Tattoo excision (wrist)

Hello all! In two days I will be having my wrist tattoo removed. I am currently in the process of becoming a Marine Corps Officer (Rah!) and unfortunately my tattoo did not fall into the tattoo regulations and my waiver was denied. I was okay with getting it removed- I did not want something as small as a tattoo I got when I was 15 (I know???????????) stop me from pursing my dream and serving my country.
I did research on plastic surgeons and after a consult with Dr. Vijay in Corpus Christi, I decided on him! He is going to do two excisions about 8 weeks apart (depending on how the skin heals) because the tattoo is too large and my skin is too tight to do in one excision. I am very nervous at the idea of being awake for the procedure since it is just local numbing, and I am also concerned with how long my skin will take to heal because I finished a course of Accutane in May 2018 (check out my separate review on my account for that journey!:)I am also curious in when I will be able to continue working out again. Anyways, wish me luck and I will keep you all updated on the process!

Okay... some changes since the last update! My surgeon decided that he could do the surgery in one procedure, which I was happy to hear because it not only saves me money, but also recovery time and it helps expedite my process with the military.
He drew around my tattoo with a purple marker then started by injecting 4-5 needles around the tattoo. I laid down and faced away because I knew if I saw him cutting it I would freak! I also had my friend holding my hand and talking to me. A few minutes (~5-10) went by and by that time my fingers felt like pins and needles. The surgery itself was about ten minutes and I didn’t feel any pain, just a little bit of pressure. The worst part was that I could hear the noise (of cutting or his tools?? I don’t even know) but I had my friend distracting me. After I was a little freaked looking at my piece of skin and the gnarly scar but I know that the appearance is temporary. Unlike many tattoo removal stories on RealSelf I’m a little sad to see my tattoo go, but I am seeing this as just a small downside for a large upside. I get the stitches out in ten days so stay updated for the healing process! (It’s 8:45pm right now and I got the surgery at 4:30pm and it’s still numb FYI)

Hello all! Two days after the surgery and my wrist is pretty sore. The initial numbing wore off the next morning and wowza! I sure felt it. Thankfully I have some pain medication so I have been taking that so it isn't that bad. I have been hesistant to move my arm/hand at all (I have this thought that if I bend it too far the stitches will come out- unlikely I know) but I am working on flexibility and light stretching and bending of the wrist so it doesn't get too stiff. Last night I showered with some saran wrap on it and didn't get it very wet but luckily the woman who I nanny for is a doctor and she cleaned it up for me and applied some antibiotic cream on it. I have it still wrapped with a sterile dressing and soft cloth, and there are 8 days till the stitches come out! Thanks for reading xox Sam