How well would this come off via laser? (photos)

Question

I’m 19. Got this a year ago for my grandmother who passed. Not sure what I was thinking. Thought of a trillion different tattoos I could’ve gotten instead. Anyways I was wondering how well this would come out? I would rather have it in its entirety than just faded. On the ribs if you can’t tell. Didn’t want to go so big. I think my tattoo artist hated me lol

Harold J. Kaplan, MD · Answer

Hi King.  Yes, you can remove your tattoo in it's entirety, but you are in for a long road.  Green is a challenging color and you should look for q-switched Ruby or Alexandrite lasers to help.  Q-switched Nd:yg are great on the black areas, but have more trouble with green.  You are probably going to have to go through 10-15 treatments. Good luck.

Jason Emer, MD · Answer

This can be removed with laser tattoo removal. Tattoos should be removed with q switched or pico lasers. It will take a series of treatments for removal. I recommend getting a formal evaluation with a laser tattoo removal expert. Best, Dr. Emer

Wayne Wertheim, MD · Answer

that is a very large piece and it has some difficult colors in it ...blues..green. By using a multiple wavelength PICO laser you should get good results. You need to see someone with good experience in colored pieces. you also should expected around 12 treatments. Good luck!

Kory Kitagawa, MD · Answer

Your grandmother would surely have appreciated the thought, if not the result. Luckily, your tattoo can be removed with the PicoWay laser. It uses short pulses of high energy delivered in picoseconds (that’s just a trillioneth of a second) to shatter tattoo pigment, layer by layer. It’s especially good with darker colors, so your tattoo should be fairly easy to remove. Still, it will take at least five sessions, leaving about two months between each treatment for your body to clear the pigment fragments. A board-certified dermatologist will be able to help you make that butterfly fly away for good.

Laura Riehm, MD · Answer

Thanks for your question and posting a picture.  Tattoo regret is very common.  Almost every tattoo can be completely removed with enough time and treatments.  The most important factor is patience.  You have to give your body time to absorb the ink.  For laser tattoo removal you have two routes.The older nanosecond or Q-Switch lasers that came out about 20 years ago.  The majority of former Q-Switch patients we see have significant hypopigmentation (ghosting) around and under their tattoo.  The Q-Switch lasers have trouble differentiating between the melanin in your skin and ink.  The technology uses heat to burn the pigment out of your skin.  In addition, we have seen patients with raised scars as if they have been branded.  Both of these condition are irreversible.  Picosecond laser came out about 3 years ago.  Every laser manufacturer has a different marketing hook to make you choose their laser.  At the end of the day, it's about the technology and experience of the clinician.  All PicoSecond lasers (like the Enlighten, PicoWay & PicoSure) fire 1000 times faster per second, using a pressure wave rather than heat to shear the ink molecules apart.  The hype of extra wavelengths does not make that much of a difference.  The 755 nm will get rid of most of the ink colors.  For red and pink ink, you would need to make sure they have 532 nm.  After using the PicoSure for almost 3 years, we have only seen pinpoint hypopigmentation in a very small number of patients usually of darker skin tones.  We cannot say it is impossible to get burned with a Picosecond laser, but it is highly unlikely.  We tell every PicoSure tattoo patient to expect at least 6 treatments, but don’t be surprised if it takes 10 to 12.  Patience is the key for our patients.  We typically see our tattoo removal patients every 8 to 12 weeks initially.  If they have more time than money, we encourage them to come every 6 months as the tattoos seem to continue to fade while they wait.Treatment prices vary by market. The cost for picosecond treatments will be higher, but you should need less than half the treatments compared to a nanosecond laser.  Best of luck.

Lauren Chavez, MD · Answer

And, to top it all off, the ribs hurt, a lot. Sorry, but, I figure you'd rather have an honest answer. I good q-switched ruby or alexandrite laser should do a great job. A q-switched YAG, the most popular, would not be a good choice.

Richard Rosol, MD · Answer

First off, don't be so hard on yourself for choosing that particular tattoo for memorializing your grandmother. Whatever tattoo you choose, there will always be a trillion other tattoos you could have gotten. Tattoo artists can do their very best work and it can still miss whatever expectation you had in your head. It sort of comes with the territory.
Now to your problem: a big, dark, one-year-old tattoo. Removal would be highly ambitious and would require many visits to your laser practitioner. You should, of course, go to a medical professional with picosecond technology and the ability (and willingness) to numb you up for the procedure. Expect to pay several thousand dollars over the next 2+ years. If money is not an issue, you could start right away.
But I say wait. Live with the tattoo for a few years as you get your adult life started up. Many important things will compete for those thousands of dollars, including education, living, transportation expenses. Over the course of those years the ink will fade, as may your desire to remove it. At the risk of sounding parental, there are many priorities to sift through at your age. Take some of the pressure off by not spending money on tattoo removal. Or tattooing.
If you happen to find an inexpensive laser removal option, run from it. Keep waiting, It's your skin.
Best of luck to you!

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