Recently got a tattoo. Love it except for the shadowing. Can you remove two shadow circles without ruining rest of tat? (photo)

Question

Got a tat recently and am disappointed with the dotting/lighter shading within tattoo. I love the tattoo but not the shadowing. Can you just remove the two circles (shown in pic) and leave rest of that alone? If this can be done, what would be the price, and if so, is it one session or many?

Douglas Wu, MD · Answer

The PicoWay laser can remove certain areas of a tattoo while leaving the rest alone. As you might imagine, this takes extra time because your doctor must mask the non-treated areas. It’s also possible you may need to touch up a few areas after the shadows have been removed. As for how long it takes, you can count on a minimum of five to 8 sessions. Each layer of pigment must be shattered one at a time, leaving about two months between treatments so your body can whisk away the pigment fragments. Tattoo removal is a long-term process if you want to do it right and keep the rest of your skin healthy. Consulting with a board-certified dermatologist will give you a better idea of the cost and time involved.

Jean M. Casello, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question.  It is possible to remove the shadowing from this tattoo.  You may need to have some of the remaining tattoo touched up as it may be removed as well.

Mehdi (Robert) Motazedi, MD · Answer

Yes and no, lasers do not draw perfect straight lines.  There are rare times when you can remove the part of the tattoo that is irregular without harming the rest of the tattoo.  Because lasers cause the ink to explode outwards, the surrounding area can be effected.  It is very easy to just have a tattoo artist fill in any missing pieces.  Lasers take several treatments and work best on all colors except green, blue and yellow.

James McMahan, MD (retired) · Answer

Thank you for your question and photographs.  It is possible to remove the shading with relatively little damage to the rest of the tattoo; however, you may require some touch-ups on the remaining ink.  The cost would be determined by whoever you go to.  It would be several sessions because the ink is dark, forearm tattoos tend to take more treatments than upper arm tattoos and it is a new tattoo so your immune system has not removed much of the ink.  The longer you wait between sessions the better. Good luck.

Recently got a tattoo. Love it except for the shadowing. Can you remove two shadow circles without ruining rest of tat? (photo)

Answers (4)

Answer: Shading can be removed

Answer: Shading can be removed

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Everything you need to know about Tattoo Removal

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.

Recently got a tattoo. Love it except for the shadowing. Can you remove two shadow circles without ruining rest of tat? (photo)

Answers (4)

Answer: Shading can be removed

Answer: Shading can be removed

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Recommended reading

Everything you need to know about Tattoo Removal

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.