POSTED UNDER PicoSure Reviews
Getting Lasered Tomorrow - Kelkheim, DE
UPDATED FROM LSM
1 year post
8th treatment
LSMOctober 29, 2015
$250
Just had an 8th treatment with the Quanta last week. I took a LONNNNNNGGG break over summer. This proved VERY good for my tattoo and I had a lot of fading. Frankly I have to say that I believe the 8 week waiting period that all laser treatment centers recommend is certainly not enough. I think a 2-3 month (or more) waiting period will prove far more useful towards the end but of course we're all in a hurry. I'm going to test this by waiting 8 weeks between my last week treatment (8th txt) and the 9th treatment, just to see what I think. As soon as the redness goes down, I'll take another pic. Once again, I had FAR less pain and problems in after care with the Quanta than I did with the Picosure...not to mention lots of money saved. Also, the longer waiting period allowed my hypopigmentation to significantly reduce. What I have learned thru this whole process is that patience is what we all need. It will provide the best results, regardless of the laser.
Replies (2)
November 4, 2015
So you're definitely more of a fan of the Q-Switch than of the Picosure? If I decide to get my black tattoos removed I'm not sure which I would pick yet.
UPDATED FROM LSM
1 year post
Another treatment!
LSMApril 17, 2015
Well I had another Quanta treatment at my new place. most of the hypopigmentation had cleared up (not all of it) so I'm hoping that time will heal everything though I'm pretty sure some hypo won't go away (after last picosure treatment) b/c it seems to not improve at all... i also had significant fading. Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture before getting lasered two days ago... This time though I've had a bit of bleeding from the treatment...still no where near as severe as when I got picosure (thank goodness). i'm feeling more positive because there was so much fading and most of the hypo was gone except for about the size of a quarter... Some spots are pretty much gone & others seem to remain fairly dark but I think this is normal. Is really interesting to see because it shows how non-uniform the tattoo artist tattooed (lots of ink in some places/ where ink is deeper than other parts/ etc).
Replies (2)
April 17, 2015
Congrats, I look forward to seeing the results from this treatment. Happy healing!
May 4, 2015
Hi, I too have an all black tattoo with Chinese characters that I've been thinking of getting removed. In hindsight would you have just gone with Quanta instead of the Picosure?
And just have to say, Bravo to you for being patient and bearing it through for almost a year! Keep on posting...
UPDATED FROM LSM
1 year post
6th treatment in Dec
LSMFebruary 2, 2015
So I had another session in Dec. The after care was worse than the 1st time at my new clinic but still FAR better and less painful than the picosure. Before I got lasered, we looked at my tattoo again. I definitely got hypopigmentation from my last picosure treatment unfortunately and as the ink goes away, the hypopigmentation under it becomes more prevalent. I do not think this is from the Quanta laser sessions because the recovery time is so much quicker and less painful than the picosure and there is never blistering, etc. Anyways, I am attaching some pics where you can see that I have very noticeable fading but also noticeable hypopigmentation.
I cannot impress upon people enough the fact that despite what a clinic says about the amount of treatments needed to remove a tattoo, you SHOULD EXPECT MORE treatments and SHOULD NOT let them blast you hard!!! Now I have hypopigmentation that may never go away so I'll essentially have a white tattoo. Most of the whiteness went away after I waited 6 mos after my last picosure (4th txt) but not all of it (which you could see still around the ink a bit). As the ink fades, the whiteness becomes more apparent.
Despite this, I have decided to continue with the treatments because my options are as follows:
1. Continue with treatments and try and get the ink out, hoping that the hypopigmentation will go away later or at least some of the tattoo will be removed without the hypopigmentation.
2. Get a cover up tattoo now over the whole tattoo.
3. Stop treatments and see if hypopigmentation goes away and have further sessions afterwards but those might just cause the hypopigmentation to return (either whiteness now or later).
4. Quit.
Quitting is not an option. This thing looks awful now. Waiting to see if the hypopigmentation goes away doesn't seem to make sense either as I did that after the 4th treatment and some of it remained even after 6months and upon further sessions, it just came back. So I'm going to have my 6th session tomorrow (remember that the first clinic said 4-6 sessions maximum).
My hope is that the hypopigmentation goes away after I am done with the laser sessions OR at least some of the tattoo goes away without hypopigmentation to reduce the size of a possible cover up tattoo.
Again I would like to tell people: DO NOT BELIEVE WHEN THEY SAY PICOSURE HALVES THE TIME REQUIRED!!!! You need to take it slowly!! Everyone's skin is different and everyone's ink is a different type and the laser tech cannot know how you will react. One other note I'd like to make is that the picosure is not necessarily the best laser or black ink. I have now researched this thoroughly. It is the best for colored inks but not necessarily for black ink.
Fortunately I have found a this new laser tech who is honest about things. He admits, everyone has different skin and inks and so there is no certainty of results. So tomorrow I am going back to get my 6th treatment. I will continue to update as this progresses.
I cannot impress upon people enough the fact that despite what a clinic says about the amount of treatments needed to remove a tattoo, you SHOULD EXPECT MORE treatments and SHOULD NOT let them blast you hard!!! Now I have hypopigmentation that may never go away so I'll essentially have a white tattoo. Most of the whiteness went away after I waited 6 mos after my last picosure (4th txt) but not all of it (which you could see still around the ink a bit). As the ink fades, the whiteness becomes more apparent.
Despite this, I have decided to continue with the treatments because my options are as follows:
1. Continue with treatments and try and get the ink out, hoping that the hypopigmentation will go away later or at least some of the tattoo will be removed without the hypopigmentation.
2. Get a cover up tattoo now over the whole tattoo.
3. Stop treatments and see if hypopigmentation goes away and have further sessions afterwards but those might just cause the hypopigmentation to return (either whiteness now or later).
4. Quit.
Quitting is not an option. This thing looks awful now. Waiting to see if the hypopigmentation goes away doesn't seem to make sense either as I did that after the 4th treatment and some of it remained even after 6months and upon further sessions, it just came back. So I'm going to have my 6th session tomorrow (remember that the first clinic said 4-6 sessions maximum).
My hope is that the hypopigmentation goes away after I am done with the laser sessions OR at least some of the tattoo goes away without hypopigmentation to reduce the size of a possible cover up tattoo.
Again I would like to tell people: DO NOT BELIEVE WHEN THEY SAY PICOSURE HALVES THE TIME REQUIRED!!!! You need to take it slowly!! Everyone's skin is different and everyone's ink is a different type and the laser tech cannot know how you will react. One other note I'd like to make is that the picosure is not necessarily the best laser or black ink. I have now researched this thoroughly. It is the best for colored inks but not necessarily for black ink.
Fortunately I have found a this new laser tech who is honest about things. He admits, everyone has different skin and inks and so there is no certainty of results. So tomorrow I am going back to get my 6th treatment. I will continue to update as this progresses.
Replies (3)
February 3, 2015
Hey there, thank you for your detailed update, it really sums up the reality of tattoo removal. You have come a long way and I hope all goes well tomorrow.
February 15, 2015
i totally agree with you. i think picosure is overrated by the media, and there's a lot of business behind it.
March 26, 2015
It is a business for sure but a lot of the picosure success or failures depends on the person and how their skin reacts. One thing that was made clear to me when I went for the first time to look into treatments was that the Dr. would not give me an estimate because he said it is impossible to estimate. Second, I have read about success stories from real people who have blogged about their experience. Success stories are harder to find because people are more likely to share negative experiences rather than positive. So far I've been lucky and responded really well to picosure, but I'm prepared to expect many treatments (10 + ) I think that the skin is also damaged by tattooing itself and when the picosure removes the tattoo the damage that is there is from the tattoo and not necessarily just the laser.
March 27, 2015
I agree with you that it depends on the person but the marketing/ sales of picosure do not correspond with the reality. Unfortunately we do not have any statistics b/c of the lack of significant regulation of/ research into this industry. I strongly believe that anyone doing tattoo removal should not believe it will be removed in 6 or less treatments (in most cases) and you should never try and speed the process up by "getting blasted" b/c hypopigmentation could happen and forever leave you with a white outline of your tattoo. If you are going to pay the crazy picosure prices, OK. Your choice/ risk. But take it slowly and be prepared that you might need at least 2 times as many treatments as the laser tech thinks you will. And yes, many people have scarring under their tattoo but unless I misunderstand it, hypopigmentation does not occur through tattooing but through the removal process. If I am wrong, I hope someone will explain why.
March 31, 2015
As far as the damage to the skin I think it is a double edged sword, I heard from my dermatologist that hypo-pigmentation will eventually go away if it is from a laser, depending on whether or not you are dark skinned or light skinned however can depend on how bad the hypopigmentation can be. I know that some tattooing can cause scaring, a friend of mine has a tattoo on her back and has visible scaring under the tattoo that you can feel and see - most likely from the tattoo artist- not knowing what he was doing. I think any foreign object whether it be a tattoo gun or a laser gun will have some type of impact on your skin, leaving skin 100 percent clear after getting any type of tattoo removed is not realistic.
March 26, 2015
I am not sure what type of clinic you go to but I suggest going to see a certified dermatologist, there might be something that can be done for that hyper-pigmentation. I get my treatments in an office that has a certified dermatologist/MD and he told me that any hyper-pigmentation can be avoided and removed/treated with the proper care. I would go see an actual dermatologist - they might be able to tell you what your options will be after you finish the laser removal. Best of luck to you
March 27, 2015
Hi, I intend to pursue treatment of the hypopigmentation but apparently hyperpigmentation is far easier to treat than hypo, which is what I have.
March 31, 2015
I read that you can treat both hypo or hyper with a laser treatment ( a different type of laser) depending on the case - did you see a dermatologist?
Thanks for your update, glad that the fading is going well, and I have to agree...I think longer breaks really do show great results. I look forward to more updates, good luck on your next treatment!