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POSTED UNDER PicoWay Reviews

My journey

UPDATED FROM Franken555

Discouraging comments

$3,500
Had a few discouraging comments made on my progress that really made me feel like poop. Let me fall you the whole story and share the whole tattoo. So 2 years ago I got a 3/4 sleeve tattoo and it’s been my biggest regret. I’ve worn long sleeves for the past 2 yers every day (let me tell you.. you can only wear the same shirt to the gym so many times????).. I’ve been removing the tattoo as a whole with each session and I should’ve been doing it in smaller sections so let this be a lesson for those of you with sleeve tattoos. At this point my tattoo is all line work. The top is more faded than the bottom part.. I’ve been to the two best tattoo removal shops in the MInneapolis area wnd am now treating my tattoo in two sections... i don’t know if there’s much else I can do at this point to speed up the process. I was going for full removal but now a cover up sounds so much better than removing it for another 2 years. I have researched artists and planned my sleeve for the past year & a half now because I had a feeling that this was going to take too long to fully remove. I’m just sick of spending my life indoors missing out on fun summer things, working out in a short sleeve shirt, feeling the sun on my skin in a bikini and not being able to work certain jobs because I can’t wear their apparel. I dont even know what that feels like anymore sadly. So, 2 more years of removal, hiding behind long sleeves, and turning down opportunities in the fitness industry (what I want to do for a career) just can’t be gods plan for me. I’ve been feeling so discouraged and obsessing over my tat lately like I did last summer. In the winters it’s easy to forget about but the summer is when I get sooo depressed. I’m just so sick of it all. I’d rather cut my arm off than remove it for another year or two. So this is where I’m at, sorry for the rant. Here’s some pics. For those of u feeling depressed about a tiny tattoo on your arm, be grateful youre not me.

Replies (5)

dude, id say stick with it. you're too deep in, it seems like in 2 years it will be gone at least 90% i mean what the hell. if you're alright with money [RS bleep] stick with it. the risk of the coverup regret is not worth it imo. check out this -> https://www.realself.com/review/true-skin-medispa-tattoo-removal-my-chances?offset=142&sle=0.
btw this is my finger and shoulder tattoo (2 out of 5) that i want removed. the finger one is after 2 sessions of picosure. if you told me that in 3-4 they would be gone i'd be really happy, the only problem is $300 per session. do you have a picture of your shoulder tattoo before any sessions??
It’s so hard though. I love tattoos and would love a beautiful sleeve on my arm. I just want this to all be over with. I’m so depressed that I don’t even know who I am anymore. I cant take this
oh well who am i to say...just consider that you, me and everyone that ever got one at the moment thought it was a good idea. so the fact that you now think a sleeve would be ok doesnt mean much.

the difference is that some people (not me) dont care about a mistake like this, others do so...yeah, i dont know.

do you remember how much time was between sessions? like 1 month, or more?
8 weeks in between
Ok Ok. I feel your words and understand the situation you are in. This is my view on the situation. Tattoo regret can consume someones life but for me its only if you let it. For me I had tattoo regret for about a year now. I panicked at the tattoos I didn't like then blacked them out. I now have two sleeves which I don't like. This led me down the same path it led you down, severe depression, anxiety the feeling of embarrsement and stupidity like I was hiding my shame and guilt from the world wearing long sleeves, making up lies to avoid meeting up with friends in the summer . I would even sit in the house alone with long sleeves! Only recently did I open up to my friends about it.Ive started laser removal on the sleeves. Into 4 sections . looking at 40 treatments. Only in last month ive binned my long sleeves and went and bought short sleeves. Why should I let some Ink ruin my life? Its just ink! It doesnt make me who I am. Yeah life is harder but only if I let it be. What ive noticed people dont care!. I now laugh about the situation with my mates. I used to walk around thinking my life was a mess but there is literally millions of people out there going through tougher times than tattoo regret.If I was going to let tattoo ruin my life how on earth would I deal with a life thresting situation. Theres a ton of people out there who wish they even had arms!I say wear short sleeves, go out in the Sun enjoy life. Your Tattoo now could easy be covered up too and there is some amzing work that you can get done which will make you feel on top of the world. We all make mistakes in life. I'll put some photos on of my tattoos and have a good laugh at them because I do .
Thank you so much. I literally can’t relate to you more with making up excuses for why o can’t do things with friends. I too also have been opening up about it more with my friends and finally my manager at work and It feels like a heavy weight lifts off my shoulder each time I do because I’ve been bottling in my feelings about it for two years Now. But I also look at all the people who have it much worse than me and have learned a lot about myself through this process as I’m 22 years old and still “finding myself” in a sense so I have been trying to look at all the positive things I’ve learned and the lessons it’s all taught me. Thank you for this. I’m about to buy some short sleeve shirts for the first time in two years now.
Yeah i see it as a huge lesson in life for me to be grateful and also to stop being a idiot over some god dann ink! Haha.. Only recently ive been going to the gym in tshirts (killing the workouts now)and loved it. I actually dont believe I hid in long sleeves for a year! Go treat yourself to a shopping spreee
Thank you so much. This has opened my eyes a lot!!
From what i see it faded a lot. What if i tell you that i had a big tattoo on my thigh and i tried about 6 sessions with laser,it didnt worked ,then i had a surgery which left me with a huge scar and half of tattoo, and now after 1 year the scar its still healing and i learned to accept myself as i am and even wear middle lenght skirts and dresses, i mean the scar its still visible but i accepted it and im not hiding it anymore, i just avoid sun exposure untill its completely healed.I will continue with picosure laser(untill now i treid q switch and it didnt worked) and it doenst mater how long it takes, i willl be patient to remove the other half of tattoo. So enjoy the summer and be confident and accept yourself as you are, we all make mistakes. Wish you all the best.
Why do you have to remove it in sections as opposed to the entire thing at once?
You've come such a long way! I would continue with it if I were you. Any updates?
ORIGINAL POST

My journey

Hi all! Ive been on this website for the past year and a half now and it’s time I share my journey. I’ve been removing my tattoo for the last two years (almost) now. I’ve been using the picoway laser and have seen some results. It’s a veeeery slow process but after two years I’m almost ready to cover this mistake up. I’ve gotten a total of 16 treatments. 14 with pico and 2 with PiQo4. The last two with the PiQo4 laser I’ve seen really great results and have helped me speed up the removal process. I noticed my arm gets a lot more blistery and red after those 2 treatments as well. But my healing process has been great. It’s usually red / swollen a few days after, but I havent noticed any significant hypo/hyper pigmentation issues besides one tiny dot on my arm. This community is everything to me and gives me hope/ lets me know I’m not alone.

Replies (3)

16 X ? I would think you would have full removal by now. Have you shared your concens with your laser tech?
Yup
do you know what machine does the doctor use? i've seen picosure lasers that have made your progress in less than 4-5 sessions.
It was a new tat to begin with.
Also that’s hard to do unless it’s a very old tattoo or mostly shading: mine was brand new to start and it also extends all the way to my shoulder as I added on to it. The top part of my arm is 75% removed and my lower arm is 50% removed. I should’ve done it in sections because of the amount of ink I have. This has slowed my progress
oh ok. in the latest pics the shoulder one looks better. didnt mean to be discouraging or anything, i also have 5 tattoos (2 year old) with deep thick black lines that want to get removed. i had 2 sessions already onn 2 of them (they're also on my fingers, fml) but literally no progress.
Pics?
i posted an imgur link but it got removed. i can pm you if you want
Nice! I had a similar experience with switching from Picoway to PiQo4! With black ink - PiQo4 seems much more efficient! Way to go, fingers crossed for you Bro!
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