POSTED UNDER Tattoo Removal REVIEWS
Q Switch and Picosure Tattoo Removal on 20 year old Finger Tattoo
ORIGINAL POST
Twenty years ago, I made 2 really stupid...
InkStinksJuly 6, 2017
WORTH IT$775
Twenty years ago, I made 2 really stupid decisions: to marry my ex and get matching "wedding ring" tattoos on the same day. I rid myself of the ex 10 years ago, and now I'm finally ridding myself of the ink.
My tattoo has always looked pretty bad. The "artist" that inked it did a lousy job, and I've always hidden it under a real ring. As soon as it was on me, I hated it. The work was sloppy, uneven, and looked blurry/blown out almost immediately. The back of the ring was very faint, too. Just an all around amateur job by a supposed professional.
I finally have the right combination of time and money, and am having my tattoo removed by Medermis in San Antonio, Texas. They have a Q-Switched Spectra Lutronic Nd Yag laser. My plan is to have about 6 treatments with the Nd Yag, take a break, and then follow up with a Picosure laser. Based on my research here, it seems like people get the best result for clearance if they take breaks and use a combination of lasers. While I'd love for this stupid tattoo to be gone immediately, I'm willing to take lots of time to make sure it heals nicely and I get maximum clearance.
I had my first treatment at Medermis on 7/1/2017. I decided to pre-pay for 6 treatments. They estimated 6-10 treatments for removal, (but every place says that). They also told me they can't say for sure how long it will take for complete removal, because everyone is different. It depends on your immune response, the age of the tattoo, the location, etc. In my favor is the fact that the tattoo is old, and parts of it were faint already. Working against me is that it's on my finger, and extremities have less blood supply. The wild card is that I have an autoimmune disorder; my immune system tends to "overreact". Maybe it will result in my tattoo clearing faster, maybe slower, or maybe it won't have any impact at all.
Prior to the treatment, I had a microdermabrasion treatment on the tattoo, (they offer it at the clinic). They said it would help with the tattoo removal and get a better result. Honestly, I have no idea if it will help or not, but I said why not, and went for it. It didn't hurt at all, until the very end, and that pain was more like if you accidentally scratched a sunburn. Kind of like "Hey, don't do that" vs "Omg, that hurts".
Before the tech started zapping my ink, he numbed my finger with ice. That part hurt, but one of the issues with my AI disorder is that I am really intolerant to cold. Handling regular ice cubs makes my fingers hurt, so the super, super cold ice packs made my finger really ache. The tech would ice my finger for a minute, then zap with the laser, then ice again. The laser REALLY hurt. Honestly, it was the worst pain I've ever felt. I've delivered a baby, I've had a C-section and was up walking around the next day, I've had steroid injections in my heels due to an injury. NONE of those hurt more than the laser. Some people say it's no worse than a rubber band snapping. Not for me! I don't know whether that is because of the tattoo location (finger) or because I was already hurting from the ice. I dropped a lot of F bombs during the treatment, and felt kind of dazed when it was over.
After the tech was done, (the treatment was fast -less than 2 minutes). he put some sort of ointment on it and bandaged it. I went home with some oil to rub on the treated tattoo, and made an appointment for 6 weeks later for the next treatment. Unfortunately, I did not get a picture of the tattoo prior to treatment. I thought I had one at home, and it turns out I do not. The clinic did take a picture before they started, so I will ask them to send me a copy, for comparison.
The tattoo is a black ink only band of eternity symbols, with an Eye of Ra in the middle (don't ask). It went completely around my finger, and was 3/8 inches at the widest.
These photos are 1 day post treatment. I had some bruising and swelling, but that's it. My finger hurt for the first day, but felt better the next morning. I removed the bandage after 24 hours.
My tattoo has always looked pretty bad. The "artist" that inked it did a lousy job, and I've always hidden it under a real ring. As soon as it was on me, I hated it. The work was sloppy, uneven, and looked blurry/blown out almost immediately. The back of the ring was very faint, too. Just an all around amateur job by a supposed professional.
I finally have the right combination of time and money, and am having my tattoo removed by Medermis in San Antonio, Texas. They have a Q-Switched Spectra Lutronic Nd Yag laser. My plan is to have about 6 treatments with the Nd Yag, take a break, and then follow up with a Picosure laser. Based on my research here, it seems like people get the best result for clearance if they take breaks and use a combination of lasers. While I'd love for this stupid tattoo to be gone immediately, I'm willing to take lots of time to make sure it heals nicely and I get maximum clearance.
I had my first treatment at Medermis on 7/1/2017. I decided to pre-pay for 6 treatments. They estimated 6-10 treatments for removal, (but every place says that). They also told me they can't say for sure how long it will take for complete removal, because everyone is different. It depends on your immune response, the age of the tattoo, the location, etc. In my favor is the fact that the tattoo is old, and parts of it were faint already. Working against me is that it's on my finger, and extremities have less blood supply. The wild card is that I have an autoimmune disorder; my immune system tends to "overreact". Maybe it will result in my tattoo clearing faster, maybe slower, or maybe it won't have any impact at all.
Prior to the treatment, I had a microdermabrasion treatment on the tattoo, (they offer it at the clinic). They said it would help with the tattoo removal and get a better result. Honestly, I have no idea if it will help or not, but I said why not, and went for it. It didn't hurt at all, until the very end, and that pain was more like if you accidentally scratched a sunburn. Kind of like "Hey, don't do that" vs "Omg, that hurts".
Before the tech started zapping my ink, he numbed my finger with ice. That part hurt, but one of the issues with my AI disorder is that I am really intolerant to cold. Handling regular ice cubs makes my fingers hurt, so the super, super cold ice packs made my finger really ache. The tech would ice my finger for a minute, then zap with the laser, then ice again. The laser REALLY hurt. Honestly, it was the worst pain I've ever felt. I've delivered a baby, I've had a C-section and was up walking around the next day, I've had steroid injections in my heels due to an injury. NONE of those hurt more than the laser. Some people say it's no worse than a rubber band snapping. Not for me! I don't know whether that is because of the tattoo location (finger) or because I was already hurting from the ice. I dropped a lot of F bombs during the treatment, and felt kind of dazed when it was over.
After the tech was done, (the treatment was fast -less than 2 minutes). he put some sort of ointment on it and bandaged it. I went home with some oil to rub on the treated tattoo, and made an appointment for 6 weeks later for the next treatment. Unfortunately, I did not get a picture of the tattoo prior to treatment. I thought I had one at home, and it turns out I do not. The clinic did take a picture before they started, so I will ask them to send me a copy, for comparison.
The tattoo is a black ink only band of eternity symbols, with an Eye of Ra in the middle (don't ask). It went completely around my finger, and was 3/8 inches at the widest.
These photos are 1 day post treatment. I had some bruising and swelling, but that's it. My finger hurt for the first day, but felt better the next morning. I removed the bandage after 24 hours.
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