How much would it cost to fade this tattoo enough for cover up or remove completely? (Photo)

Thanks for your question.  We get this same question in our office at least once a day.  You have 2 routes for laser tattoo removal.Q-Switch or nanosecond lasers came out about 20 years ago.  Picosecond laser came out about 3 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 lasers (like the Enlighten, PicoWay & PicoSure) fire 1000 times faster, using a pressure wave rather than heat to shear the ink molecules apart.  After using the PicoSure for almost 2 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.  Your tattoo is extremely large and so will be the cost of removal.  The cost for picosecond treatments will be higher, but you should need less than half the treatments compared to a nanosecond laser.

Thank you for your question. Yes, this can be removed with laser tattoo removal. In my office, I like to use Picosure laser which has a short pulse duration that exceeds photothermal action and results in an intense photomechanical impact. It works best on darker inks such as black and blue. The number of sessions required to remove a tattoo can range from 6-10 sessions. Pricing is determined by how large the tattoo is and how many sessions it requires to remove. I recommend you have consultation with an expert determine the best treatment plan for you. Best of Luck!

Luckily for you the tattoo is black ink which has the best result for removal or fading. I would estimate that it would take 2-6 treatments for enough fading.

Dear Tdupuis Thanks for your question, this is one we get quite often in our practice. Using Smart Laser technology with Rapid Removal we can get your ink faded enough for a cover up in 2-3 sessions. Smart Laser uses picosecond technology, which is the fastest laser tattoo removal technology available. Cost for Smart Laser is based upon the size and amount of ink present in the tattoo. Yours is what would be considered a large tattoo, so the price would be on the more expensive side. Pricing also varies significantly by region. You can get cheap prices on Groupon for salons in a strip mall, but it is your skin we are talking about. There are also all sorts of physicians from family doctors to Emergency Room doctors who are now using lasers, just because they can. I highly recommend a plastic surgeon or dermatologist with laser experience. 

This tattoo although all black is quite large and would come to quite a bit of money for a complete removal which I would estimate to be between 10-12 sessions. Fading would be easier on your tattoo and should respond in about 3 sessions then an artist could cover it with another large tattoo.
Costs vary but I would imagine something this large coming to 4000-7000 so fading would be considerably less.