treatment well. Explained that the Medlite Laser he uses has very little to no scaring. Showed me a ton of before and after photos. Also told me that it was going to feel like the worst sunburn I've ever had to keep Neosporin on it for a few days that it may blister up if so not to pop them. So I'm hooked and didn't really think I would end up having my first treamtent that day.

So the nurse comes in with 3 syringes of 2% Lidocaine tells me she is going to numb up the area. And I thinking god I hope you know what your doing and she is awful at it. But I didn't have the heart to tell her after she was done that she killed me. I guess working trauma in the oral and maxilofacial field for all these years you learn how to give injections. But I digress.

So with the area completely numb the doctor comes in gives us all glasses to wear and off he went with the laser. As he was working he told me that the black, red, and dark blue ink was the easiest to remove since they absorbed the light better from the laser. Explained that the frosting of the skin was from the moisture in the skin was being vaporized by the laser. The entire treatment lasted about 30 mins from start to finish.

4/9/2014
1st treatment session
When I left the tattoo was frosted up and that lasted maybe 30 mins. The anesthetic lasted about 2 hours. As the anesthetic wore off it was uncomfortable but not awful. Later that night I put Neosporin on it and went to bed. Over the next few days I felt a tightening of the skin and the entire area was red. Within the first week I had lots of bubbles that came up under the skin none of which popped or weeped any fluid. The bubbles and the redness lasted about a week to 10 days. After that the next 5 days of my life was complete hell from the itching. The first day I tried everything with little results which includes the following: Cortisone cream, Benadryal cream, Oral Benadryal, hemrroid cream. So I get online and start the search for itching remedies and off to the health food store I go. I end up getting relief from a couple of things. Eczema cream that is colloidal oatmeal and Vitamin E. Since I've started with the first session I started taking some immune system boosting vitamins to help with the ink removal after it gets in to my system. I have still been putting Vitamin E on it for the dry skin. The skin itself is raised and you can feel a distinct difference.

The photos I've posted were all taken on 4/26/2014. 17 days post the 1st treatment.

You can see in some of the photos where the ink has broken up. All of the jagged edges of the tattoo were all once all very smooth lines with no breaks. The rose has become misshaped into something odd looking. The roses both once had black outlines and some have since broken up. The black ink was once completely black and you can see where that has broken up too. The black areas to me look some what gray in color now. I wasn't able to see the progress until the bubbles went away then I was like damn that's crazy how much different it looks.

I do and completely get why you need to wait at least 4 weeks between treatments. I'm scheduled to have treatment #2 on May 7, 2014.

The over all experience of my 1st treatment was too bad. The itching was by far the worst of it for me. Now moving forward I know what to expect and can better prepare myself for the itching to start.