Are DIY stick and poke tattoos easier to remove with laser tattoo removal? (Photo)

Unfortunately, a DIY tattoo creates the same situation as a professional tattoo:  You have pigment embedded deep in the layers of your skin. The best way to remove any kind of tattoo is with the PicoWay laser, which shatters the pigment with high-powered bursts of energy. It will probably take at least five treatments to fade your tattoo. Be sure you find a board-certified dermatologist to remove your tattoo, instead of using another DIY method! Those can severely damage your skin. 

This can be removed with laser tattoo removal. Tattoos should be removed with q switched or pico lasers. We also use the pfd patch to help speed up the process. It will take a series of treatments, but it's difficult to determine how many sessions will be needed. I recommend getting a formal evaluation with a laser tattoo removal expert. Best, Dr. Emer

You are an ideal candidate for laser tattoo removal! Many factors go into thenumber of treatments necessary to remove a tattoo including type of ink,depth of ink placement in the skin, location of the Tattoo, and color of theink to mention a few.  Fortunately for you, black ink is the easiest color toremove!

This is a great question as I am sure there are many young adults in the same scenario every day.  We know that's true because we treat a lot of stick and poke tattoos!  Despite conventional thoughts about this being easy to remove as its considered an armature tattoo, they can sometimes be a bit more challenging due to depth of the ink, type of ink used and amount if ink used.  We have some clients that remove very rapidly and some that take time because of how deep and dense the ink is set.  The type of ink and color of the ink also has a great deal to do with how quickly it is removed.  
I have done many of these using Q-switch technology and have never had any issues with hypopigmentation or halo/ghost effect.  PICO is also a great option but expect higher cost.  If you are patient, it will come off nicely.  Make sure your provider does not over treat the tattoo and you can avoid any complications.  Good Luck! - T.Khan MD

Stick and poke tattoos are usually very easy to remove with few treatments. Make sure you find a professional that has a picolaser as this will enable you to remove the tattoo even faster. Best of luck.

The current gold standard of tattoo removal modality is considered to be  either with 1st generation (Q-Switched) or 2nd generation (Pico) laser technology.  Price is based on size of the tattoo and the number of treatment is depending on various factors (cover up vs complete removal, laser technology, ink saturation, colors, overall health, skin type, tattoo location, etc..).  PICO is costlier; but removes tattoo much more efficiency with less discomfort. We recommend seeking laser tattoo removal treatment from a reputable professional healthcare provider in your area who is specialized in tattoos removal with both Nano/Pico technology.

Thanks for your question and posting pictures.  Almost every tattoo can be completely removed with enough time and treatments.  The most important factor in laser tattoo removal is patience.  Older tattoos tend to clear faster than new ink because your body has had more time already trying to break down the ink.  GARAGE/INCARCERATION TATTOOS USUALLY DISOLVE WITH ONLY A FEW TREATMENTS.
For laser tattoo removal you have two routes.  We are constantly asked to repair the damage caused by q-switch lasers.  Some damage is permanent.  Make sure you know all of the facts before you start.  I do not think darker skin patients should consider Q-switch lasers.
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 typically irreversible.  Picosecond laser came out about 5 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 3 and half 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.  We eventually encourage them to wait up to 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.  The patch is only used with the older nanosecond lasers.  Best of luck

Home made tattoos are usually easier to remove than professionally applied tattoos it is still difficult to predict how many sessions you will need. Expect at least 3-8 sessions but sometimes more are needed. Choose a reputable doctor who uses pico second technology. We use a PicoSure laser to remove tattoos in our office.