POSTED UNDER PicoWay REVIEWS
Black Ink Laser Tattoo Removal W/ Picoway - Cincinnati/N. KY
ORIGINAL POST
Though I've only been a lurker until now, this...
WORTH IT$3,600
Though I've only been a lurker until now, this site and the reviewers have helped me deal with the overwhelming anxiety I felt after deciding I did not love my 'new' tattoo. The posts I have read and continue to follow have helped me to decide to pursue laser tattoo removal, so I just want to give a quick thank you to everyone for sharing their experiences. Just knowing I wasn't alone was a huge relief. I hope by sharing mine I can help others in their decision, or just give a little bit of information that may be helpful.
Some backstory first:
I got my tattoo in May of 2017. I knew for years that I had wanted to get an orchid tattooed on my back as it is my favorite flower and I am a hobbyist grower. I looked up dozens and dozens of reference photos, knew I wanted a watercolor style but done in black ink, researched artists in my area, and finally made a booking appointment. I met with my artist beforehand and she showed me some examples of other water colors she would be using as design guidelines, I left feeling excited for my actual appointment. When I came back on the big day I wanted to make some changes to the drawing and she was receptive to that. It wasn't drawn out like I imagine a watercolor tattoo would be drawn out, but I just assumed she would shade it in as planned, she even had black ink water color examples. Ultimately I left with a tattoo a bit larger than anticipated and that wasn't the style I wanted. It's not an ugly tattoo by any means, and it is well done, just not what I imagined. I kicked myself after thinking I should have just taken the $50 loss and rescheduled my appointment for another time when I felt the design was everything I wanted. Hindsight is always 20/20. I went home that evening and the feeling of remorse hadn't quite hit me fully yet. I would look at my back in the mirror and ask my fiancé what he thought, just trying to reassure myself that it would be okay. A week after it was healed I started looking into options for removal because the anxiety was eating away at me. While I did not learn to love my tattoo during my months of extensive research about laser removal, I did find peace in the idea that I had a plan, and that I would fix this in time.
Decision time:
After researching, I spent a while looking at tattoo removal offices in the greater Cincinnati area and made a list of my top considerations. I can say the list wasn't long as there aren't too many removal offices, and based on what I was looking for during my removal (picosecond laser, operating hours that worked with my work schedule, etc.) I eliminated all but a few options. I had planned on doing a few consultations for comparison, but after going into Invisible Ink Tattoo Removers Cincinnati/ Northern Kentucky office I knew I had found the place.
My consultation at Invisible Ink:
After making my consultation appointment for Saturday 3/10/18 I received a thank you email, and an appointment reminder email right away. I also received a confirmation email & text prior to my appointment, as well as a text the morning of letting me know they were looking forward to meeting me and to call if I had any questions. This level of communication impressed me and I went in this this past Saturday feeling excited and hopeful. Inside I met with Carissa the office general manager and Blake the laser manager. The office was surprisingly small, only the waiting room, a consultation room, and one treatment room, but it was clean and felt inviting. I should mention that the only thing they do in this office is tattoo removal. They don't provide hair removal, cool sculpting, medical spa services, etc. on the side, just tattoo removal which I did find to be a nice idea since they can focus solely on doing that, and doing it well. After filling out the required medical forms I sat down with both Carissa and Blake and we started the consultation. Note: Invisible Ink's website was more detailed than most other websites I found for my area, so it made researching the company and coming up with questions a lot easier. We began with some talk about why I was in, showing them my tattoo and having it measured, what I was hoping for in the removal, and what I could realistically expect as far as full removal, scarring, and pigmentation issues. From there we went into the the Picoway laser, how it performs, comparing nanosecond to picosecond lasers, and finally comparing the Picoway to other picosecond laser like the Picosure. I was ready to bring up questions about all of this to see how my research held up, but they compared everything for me up front and seemed a little impressed with how knowledgeable I was prior t coming in. Next, we got into how many treatments I could expect based on the size of my tattoo, location, colors, ink density, if it was ever touched up, etc. and it was determined that it could be fully removed in 8 treatments. If it was not gone in 8 treatments Carissa assured me that the policy was to provide 6 more treatments or 1 year of treatments at no extra charge, but realistically they would keep going until it was gone as the company stands by its service. After learning the number of treatments we got into the dreaded part, talking about the price. So, I as quoted $3600 , BUT Invisible Ink does payments a couple of different ways. I could pay each session as I went, so (8 sessions) @ $450, or I could do a payment plan. The payment plan option gets you a 20% discount and you either pay in-full, or half now, half later. Also, because I called to make my consultation I got an additional 5% discount and there was an additional 5% discount if I decided to do a session that day (or something along those lines). Not going to lie, I was nervous at this point, I knew I could pay for it, but didn't want to jump right in without thinking it over, especially since it was my first consultation. It must have shown because Carissa did offer me a deal. If I paid for one treatment ($450 - the price for a single session without the 30% discount) and had it done that same day, she would consider it a down payment on a package plan and would allow me to keep the 30% discount and deduct the $450 from my full or half package payment during my next treatment. There was also no obligation and I could just cancel my next treatment if I was unhappy. This seemed really reasonable because I knew I wanted this done, just had nerves about the process and putting that amount of money into it. I went ahead with that plan and got my first treatment that same day. Another thing to mention about Invisible Ink's pricing - if I paid for 8 treatments, but only needed 6, I would be refunded for those 2 unused treatments which probably doesn't happen often, but is nice to know.
The laser treatment:
After deciding to do a session that day I was led by Blake into the treatment room which was very clean and well set-up. She got me situated, explained that they do offer a numbing cream, but it needs to be applied 2 hours prior so I wouldn't be able to do it that day, and that they also use a cooled air stream while the laser is in operation. Blake performed a small patch test, then was ready to start when I gave the go ahead. She also said she would stop and let me have a break whenever I requested. The total time took about 2-3 minutes and hurt. I know people have compared it to grease splatters or rubber band snaps onto your skin and that is probably the best way to describe it. My fiancé asked me when I got home and all I could say is it felt like getting badly shocked which sounds less than descriptive if you don't know what getting shocked feels like. The spine area was especially tender and made my back involuntarily arch. I managed to get through without stopping though, mainly riding the initial adrenaline, and after it was done it only felt like a standard sunburn. Once I was done Blake took a picture (something standard they do before and after each session), applied a steroid cream, then bandaged me up. Afterwards we went over aftercare and the 'goody bag' items I was sent home with (another nice perk that I'm not sure is standard or not at other removal places). I'll include a picture of the 'goody bag' next treatment since I forgot to take a picture before I dug into mine the next morning. It included: bandages for 2 more days, tape for the bandages, 2 small containers of steroid cream, a small travel size bottle of Cetaphil for washing the area, a travel sized bottle of Aquaphor healing ointment, a handful of small hydrocortisone cream packets in case I get itchy, numbing cream for my next appointment, and instructions for aftercare and the numbing cream. They also told me to text in a picture the day after, after washing it and before bandaging it back up, just so they could see and make sure everything looked okay.
Final thoughts:
Here I am 10 months after getting my tattoo, and two days after my first Picoway laser removal treatment. I was really happy with the service I received and the level of attention I feel I got as an individual. The results are encouraging, and I know the fading will only continue with time. My back is a little itchy and sore, nothing unbearable, and the tattoo area is a little red, but that's it for now. If there are any significant changes (like blisters) I'll post an update. Otherwise I will post again with my before and after for my second treatment in May!
Some backstory first:
I got my tattoo in May of 2017. I knew for years that I had wanted to get an orchid tattooed on my back as it is my favorite flower and I am a hobbyist grower. I looked up dozens and dozens of reference photos, knew I wanted a watercolor style but done in black ink, researched artists in my area, and finally made a booking appointment. I met with my artist beforehand and she showed me some examples of other water colors she would be using as design guidelines, I left feeling excited for my actual appointment. When I came back on the big day I wanted to make some changes to the drawing and she was receptive to that. It wasn't drawn out like I imagine a watercolor tattoo would be drawn out, but I just assumed she would shade it in as planned, she even had black ink water color examples. Ultimately I left with a tattoo a bit larger than anticipated and that wasn't the style I wanted. It's not an ugly tattoo by any means, and it is well done, just not what I imagined. I kicked myself after thinking I should have just taken the $50 loss and rescheduled my appointment for another time when I felt the design was everything I wanted. Hindsight is always 20/20. I went home that evening and the feeling of remorse hadn't quite hit me fully yet. I would look at my back in the mirror and ask my fiancé what he thought, just trying to reassure myself that it would be okay. A week after it was healed I started looking into options for removal because the anxiety was eating away at me. While I did not learn to love my tattoo during my months of extensive research about laser removal, I did find peace in the idea that I had a plan, and that I would fix this in time.
Decision time:
After researching, I spent a while looking at tattoo removal offices in the greater Cincinnati area and made a list of my top considerations. I can say the list wasn't long as there aren't too many removal offices, and based on what I was looking for during my removal (picosecond laser, operating hours that worked with my work schedule, etc.) I eliminated all but a few options. I had planned on doing a few consultations for comparison, but after going into Invisible Ink Tattoo Removers Cincinnati/ Northern Kentucky office I knew I had found the place.
My consultation at Invisible Ink:
After making my consultation appointment for Saturday 3/10/18 I received a thank you email, and an appointment reminder email right away. I also received a confirmation email & text prior to my appointment, as well as a text the morning of letting me know they were looking forward to meeting me and to call if I had any questions. This level of communication impressed me and I went in this this past Saturday feeling excited and hopeful. Inside I met with Carissa the office general manager and Blake the laser manager. The office was surprisingly small, only the waiting room, a consultation room, and one treatment room, but it was clean and felt inviting. I should mention that the only thing they do in this office is tattoo removal. They don't provide hair removal, cool sculpting, medical spa services, etc. on the side, just tattoo removal which I did find to be a nice idea since they can focus solely on doing that, and doing it well. After filling out the required medical forms I sat down with both Carissa and Blake and we started the consultation. Note: Invisible Ink's website was more detailed than most other websites I found for my area, so it made researching the company and coming up with questions a lot easier. We began with some talk about why I was in, showing them my tattoo and having it measured, what I was hoping for in the removal, and what I could realistically expect as far as full removal, scarring, and pigmentation issues. From there we went into the the Picoway laser, how it performs, comparing nanosecond to picosecond lasers, and finally comparing the Picoway to other picosecond laser like the Picosure. I was ready to bring up questions about all of this to see how my research held up, but they compared everything for me up front and seemed a little impressed with how knowledgeable I was prior t coming in. Next, we got into how many treatments I could expect based on the size of my tattoo, location, colors, ink density, if it was ever touched up, etc. and it was determined that it could be fully removed in 8 treatments. If it was not gone in 8 treatments Carissa assured me that the policy was to provide 6 more treatments or 1 year of treatments at no extra charge, but realistically they would keep going until it was gone as the company stands by its service. After learning the number of treatments we got into the dreaded part, talking about the price. So, I as quoted $3600 , BUT Invisible Ink does payments a couple of different ways. I could pay each session as I went, so (8 sessions) @ $450, or I could do a payment plan. The payment plan option gets you a 20% discount and you either pay in-full, or half now, half later. Also, because I called to make my consultation I got an additional 5% discount and there was an additional 5% discount if I decided to do a session that day (or something along those lines). Not going to lie, I was nervous at this point, I knew I could pay for it, but didn't want to jump right in without thinking it over, especially since it was my first consultation. It must have shown because Carissa did offer me a deal. If I paid for one treatment ($450 - the price for a single session without the 30% discount) and had it done that same day, she would consider it a down payment on a package plan and would allow me to keep the 30% discount and deduct the $450 from my full or half package payment during my next treatment. There was also no obligation and I could just cancel my next treatment if I was unhappy. This seemed really reasonable because I knew I wanted this done, just had nerves about the process and putting that amount of money into it. I went ahead with that plan and got my first treatment that same day. Another thing to mention about Invisible Ink's pricing - if I paid for 8 treatments, but only needed 6, I would be refunded for those 2 unused treatments which probably doesn't happen often, but is nice to know.
The laser treatment:
After deciding to do a session that day I was led by Blake into the treatment room which was very clean and well set-up. She got me situated, explained that they do offer a numbing cream, but it needs to be applied 2 hours prior so I wouldn't be able to do it that day, and that they also use a cooled air stream while the laser is in operation. Blake performed a small patch test, then was ready to start when I gave the go ahead. She also said she would stop and let me have a break whenever I requested. The total time took about 2-3 minutes and hurt. I know people have compared it to grease splatters or rubber band snaps onto your skin and that is probably the best way to describe it. My fiancé asked me when I got home and all I could say is it felt like getting badly shocked which sounds less than descriptive if you don't know what getting shocked feels like. The spine area was especially tender and made my back involuntarily arch. I managed to get through without stopping though, mainly riding the initial adrenaline, and after it was done it only felt like a standard sunburn. Once I was done Blake took a picture (something standard they do before and after each session), applied a steroid cream, then bandaged me up. Afterwards we went over aftercare and the 'goody bag' items I was sent home with (another nice perk that I'm not sure is standard or not at other removal places). I'll include a picture of the 'goody bag' next treatment since I forgot to take a picture before I dug into mine the next morning. It included: bandages for 2 more days, tape for the bandages, 2 small containers of steroid cream, a small travel size bottle of Cetaphil for washing the area, a travel sized bottle of Aquaphor healing ointment, a handful of small hydrocortisone cream packets in case I get itchy, numbing cream for my next appointment, and instructions for aftercare and the numbing cream. They also told me to text in a picture the day after, after washing it and before bandaging it back up, just so they could see and make sure everything looked okay.
Final thoughts:
Here I am 10 months after getting my tattoo, and two days after my first Picoway laser removal treatment. I was really happy with the service I received and the level of attention I feel I got as an individual. The results are encouraging, and I know the fading will only continue with time. My back is a little itchy and sore, nothing unbearable, and the tattoo area is a little red, but that's it for now. If there are any significant changes (like blisters) I'll post an update. Otherwise I will post again with my before and after for my second treatment in May!
Ruca462's provider
UPDATED FROM Ruca462
1 month post
4 Weeks After 1st Treatment
Just a quick update - As of this past Saturday 4/7/18 I am 4 weeks post treatment 1. I did not experience any blisters or scabbing after my first treatment, just the standard redness and itchiness. The redness went away after a few days and all itchiness stopped about 2 weeks later. I've noticed quite a bit of fading already and in the close-up pictures you can see the ink really breaking down.
My second treatment is scheduled for 5/5/18, but I'm debating whether to push it back a week or not as I'm going to a concert that same night. I guess I'll check availability of switching to the following week and if nothing is open I'll just keep my original appointment. I think I can manage to go dance my butt off after the next treatment.
Hope everyone is doing well on their journeys and I will be back in another 4 weeks!
My second treatment is scheduled for 5/5/18, but I'm debating whether to push it back a week or not as I'm going to a concert that same night. I guess I'll check availability of switching to the following week and if nothing is open I'll just keep my original appointment. I think I can manage to go dance my butt off after the next treatment.
Hope everyone is doing well on their journeys and I will be back in another 4 weeks!
Replies (0)
UPDATED FROM Ruca462
2 months post
2nd Treatment Today - picture of goody bag
Hello all, just got home form my second treatment and it went really well. The comparison of before any laser removal and today just before my second treatment was pretty amazing to see, and the laser technician was pretty impressed with the progress after just the first session. I think seeing a side by side image really helps to realize all those little parts that are just fading away. I'm gonna contact them and see if they can send me the pictures so I can share here.
Anyways, I'm all bandaged up at the moment so I wont be able to share a picture today, but I'll get one up tomorrow when I send them my 24 hour after picture to make sure it's looking good. I'll also talk a bit then about my second session. I did get a picture of my 'goody bag' this time before I've touched anything in it.
Hope everyone's journeys are going well!
Anyways, I'm all bandaged up at the moment so I wont be able to share a picture today, but I'll get one up tomorrow when I send them my 24 hour after picture to make sure it's looking good. I'll also talk a bit then about my second session. I did get a picture of my 'goody bag' this time before I've touched anything in it.
Hope everyone's journeys are going well!
Replies (7)