Jennifer Mundt, NMD

Hello and thank you so much for attaching a photo. There are a couple of reasons the pieces where the ink was is continuing to get darker. The first reason could be the ink contained titanium dioxide (a white ingredient to make the purple and blue look more pastel). This titanium dioxide when the laser hits it will oxidize and turn darker gray or black. Sometimes you can try to keep hitting this and it will lighten a little bit and sometimes the more you hit it will continue to get darker. The second reason for the continued darkening on the skin is the skin is hyperpigmenting (turning a brownish/red color) due to the continued trauma (laser) to the area. The only way to mitigate that is to stop hitting it so your skin can heal. And then, there are lightening creams you can possible try to lighten the hyperpigmentation out faster. It can take months or years to clear the hyperpigmentation, but you need to stop hitting the area with the laser so you stop creating more hyperpigmentation. Good luck!

Hello and thank you for sending in a photo. The general rule is to wait 8 weeks after getting the tattoo to begin removing it with a laser. it must be fully healed prior to beginning removal. Also, unfortunately the newer the tattoo then the thicker the ink and more difficult it is to get out. It will generally require more treatments. The other option is to excise the tattoo. It will not take as long as laser, but you will have a surgery-like scar after the excision, Good luck!

Hello and thank you for your question and for providing photos. If you have not already, try using a PicoWay laser by Candela Medical. It has great strength when it comes to finishing tattoos. Also, there is a setting on the PicoWay called the Resolve that can help heal away the underlying brown of your skin (the hyperpigmentation). The hyperpigmentation always make a tattoo removal seem slower even though it is just a skin healing color. Good luck!

Hello and thank you for sending photos! An excision scar will be longer than the tattoo if the doctor can even do excision in the area. When you have already fading ink, laser removal with a newer technology laser would be very successful and leave you with little to no scar at all if you do not have any to begin with from the tattoo artist. I recommend the PicoWay laser by Candela Medical. It is smart when it hits your ink so there is minimal damage to your skin. Each treatment should show fading starting about 1 week after your first treatment. It will take multiple treatments, but look really good when you get done. Good luck!

Hello and thank you for providing a photo. Laser would be your best option and the most important thing when it comes to a laser on your skin is the wavelength used. The wavelength needed is the 1064nm. It does not pick up on the melanin in your skin as much, so the removal will look much better when you get done. Also, try to find a newer generation of laser called picosecond (like the PicoWay). Each treatment with a PicoWay will clear double the ink as a q-switched laser will clear. The laser's job is to break up you ink into tiny pieces. Then, your detox immune system will grab the ink and clear it away. This takes time, so in between each treatment you should wait at least 2 months, but sometimes on a large tattoo you should wait longer due to the volume of ink you have giving it more time to clear all the broken up ink. Some tattoo removal places will have a doctor or nurse on staff in which case you can hopefully do numbing. After each treatment will be very hot, please use aloe vera and ice packs to cool it down (maybe for 2-3 days after). Good luck!

Hello and thank you for your picture and your question. You should have a very simple tattoo to remove. All tattoo removal companies will have their own pricing and you should fit into their smallest category. How many treatments is based on a few things like how thick the ink is, where it is on your body, skin tone and scar tissue from the tattoo artist. Your ink does not look very thick, but it is on your finger (farther from the heart takes longer to clear ink). Also I think I see some minor scar tissue that will look like a small scratch when the ink gets cleared. The most important thing is that you use a wavelength safe for your skin tone. PLEASE use a 1064nm wavelength. Any other wavelength has potential to scar you permanently. The smarter, newer technology lasers (like the PicoWay) will decrease your number of treatments compared to a q-switched laser. I would estimate 3-5 treatments with our PicoWay. Good luck!

Hello, Thank you so much for this question. What you are seeing is most likely bruising. I often see it in my own patients. It will go away just like normal bruise with no long-lasting mark.

Hello, thank you for your question and for the photo. You can start tattoo removal treatments 6-8 weeks after you get a tattoo. The type of laser used will determine number of treatments. You will do less treatments if you use a picosecond laser like the PicoWay by Candela Medical. It is also much less scarring than some other lasers out there. If the PicoWay is used correctly, the only scarring you should have left over is if you got any from the tattoo artist when they put it in.There are options for numbing which can make the process much easier (especially if you use injectable numbing). Best of luck!

Hello and thank you for attaching a photo. Pastels and purples can be difficult to remove completely. If the colors contain titanium dioxide (a white ink ingredient that make pastels look "pastelly") once the laser hits them then the titanium dioxide ingredient turns gray/black. It will tend to stay that way permanently. So, your tattoo could turn darker for long term. I have tried to hit an area like this many, many times and it still doesn't come out and it usually causes scar tissue the more and more treatments you do. It may be worth trying a test spot on your ink to see if it even contains titanium dioxide.

When it comes to the purple, you need to make sure the laser has a wavelength that hits purple. You need a 755nm or 785nm wavelength. The PicoWay by Candela has a nice, powerful 785nm to hit purple. I wish you the best of luck!

Hello and thank you for attaching a photo. Try no to feel bad about getting a cover-up. It is always so hard to know what is the right thing to do. What you will want to focus on now that you are thinking about a removal is finding a laser that removes all colors and an experienced provider. I recommend a picosecond laser (like Candela's PicoWay) as it has a 1064nm, 785nm and 532nm wavelengths to remove all colors. The picosecond lasers are smarter about how they hit the ink if used correctly and you will most likely need less treatments compared to an older technology q-switched laser. You will still need many, many treatments due to how thick, new and colorful your ink is. Lastly, if you can find a doctor who can do injectable numbing you will be able to get through your treatments so much better with much less pain. Good luck!!