POSTED UNDER Tattoo Removal REVIEWS
How I Wish I Could Move on from This Mistake Already - Pristine Laser Center - Altamonte Springs, FL
ORIGINAL POST
Have you ever wished you could go back in time and...
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Have you ever wished you could go back in time and do something differently? I do. I wish I could go back a few years to that day in September and stop myself from getting a tattoo on my forearm. I honestly didn't think a tattoo would cause me so much unhappiness. I feel very ashamed of my tattoo. I am still upset for allowing myself to get something permanent on that part of my body. However I am willing to forgive myself and I am determined to fix this mistake. I have had 5 treatments total. I've had two treatments done at a med spa and I've recently changed places. I've had one treatment and I've had one r20 session at the new place I've been going to. I have another r20 session this Monday. I've noticed that there is not much reviews for tattoo removal for people with darker skin and I'm hoping my review will be helpful.
vele21's provider
UPDATED FROM vele21
Update
At the med spa I was treated with the Candela AlexTriVantage laser. At the new laser center I've been recently going to I've been treated with the Medlite C6 laser. Both lasers were 1064 nm wavelength.
Replies (20)
May 30, 2014
Hi vele- I'm glad to hear that you're not dwelling on the past mistake of ink regret. It's a very powerful emotion but ultimately, there's no point in dwelling...rather that energy should be spent looking and moving forward. In regards to your treatments- the Medlite is supposedly great for darker skin pigments...however, I would be very wary of the R20 process. I was told by a Dr that it has not shown to be of any greater affect on removing more ink per session. The thing about laser removal is that the laser ONLY shatters the ink- it's our bodies (lymph/immune system) that carries and flushes away the ink. This flushing takes time as our bodies work slow in this regard. Treating w/ the R20 is basically just shattering the same ink twice, b/c the first pass of shattered ink did not have time to move/be flushed out b/c the next laser pass. Also, the intensity of the laser can cause more scarring and hypopigmentation for yr skin tone. More scarring can impede the next laser session as the scar tissue will deflect the laser beam and not allow it to reach the deeper ink. Ultimately it's yr call...but getting one laser session (perhaps at a less intense setting due to yr skin tone) would be wise in my opinion. Yr body WILL continue to flush away the shattered ink, up to a year after each session. Keep pics, as results can only really be "seen" in the span of weeks/months. Good luck to you!!!
May 30, 2014
Oh and I mean getting 1 laser session AT A TIME (vs R20 method)...not like just 1 session a year!! Still for ppl w/ darker skin tones, you must be wary of hypopigmentation and therefore, proceed at lower laser settings and slightly longer time in b/w sessions. Again, ultimately yr call...
June 1, 2014
Thank you so much for your advice :). After my r20 session on Monday I plan to wait at least 2 1/2 months before I go back for another session. To be honest I haven't seen much results so far which is kind of disappointing :(. Hopefully the longer recovery time will give me better results.
June 1, 2014
Yr quite welcome :) sounds good..laser is such a mystery so nothing I say is ever 100%...but after going through it and having read so much over the past years, it's just most logical to me and what I saw in some instances of my sessions. I hope yr treatment goes well and that you recover fast :)
May 30, 2014
Hey, I too have a forearm tattoo, very similar however my placement is 100x worse. I understand how you feel, I wish I would have chosen a different location. Looking good though, and I admire your strength and positive outlook. Good luck :)
June 1, 2014
Thank you! :) I actually would rather have a tattoo where yours is because it's easy to conceal.
June 5, 2014
Ive gotten horrible comments about it though, if I had a dollar for every time someonesaid something negative about the placement, I could have probably paid for the entire removal lol
May 30, 2014
Hi vele, I'm also removing a forearm tattoo. I too wish that I could go back and undo my mistake (and my second tattoo mistake as well). The Cynosure MedLite and RevLite are excellent lasers. Can't wait to see how it fades, especially with the R20 method.
June 1, 2014
Thanks! :) I just checked out your review and your forearm tattoo looks like it faded drastically.
UPDATED FROM vele21
Update
It's been a week since my most recent treatment. I was going to do the r20 method but decided not to because I didn't want to worsen my hypopigmentation. However I may consider doing it for my next appointment since I plan to wait longer in between treatments. The doctor estimated that I would need about 4 more treatments. *fingers crossed*
Replies (3)
June 25, 2014
I love your post. Thank you for the part about willing to forgive yourself. I got a tattoo at fifteen, and got it removed when I was eighteen and smarter. My biggest mistake was getting it, but I really liked it, I just didn't like the way people reacted to it back then. So, my second biggest mistake was having it removed because of what others thought. Way back then they only had skin graphs, and luckily I went to a very good plastic surgeon. It hurt like hell to have it removed, and I still have a scar. Now after all of these years, and having read your post, I'm going to finally forgive myself for what I did in my wild and crazy youth. Thank you.
July 2, 2014
Thank you :). I'm flattered that I helped you to forgive yourself. I'm glad that there are more options nowadays for tattoo removal.
February 17, 2016
I know you posted this a while ago, but I was wondering if you'd made anymore progress?
Replies (3)