I Hate my Tattoo(s) So Much It's Making Me Sick. Seeking Pico Treatment to Correct This Awful Mistake! - Sacramento, CA

Hi everyone,

My names Rachel, I’m 21 and living in Sacramento. 3 years ago I impulsively got a tattoo in memory of my cousin and my uncle who had recently died. The tattoo was not done professionally and was very simple- Just an infinity symbol with the date of their passing below. I was okay with the tattoo and it wasn’t until about a year later until I started wishing I had gone about the tattoo differently. People would often ask me if it was the date my boyfriend and I started dating and recently I got frustrated enough to decide to add onto the piece. A few weeks ago I met with a tattoo artist for a consultation and told him specifically that I wanted “forever in out hearts” written directly below my existing with the possibility of adding in some larkspur flowers (symbolic of beautiful spirit). The artist had no problem and agreed to my idea so I went ahead and put down a (nonrefundable) deposit and scheduled an appointment to get it done.

Last weekend I went in for my appointment alone (my friend who was supposed to come with me got called into work). When I got there the artist remembered only the flowers and forever in our hearts but not my existing tattoo. The drawing was pretty on paper but also very large. I had asked him about the previous plan and he basically told me my current tattoo was too stamp-like and wouldn’t look right. He also talked negatively about its placement and that I should get rid of it all together. His solution? A cover up. So he places the design on my neck and I told him I was uncomfortable with the size and placement but yet again there he was telling me it would look great and anything else wouldn’t look right! He told me it would be beautiful and feminine and that he is the expert at cover ups and I wouldn’t even be able to tell I had the other piece in the first place! So of course since I was alone and talked out of my ideas by both him and the girl who works the front desk, I took their advice. Please keep in mind that I do understand that it is ultimately MY fault considering I consented to it but I really did think I was in good hands and trusted his “expertise”.

However, at the end of the session, I look in the mirror and I have this tattoo on my neck that is much larger and a lot more colorful than I anticipated and I instantly felt sick to my stomach. The worst part of it was that he DIDN’T COVER UP MY OTHER TATTOO!! He told me to come back for another session for that! So I paid and ran out fighting back tears. I spent all weekend in bed sick to my stomach and so upset with myself for going through with something I wasn’t comfortable with! Even a week later I get really depressed and don’t want to be out in public because I’m mortified. I now have two tattoos I am unhappy with that are right next to each other and don't mesh AT ALL.

Anyway, I have decided NOT to go back to this “artist” to have him cover my tattoo up cause I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I went in there and left still unhappy! Especially considering that it’s already big enough and I am unhappy with the placement! So I decided to look into laser tattoo removal. On Wednesday I went to a dermatology center in Sacramento that carries a Picosure laser for a consultation. The doctor was great because she was honest and knowledgeable and it made me feel comfortable even in this extremely scary and stressful situation. She said I have to wait a month for my new tattoo to heal but once it does we can start removal on both tattoos. She quoted me $300 per session and visits every 2-4 months but was unsure of how many I would need. She said the sooner the better considering my fresh ink hasn’t exactly settled and it should respond better to treatment (I am really hoping she’s right!) .

As a college student this is an extremely stressful situation both emotionally and financially and I am really in need of some support. I already battle with depression and the tattoo has escalated things a lot for me. Hopefully things will get better soon but I have comfort in knowing that I’m taking action but I can’t help but be impatient when I am feeling this insecure.

I am going in for my first Pico treatment on the 19th I will be sure to update you all! Thank you for taking the time to read my story and please feel free to comment or private message me. It’s comforting knowing I’m not alone in this. Neither are you!

-Rachel

Hi everyone!

This morning I went in for my first treatment. I showed up 30 minutes before my appointment for numbing cream (I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS!). The RN that did my treatment did everything to make sure I had a comfortable experience- she is awesome and I could not be any happier with my decision to go to this office!
Anyway- the process itself was extremely painful (even with the numbing cream) but luckily took no more than 4 minutes! Right now my neck is covered with gauze and I have been advised to keep it on a full 24 hours. I am a little sore right now but resting up and using this as an excuse to binge watch some OITNB! I
I will update in a couple weeks to show the difference in coloring (since I was told I will not see a change immediately).

I am attaching a short video of the treatment being done and a picture of the tattoos immediately afterward!

I hope you all have a nice weekend :)
-Rachel

Hi guys!
I know I said I would update you all in a couple weeks but my results thus far are too exciting not to share! I was fortunate enough to not have any blistering! I do still have some discomfort but it's nothing like I was expecting. Also I see a huge difference in the coloring of my tattoo- I can already see fading in the colors and lifting of the ink in both tattoos! I took this photo today and wanted to share with you.

I am feeling so amazingly hopeful and am in high spirits about this whole process! If this is just 2 days after the fact I cannot wait to see how it will look in a month or so!

Happy Sunday!
-Rachel