What Was I Thinking? - Austin, TX

To be honest the work I see is mostly black shading, no thick lines or lines at all really. If this is the case it's likely you will have more success with laser removal than me with all my black lines.

A treatment with the Picosure laser would probably remove a great deal of that ink in just one session, as it appears to be mostly shading.

Yeah, I think I got lucky with the was the tattoo was shaded. The RN told me the same thing that it should come out "very easily".

Hello, I have also and huge tattoo I regret , mine has got a lot of colours, I find your tattoo very well done but it is your decision and your skin...You will begin to change your mind after begining sessions trust me: it is a very painfull process for the skin but for the mind as well. Good luck if you decide to start the journey.

WhatWasIThinking74: So much of what you've said resonates with my own situation. I got a tattoo a because I thought I 'wanted a tattoo'. Not a huge amount of thought went in to it and I arbitrarily picked some script, that in all honesty didn't really mean much to me. After some months I felt 'uneasy with the tattoo' and so decided to add to it, thinking it would help and that the script would appear less 'lost' on my arm. Shortly after that I made the terrible realisation that I didn't want the ink on my skin full stop, and that id just made the situation worse. I decided to go for partial removal initially, but soon realised I wanted the whole thing removed. That was a little over a year ago now, and I'm approaching my 8th removal session in January, with the tattoo approaching two-thirds gone, but with probably another year before I'm finished. I want you to know you're far from alone in what you're feeling right now. Know that, as humans, we all make mistakes - even the smartest of us. I remember back to when I first started the treatments, and after I'd began to look more in to the process I knew I was in for a rough old ride. I'm not going to flower it up for you, it's tough. It takes months for a complete removal, even with the most advanced laser. Your skin will take a beating and so will your mind, but it IS achievable. There are still plenty of day days when I get so incredibly frustrated and bogged down with the situation that I just feel like getting it covered up - but that isn't the solution. Some people undoubtedly deal with it better than others, and you may be a stronger minded person than I am. You've already made a couple of good moves in joining Realself to share your situation and exchange support with others, and getting a patch test done. Some people respond very well, especially with the Picosure, so you could find that your removal moves along quickly - but understand that it's far from an exact science, and that there are many variables involved. I know it probably seems overwhelming now, and a terrible position to be in, but you sound pretty set on removal, so, assuming your patch test turns out ok, my only real advice would be to get going as soon as you can. I don't know what the climate is like in Texas at this time of year (I'm in the UK) but I guess it's a little cooler at the moment? This would be a perfect time to commence removal, as you may be able to get two or even three sessions in before the summer months (it isn't fun healing and keeping covering up when it's hot). You could then have a couple more sessions before Christmas 2015 and who knows, you could already be well on your way to success. Hope some of this helps. Everyone here is in the same boat and so you'll find a great deal of support and encouragement. I look forward to seeing how you progress. And finally, remember this whole thing, although often a long and arduous process, will ultimately only take up a small portion of your life (duration wise). How good will it feel when you reach the other side. I genuinely think I'm going to be a stronger person when I'm done with my removal, and you could be too. All the best.