Tattoo Excision

I got a tattoo when I was 18 (2006) and regretted it immediately.
When I was 26 (2014) I started laser tattoo removal using the PicoSure laser, and while it made a difference, it didn’t give me the results I was hoping for. I had 10 treatments over 2 years, the ink eventually stopped responding to the laser and slight hypopigmentation began - and the last thing I wanted was a skin colored indentation of the tattoo. I don’t blame the process as I knew these outcomes were both possibilities, but I’d hoped my results would’ve been one of those miracle cases where it went away nearly entirely.
I started looking into other options once I knew the laser had plateaued, and I came across excision - yes, cutting the tattoo out. It sounds awful and painful, but I wanted it gone and would do almost anything.
Here are pictures of my tattoo before laser removal, and after 10 treatments. You can see the scarring starting to show from the laser.

In July 2017 I got my first excision. I knew it was going to take two procedures, because the size of the tattoo was just too big to do in one and my doctor didn’t want to take any chances with pushing the elasticity of the skin and causing it to heal poorly, and neither did I. Here are a few pictures after procedure 1.
As you can see from the pictures the scar was super minimal weeks after the procedure, but in the 3rd and 6th month pictures it began to stretch. Part of the reason the stretching happened how it did, is because my tattoo was on my lower back. I needed to be extremely careful with how I moved, and I could not bend forward because I had to be careful to not stretch or open the incision. Scars can take roughly 6-8 weeks to fully heal, and after a few weeks I felt I could move freely again, when in reality I shouldn’t have. I wasn’t too concerned if this scar stretched since I knew come procedure #2 this scar would get cut out anyway, so for more comfort for myself I started bending and moving normally again sooner than I should have. I also did not treat the scar with any type of scar gel or silicone sheets, again, since I knew this scar would eventually go away. Even if the 6th month picture was my final result though, I would still be happier with that than the tattoo. I knew a scar was unavoidable, so I expected something, and again would choose that any day over the tattoo. I knew come procedure #2 I would need to be a lot more careful and cautious with my movement for a lot longer in order to get the best results. I will say though, sitting normally in a chair was difficult for the first few weeks and I nearly avoided it completely. Anytime I could I would lay down in order to avoid any possible stretching of the incision. Standing also felt fine.
As for the procedure itself, it was so much less painful than the laser. I know that sounds crazy, but if you’ve ever been to the dentist and had Novocain shots in your mouth, they just used Novocain on me as a local anesthetic to numb my back (and honestly the Novocain shots hurt more than anything else), and then once I was numb I didn’t feel anything else. Literally, nothing else. Even after the procedure I never had any pain. They did give me pills in case I did, but I never even needed to fill the prescription. I just wish I would have known about this option before wasting 2 years and $3,000 on laser removal. Talk about pain... that experience was the worst. Again, the hardest thing for me was just not being able to move normally for a few weeks. Getting in and out of bed and cars without bending can be a challenge. It was doable, I just looked silly doing it. After seeing the results from incision one though, I couldn’t wait for #2 so it would be gone completely for good.

A week ago I had my 2nd and final tattoo excision. Same thing as I remember before - only used local anesthetic (didn’t need to go under or be in a hospital), the Novocain shots for the numbing was the most painful part - then once numb I felt nothing. My doctor excised the remainder of the tattoo, stitched me up (under the top layer of skin using dissolvable stitches) and then to close the incision wound on the top layer of skin, he used dermabond. He placed surgical tape over that to keep the incision clean and dry, and then over that another bandage for added protection. After day 2 and my first shower since the incision, I removed the top bandage and then after showering replaced with the spare bandage they had given me. After day 4 I took the top bandage off completely as I only needed to wear that for a few days, but I left the surgical tape in place. Next shower that night, the surgical tape got pretty damp so I removed that as well, and that’s when I started taking pictures. Attached are pictures comparing days 4 through 7.
The bruising has subsided drastically since day 4, but a lot of the purple you can still see in the day 7 pictures is from the surgical marker where the doctor outlined the area he would excise. I don’t want to scrub at the area to remove that, but eventually when that goes away I feel like it will be even easier to see the incision line.
I’m super happy with the results so far. Again, I knew a scar was inevitable, but the tattoo is GONE and that’s all I wanted. I’ve been very careful with my movements and have my follow up appointment next week. Once all the dermabond sloughs off I’m going to start using Embrace Scar Therapy on the incision.
Will update next week!