Reviews you can trust, from real people like you.
How it works
- Our highly-trained Review Moderation team evaluates all reviews before they're published to ensure they're written by people like you and not a member of a doctor's office.
- This multi-step process takes up to 24 hours from review submission to publication.
- Doctors can't pay to have reviews removed or hidden.
- Reviews are only removed at the reviewer's request or if they violate our Terms of Service.
If you have questions or believe we should re-evaluate a published review, let us know.
Sort by:
*Treatment results may vary
Hello! I have been looking at reviews and posts on...
Hello! I have been looking at reviews and posts on RealSelf for a while now and it has made me feel a lot better about my own situation, which I frequently feel extremely stressed out or depressed about. Thanks everyone for keeping each other hopeful and sharing useful information!
As for me, I am currently removing 2 all black tattoos. Not posting pics as I am really ashamed of them.
- One of them (about 3x3 inches) has been treated 3 times and is fading decently... It has a tiny bit of scar tissue in a few spots within the lines but it is not too noticeable. Hoping to cover this as soon as it becomes feasible/I decide on a new design. Maybe 3-4 more treatments?
- The other one (about 4x2.5 inches) has been treated once and has already developed firm, raised areas that are itchy. I think they are going to be permanent scars, but haven't been back to my laser tech yet so I will see then. It has been 3 weeks since my last treatment. I am really worried because it hasn't visibly faded at all yet and is scarred like this already. I want so much for this one to fade enough that I can get a cover up (maybe 5-6 treatments would do it), but now I'm not sure what to do because of these raised scars. :( It seems like there will just be a hard, raised scar of my tattoo after if I keep at it.
So, I was feeling distracted from the depression of hating my tattoos once I began laser removal, since I thought I was at least on my way to fixing my skin, but now that I have developed scarring I feel horrible. I don't know if I should proceed with treatments on the scarred one now, but I can't get a cover up the way it is (big and black) and I don't want to leave it as is. I asked my laser tech if I should get silicone sheets which I have heard flatten scar tissue, but they told me to wait until I see them in another 3 weeks. I don't know how that would work anyway because the skin is extremely dry right now and I don't think I could use ointment under the silicone sheet (I have been using Polysporin and vitamin E oil). It is hard to just wait it out until my next appointment because it takes over my mind everyday and I feel worried that I am losing time to reverse the scarring. :(
Has anyone experienced raised scarring from laser tattoo removal that flattened out afterwards?
Not sure if I should keep fading it and worry about scar reduction after? All I want is for the scars to flatten out so I can get a cover up, but if the scarring gets even worse then a cover up will look awful. I feel like all my options are bad and keep wishing I could go back in time. :( HELP!
As for me, I am currently removing 2 all black tattoos. Not posting pics as I am really ashamed of them.
- One of them (about 3x3 inches) has been treated 3 times and is fading decently... It has a tiny bit of scar tissue in a few spots within the lines but it is not too noticeable. Hoping to cover this as soon as it becomes feasible/I decide on a new design. Maybe 3-4 more treatments?
- The other one (about 4x2.5 inches) has been treated once and has already developed firm, raised areas that are itchy. I think they are going to be permanent scars, but haven't been back to my laser tech yet so I will see then. It has been 3 weeks since my last treatment. I am really worried because it hasn't visibly faded at all yet and is scarred like this already. I want so much for this one to fade enough that I can get a cover up (maybe 5-6 treatments would do it), but now I'm not sure what to do because of these raised scars. :( It seems like there will just be a hard, raised scar of my tattoo after if I keep at it.
So, I was feeling distracted from the depression of hating my tattoos once I began laser removal, since I thought I was at least on my way to fixing my skin, but now that I have developed scarring I feel horrible. I don't know if I should proceed with treatments on the scarred one now, but I can't get a cover up the way it is (big and black) and I don't want to leave it as is. I asked my laser tech if I should get silicone sheets which I have heard flatten scar tissue, but they told me to wait until I see them in another 3 weeks. I don't know how that would work anyway because the skin is extremely dry right now and I don't think I could use ointment under the silicone sheet (I have been using Polysporin and vitamin E oil). It is hard to just wait it out until my next appointment because it takes over my mind everyday and I feel worried that I am losing time to reverse the scarring. :(
Has anyone experienced raised scarring from laser tattoo removal that flattened out afterwards?
Not sure if I should keep fading it and worry about scar reduction after? All I want is for the scars to flatten out so I can get a cover up, but if the scarring gets even worse then a cover up will look awful. I feel like all my options are bad and keep wishing I could go back in time. :( HELP!
Scarring :(
Ok, I decided to post some pictures of the scarring I am experiencing so you have an idea and also so I can track my progress if it (hopefully) begins to flatten out. The texture is really bumpy and rough looking, like a toad, and feels firm under pressure. There is more scarring in other parts of the tattoo too. This is a little more than 3 weeks after the first treatment. :( UGH! I'm so sad about this. As you can tell, a cover up is not going to look good if the texture remains like this. I am praying that I just reacted poorly and can continue with my laser sessions until I get an adequate fade. Then I hope the scar tissue calms down and flattens out so I can cover it about a year after my last laser session. I am really hating the uncertainty of how my skin is going to react and how much time this is going to take. This whole situation has really shot my confidence and distracts me from other important things. Every time my scarring itches I remember how hideous it is and how badly I want to be at the end of the process (if I can even continue). Do you think the scarring will flatten out given time? Do you think I am just going to make it worse if I go for another session? If my laser tech tells me I am going to scar more if we continue, I have no idea what I will do. :'(
Scar sheets seem to help
Hello! It has now been 7 weeks since my last treatments. I still haven't gone back for another treatment because it has been busy at my work and I don't want to bump or scrape new blisters while moving around. I am going to go at the start of September for #4 on my smaller tattoo and #2 on the large one.
The scarring on my large tattoo has improved for sure. I have been massaging it and wearing silicone scar sheets as often as possible, and now the texture of my skin looks much better. It is less raised now and the scarring is mostly only detectable by touch or in certain lighting. I am confident that with continued use of scar sheets and massaging that the scarring could be totally flat with time.
The problem: I am only 1 treatment in. What if it scars again next time? Maybe the scarring will get worse, or maybe I will develop scarring in other areas, or both! :( I have decided to try it though. I am going to express my concerns and hopefully my laser tech will be able to proceed with a gentle approach. I really want to get a cover up eventually. I am excited for the weather to cool down in September so I can be comfortable wearing long sleeves until next summer. :) Anyway, I am trying to stay hopeful. Will update again after I go back for my treatments!
The scarring on my large tattoo has improved for sure. I have been massaging it and wearing silicone scar sheets as often as possible, and now the texture of my skin looks much better. It is less raised now and the scarring is mostly only detectable by touch or in certain lighting. I am confident that with continued use of scar sheets and massaging that the scarring could be totally flat with time.
The problem: I am only 1 treatment in. What if it scars again next time? Maybe the scarring will get worse, or maybe I will develop scarring in other areas, or both! :( I have decided to try it though. I am going to express my concerns and hopefully my laser tech will be able to proceed with a gentle approach. I really want to get a cover up eventually. I am excited for the weather to cool down in September so I can be comfortable wearing long sleeves until next summer. :) Anyway, I am trying to stay hopeful. Will update again after I go back for my treatments!