The Start of a New Journey! -

Yes! One treatment! "AND THEN I SAW IT FADE...NOW I'M A BELIEVER" (Smashmouth song reference haha). It most certainly is encouraging and also a testament to thyself that I have indeed made the right decision! So now you can see what the picosure is capable of-man I love science, physics and engineers HAHA! Thank you for writing me today! I am so joyous to have been able to give you some hope, I hope by sharing my story I can help others as well. That's what this forum (and life in general) is all about! You're never alone! Much love and light from The Golden State!

Right? And I'm not even 2 weeks in Agee my first treatment. It's like having a little bit of Christmas every day! :)

Congratulations!

I got quoted the same-$300 minimum. I had a great experience with Nicole, she walked me through every step of the way, was very thorough and was so kind as to take my concerned call after the fact (I had developed blood blisters-again, normal par for the course). My tattoo continues to fade, I plan to go back as soon as my money stack is up and I have a clear week-for I am treating a large section and the healing is a bit excruciating in regards to my line of work, other than that, I am very happy with the process so far. And yes, the blue is practically GONE from a single pass. I quite impressed with the picosure and confident as well-it will be a long process-for me, at least. Good luck! Please feel free to reach out to me any time!

Hi there! This is a pretty late post - but I was wondering how your treatment(s) turned out? I've been looking into the same clinic and I must admit - I'm a bit overwhelmed with pricing I've been seeing everywhere else. Plus it seems as though some people have to go in over 6 times for full removal. You have a fairly large tattoo and they really quoted you a good price, this gives me hope! They seem to be pretty flexible with their pricing. I've read the Picosure laser doesn't pick up reds or yellow - how is it coming along for your reds? I have some red and worried it will take a zillion blasts to remove it.

You're not crazy at all haha, there are so many people on here feeling the same way-that's what a large portion of this forum is all about. Regret is a pill that's hard enough to swallow, no sense in beating ourselves up any further than necessary-next step is finding a feasible solution and it sounds like you're already on your way by doing your research and reaching out to others so feel a little more accomplished to be closer to your personal goal. I am glad I could offer some insight and spread a little optimism =] So many people on here have helped me cope-sharing my journey is the least I could do to give back to this wonderful community. My clinic charges a $300 minimum per session, I paid $325 to zap half. I'm looking at a minimum of 10 treatments towards full removal-mind you I can only tolerate being zapped in sections for the ink is so dense and the area is so large...at least for now. I anticipate I will be able to tolerate treating larger sections down the line after much of the densest areas have broken down more. The denser the ink-the more painful treatment is and the more brutal the recuperation. If I have learned anything aside from not making imoulsive decisions-it's patience, patience, patience. I'm not sure where you're based out of, but I recommend getting a few different consultations to see what is being offered around you and go with the one that sounds the most realistic and gives you good vibes. Keep the faith!

Hi Emma! I'm Michelle, pleased to meet you! I will be turning 33 in two days. I am delighted to be of some help to you, and hopefully to others as well. I know this isn't an easy process. I am all too familiar with the regret, the black spells of depression, the panic attacks, the self-loathing, and the obsessing an unwanted tattoo can bring-its very real, believe me! I ran through the gamut of emotions-shock, horror, the confusion & indecisiveness of how to go about remedying this. I joined this forum in February 2014 and promised myself that if I didn't become well-adjusted to having this tattoo by the time fall came around, that I would seek tattoo removal. One of my biggest fears was the fading phase-of it looking like an unsightly blob, this alone kept me captive with unwanted tattoos. I can tell you this though, the day I set the gears in motion, did my research, and scheduled my consultation-I came armed with all of my questions and concerns-was the day I saw a beacon of light at the end of this dark tunnel I had been living in. I was lucky to find a great place, with a great technician and quoted a reasonable price and feasible plan to go about this process. I kept my promise to myself and set a date and got zapped. Even though the healing process has been somewhat intense (but not as bad as I had initially anticipated-be thankful you didn't get a HUGE tattoo like I did HAHA) the fact that I am taking action, despite the long process I am in for-makes me feel so much better about this self-inflicted predicament I am in. I am moving forward and going somewhere rather than staying in an unhappy place. So what I am saying here is be good to yourself, turn a negative into a positive-don't allow yourself to get sucked too far into the darkness. When you find yourself obsessing-read the stories on here, arm yourself with as much information as you can so you can be prepared to make the right decision for yourself. It hurts my heart to see so many people going through it, but there is a healing involved when we share our stories. Take comfort in knowing that you're not alone, that the feelings you're having are normal and at least you're doing something about it. If you have any other questions, or concerns that I can help you with-I am here for you. Keep your head up, it's all gonna be alright :) -M

Wow thanks so much for your response, and your response on my post. Unfortunately that picture was taken 3 days after I got it and the blue to green fading has gone and it looks more green now than anything, not what I wanted and I don't think its necessarily the artists doing more of just my body reacting to the ink, which sucks. But ya I have my moments, the worst are in the morning when I wake up and it's like ughhhh haha. How much are your treatments costing you? My office has a price range from $150-$750 and I'm guessing I'll fall somewhere around the $250-$300 mark but who knows. I do feel as though I'm rushing into removal a little bit so I'm going to get the consult, see what it's about and then decide. Talking to people like you who know what it's like helps immensely. I'm honestly sort of embarrassed that I don't like it and haven't told my friends or family that I'm thinking of removal because I'm a little ashamed and feel sort of stupid :p Well anyways thank you so much for your responses I appreciate them and your input so very much :)

I am all too familiarized with all that you are saying. The initial phase is the hardest-waking up hoping it was all a nightmare and wishing for the things we once had (in our cases, a blank canvas). The grieving is completely normal & will get easier in time, I promise. You'll start to have more better days than bad ones. Just try to take it easy on yourself, you don't have to do anything this instant. Sit with it, do your research, come up with a timeline-I gave myself from February to October to live with this before I pulled the trigger. I pay anywhere from $325 minimum to $650 per session depending upon how much I take on. Good news for you is picosure specifically targets the colors in your tattoo so in essence the Pico is a one-stop shop for you! I'd make a few consultations and feel the vibe out, get different quotes and take it from there. And don't feel embarrassed, I can relate-when I told my friends i was fixin' to get this thing off me, they looked at me like I bumped my head HAHA but it's my body and my life, and I know what's best for me. I am so thankful for this forum as it has been such a blessing to be able to connect with others going through similar situations. I'm glad I can be there for you! Best thing to do is keep your chin up and keep moving forward-you got this!

Hi! I'm glad I could bring a smile to your face :D that makes me happy! Thank you for the compliement, it is a lovely piece-just not for me. It's amazing how we can be our own worst critics. I read something once that really resonated with me-said, "when you're feeling down about yourself, just think of what your best friends would say about you because that's the truth so just go on that." I know it's easier said than done, but don't let some ink keep you in a rut for too long. Nothing is forever-not even tattoos, not in this day & age. There are some fine lasers out there, and even better ones in the making in some mad scientists lair somewhere. Keep your head up. If there's anything I can help you with, I'm here for you! :)

I'll have to try that! Thank you for the tip!

When the scabs start, I used bio oil and it smoothed out nicely.

I happen to have a bottle of that stuff handy! I had to lance two blood blisters today before work-they were just so protruding and adding water pressure. Looking forward to the next phase and I will take your advice! Thank you! :)

Yes. It is a large tattoo. I'm thinking I may just blast quarter sections at a time. The healing was pretty intense :( starting to itch soooo bad now. *sigh* thank you for the reassurance. :)

I made the same mistake the doctors really down play the healing process, I treated an area the size of my hand and it was pure hell. From the success stories I've heard, you gotta take it slow very slow. Chip away at it, don't try and knock it out in one punch.

Now that I think about it in more depth, you are absolutely right-as much as I love the facility im going to, I do feel the healing process was downplayed-and perhaps the area to be treated has a lot to do with it as well-for instance having almost half your thigh blasted is not a good idea if you have to be on your feet for 8 hours at work. I really appreciate you putting this into perspective. Nice & easy is the way to go! Keep in touch!

The black was laid in about 2 years ago, and the color was finished in February of this year. I was okay with it when it was just black, but when I finished the color-it just never sat right with me. I joined this forum in February pretty soon after it was completed and told myself if I was still unhappy with it by the time October came around, I was going to do something about it.