How Long Does It Take to Remove a Tattoo?

Thank you for the question. 

 The number of treatments that will be necessary will depend on the Ink  color,   depth of ink ( amateur versus professional tattoos differ) and tattoo location.

You should be aware that multiple treatments will be necessary (at least 8) spaced at least one month apart. You should also be aware that after treatment some residual ink  may remain despite best efforts. Treatment may also result in hypo or hyperpigmentation of the area depending on the skin reaction to the laser treatment. Unfortunately, despite treatment, you may always be aware that this tattoo was present in this area. The results do tend to improve with time and sun exposure.

Best wishes.

The number of treatment sessions would depend on several factors eg The Colors involved, anatomical location of the tattoo, your Fitzpatrick skin type (how well you tan), layering, amount of ink and the presence of scarring or tissue change. 

Because it will take time for your body to absorb the pigment particles after the laser procedures, procedures need to be spaced at 4-6 week intervals.

Tattoo removal is a complicated procedure. There are several factors that will determine how many treatments you will need. These factors include: color, location on body, layering, scarring and ethnicity. Colors that are easier to remove are blacks, dark blues and reds. All other colors are harder to remove and are typically more expensive to treat as well. The location of the tattoo on your body also will help or hinder the treatments needed. Tattoos closer to your heart, such as chest and  neck, will require less treatments. If a tattoo was layered over another tattoo, that also will increase your treatment numbers tremendously, simply because there is a lot more ink that needs to be dissolved. Scarring will create a rough thick layer that will hinder the laser’s penetration depth making it trickier to treat a tattoo. Because all tattoo removal lasers target pigment, a darker skinned person may need more treatments at lower levels to prevent the laser from targeting their natural skin tone and causing hypopigmentation. Treatments typically are scheduled about a month apart.