Picosure Double Whammy, Stomach and Back Tattoos - Charlotte, NC

My reasons for wanting to remove several of my tattoos are not much different than any other person on this site. I'm 32 years old and got my first two tattoos when I was 15 and 18 years old. I have several more, many of which are rather large. For now I'm focusing on these first two, and there are a few others I would consider removing if technology improves and these go well. The price listed for the treatments includes three treatments for each of them (a total of 6). I was told that my prospects are good for total elimination of both tattoos because of the colors. They also said that any chances of hypopigmentation would be lower because of how fair skinned I am. I chose Satin Med Spa because they have the Picosure laser as well as the Revlite for any reds that the Pico can't tackle. I have a before photo of the fairy but not the cross. The nurse anticipates that the cross may be more resistant because I had it tattooed over (to darken the lines) a few years after I first got it.

So today marks a week since I had my first tattoos treated. The first day I was surprised by how much ink seemed to disappear right away, but I haven't noticed much change since. I'm not worried about it because I know it's going to take time. Healing has been a breeze. They hurt like a burn would for about an hour after, during which time I sat with ice. Besides that, I've experienced zero blistering, only a bit of redness and bruising. They are a bit itchy! It's also worth noting that I chose to forgo the popular Aquaphor in favor of sweet almond oil, which has worked well for me. That's all for now.

Today I went in for my second treatment. I will post some pics in a few days but for now I will just bestow on you all a few pieces of advice regarding the reduction of pain during the procedure:

1.) Keep ice packs on the site of the treatment until the very last second. I think this helped quite a bit and I wager is more effective than any numbing cream because the cold penetrates deeper than a topical cream.

2.) If you have any narcotic pain killers, it won't hurt to take one beforehand! I have some leftover Vicodin after having some back issues and I'd say that also helped make the treatment more bearable.

The woman doing my treatments also said that the pain will lessen as the ink fades, so I'm not sure how much that played a part. All I know is that the procedure was a bit more bearable this time, which is to say that it still hurt A LOT, but I didn't have to tell her to stop this time.

It's working! The one on my back blistered this time. Not sure why. Also worth mentioning is that I opted not to use Aquaphor or any ointment of that sort and instead apply a thin layer of aloe gel and then layer sweet almond oil on top. It's not thick and gooey and the skin absorbs the oil, leaving the area moist but not slimy. I healed excellently last time and anticipate doing so again.

Pictures soon!