How Long Before New Tattoo Can Be Removed?

Question

I have a fresh tattoo that didn't come out the way I had hoped. Matter of fact, it was done yesterday and I feel quite distraught about it.It is about 5 or 6 inches above my ankle bone and is a sun with a black center and orange/red flames. I did it to cover up a very old and tiny tattoo and wound up unhappy.How hard would Tattoo removal be and how long do I have to wait to get started since it was just done?Thank you, Tracey

Louis M. DeJoseph, MD · Answer

Timing for this depends on your skin healing after the tattoo placement. I usually have patients wait roughly 2 weeks after getting a fresh tattoo before beginning laser removal treatments. As far as your colors are concerned, you will require a q switched 1064nm Yag for the black portion and ideally a Q switched 532nm green laser for the yellow and red flames. Hope this helps.

Anh-Tuan Truong, MD, FACS · Answer

You should wait until the skin completely heals from the tattoo process before treating the tattoo.  Generally this takes at least 6 weeks.  Then seek out a professional with a pico-second laser like a Picosure.  Best of luck!

Raffy Karamanoukian, MD, FACS · Answer

Laser tattoo removal can be performed on fresh tattoos if the skin has epithelialized and well healed. Best, Dr. Karamanoukian

Jennifer Mundt, NMD · Answer

Hello, Your skin needs to fully heal prior to getting started on laser tattoo removal (6-8 weeks is usually sufficient). Newer tattoos are usually thicker ink as they have not had time to fade like a 3-5 year old tattoo would. So, expect to have to do more treatments to get it going. Also, waiting longer in between treatments can be beneficial when using a PicoWay laser as it will break up more ink and need more time for a good clearing. An experience tattoo removal medical professional will be able to estimate how many treatments you might need and give you advice on wait time.

William Yates, MD · Answer

I usually recommend to wait between 1.5 - 2 months before removing the tattoo. The Tattooed area has to0 be completely healed before doing anything to it.

Best of lucks!

Hardik Soni, MD · Answer

I recommend waiting six weeks after getting a new tattoo to have it laser removed. This is because you need time for the skin to heal after getting a new tattoo. If the skin is not healed you may have complications like scarring. Black ink is the easiest color to remove.

Kory Kitagawa, MD · Answer

Tattoos traumatize the skin. Therefore, it is generally recommended that you wait anywhere from two to six weeks before undergoing another procedure. Based on the colors you described, I would probably use a PicoWay Laser to remove your tattoo. Consult with a board-certified dermatologist who specializes in tattoo removal to determine your best timeline and options.

David S. Rosenberg, MD · Answer

laser tattoo removal can be done 6 weeks after a tattoo is done.  It should not be done sooner than that.

Michael H. Gold, MD · Answer

Tattoo regret is quite common, and I am sorry for your problem. Most of us would tell people you should wait for about 6 weeks for this to be treated – but over the years I have treated these tattoos pretty quickly and have had some success in doing so. You need to make sure you are going to a really skilled provider that treats lots and lots of tattoos and that they have several types of tattoo lasers available to treat the different colors you are describing. Find a board-certified dermatologist or plastic surgeon to treat this – and you need to know it takes several to many treatments to remove a tattoo. We have several new lasers available now which are better than previous ones; both of the Q-Switched variety and the new Pico second lasers – which may, and I say may, work faster in removing tattoos.

Eric Schweiger, MD · Answer

In order to remove a tattoo, you must wait  6 weeks from the time it has been placed. We are unable to tell how many passes over the tattoo it takes, it depends on your bodies ability o break to the tattoo and get rid of the ink. Every patient is different. We know that black does better than color, smaller is better than larger, non-smokers do better than smokers, older tattoos do better than newer and tattoos close to the heart does better then on the extremities. The R20 means that the tattoo can be removed in less visits to the office.

How Long Before New Tattoo Can Be Removed?

Answers (12)

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