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*Treatment results may vary
The closest I can get! :)
This is my scar, very zoomed! Still a little bit red on its sides, but as you can see the actual line is pale and it's turning into "normal" skin. Believe me, when it's not red (still some months of redness for me) you can barely notice it, even because the actual line is very thin. :)
2 months
I let the picture speak for itself! I have my arm and my LIFE back.
On 10/18/2016 I made the (very bad) decision to...
On 10/18/2016 I made the (very bad) decision to ink my left inner forearm with a 2.5 x 1 inches tattoo full of meaning for me (the logo of McLaren, the F1 team that I love so deeply) and I can assure you that day I was 100% convinced.
Unfortunately, that same night (I precisely remember the moment, when I put Bepanthenol on the tattoo for the very first time) I began to feel uncomfortable, scared and depressed about what I just did to my skin (even if the logo was perfectly done) and, believe me, it was the WORST FEELING IN MY LIFE for 8 months. That night I joined the world of tattoo regret. Oh, and when I say "uncomfortable", "scared" and "depressed" I mean feeling just as your life's come to an END, with sleepless nights, constant 24/24h thoughts (even in the dreams) about that black dirty "thing" on my skin, no eating, no concentration, constant researches on the web and on RealSelf about tattoo removal, etc. Simply a NIGHTMARE and something I don't want to remember, something only people who pass through it can really understand. Don't get me wrong: I KNOW that there are a lot of worse things you can experience in your life (from the death of a beloved one to the lose of a job, etc.) but, believe me, having something that you hate PERMANENT on your skin is just unbearable and I didn't want to show my forearm for any reason EVEN TO MYSELF, since I was so self-consciuos about it. I just wanted it gone and resume possession of my skin and my life.
In February I even tried the Picosure laser with ZERO results. I mean, I know that it is a very long process and I couldn't hope for results after just 1 treatment, but the absence of ANY result after months drove me literally crazy (I think I could have taken as long as 2 years of treatments and tonnes of money to get rid of a tattoo so black) and, after accurate researches, I met a very qualificate surgeon who basically gave me back my psychophysical wellness with tattoo excision.
On 06/21/2017 I had the surgery with internal stitches and just a few external ones which my surgeon removed for me after seven day. The process itself was very fast (less than one hour in total) and cheapy, thanks to the little size of my tattoo, and when I first saw my arm finally without anything but a single neat line instead of that black filth...well, I was about to cry for joy, after 8 months of hell!
It's been almost a month from the process and my little Y shaped scar is healing so well: I've used steri-strips until today and now I'm beginning to massage my scar with BioOil to flatten it, since it's still red and thick from the skin tensions that obviously need some time to dampen. I am SO happy to finally do things and live my life without that black stain on my forearm, which was constantly on the corner of my eyes everything I did. My surgeon has assured me that, if I'm not genetically prone to hypertrophic scars or keloids (but with a pale skin as mine and specifically on the forearm it's very unlikely) the resulting scar will be barely noticeable and after the 1 year process of maturation it will end in a neat thin white line, with the pale background of the inner forearm which is slightly paler than the rest of the arm already on its own. Massaging accurately the scar and avoiding the sun exposure for the first months are the two fundamental routines to follow but I don't think it will be a problem for me even in the summertime thanks to specifical creams and oils.
My passion for McLaren is deeper than ever now and I've come to the conclusion that you don't need to write something on your skin FOREVER to pay homage to it. I should have respected my skin more instead of inking/dirting it and I hope that my experience could be useful to other ones planning to have a tattoo: think about it VERY VERY VERY carefully. I didn't use to hate tattoos and maybe I don't even now (obviously on other people) BUT after this experience I've learned that it's just not something for everyone.
My advice is: DON'T INK ANYWAY. Not doing a tattoo is something you'll never regret in your life, while viceversa you could experience very bad feelings of regret and I'm talking about the WORST regret.
Unfortunately, that same night (I precisely remember the moment, when I put Bepanthenol on the tattoo for the very first time) I began to feel uncomfortable, scared and depressed about what I just did to my skin (even if the logo was perfectly done) and, believe me, it was the WORST FEELING IN MY LIFE for 8 months. That night I joined the world of tattoo regret. Oh, and when I say "uncomfortable", "scared" and "depressed" I mean feeling just as your life's come to an END, with sleepless nights, constant 24/24h thoughts (even in the dreams) about that black dirty "thing" on my skin, no eating, no concentration, constant researches on the web and on RealSelf about tattoo removal, etc. Simply a NIGHTMARE and something I don't want to remember, something only people who pass through it can really understand. Don't get me wrong: I KNOW that there are a lot of worse things you can experience in your life (from the death of a beloved one to the lose of a job, etc.) but, believe me, having something that you hate PERMANENT on your skin is just unbearable and I didn't want to show my forearm for any reason EVEN TO MYSELF, since I was so self-consciuos about it. I just wanted it gone and resume possession of my skin and my life.
In February I even tried the Picosure laser with ZERO results. I mean, I know that it is a very long process and I couldn't hope for results after just 1 treatment, but the absence of ANY result after months drove me literally crazy (I think I could have taken as long as 2 years of treatments and tonnes of money to get rid of a tattoo so black) and, after accurate researches, I met a very qualificate surgeon who basically gave me back my psychophysical wellness with tattoo excision.
On 06/21/2017 I had the surgery with internal stitches and just a few external ones which my surgeon removed for me after seven day. The process itself was very fast (less than one hour in total) and cheapy, thanks to the little size of my tattoo, and when I first saw my arm finally without anything but a single neat line instead of that black filth...well, I was about to cry for joy, after 8 months of hell!
It's been almost a month from the process and my little Y shaped scar is healing so well: I've used steri-strips until today and now I'm beginning to massage my scar with BioOil to flatten it, since it's still red and thick from the skin tensions that obviously need some time to dampen. I am SO happy to finally do things and live my life without that black stain on my forearm, which was constantly on the corner of my eyes everything I did. My surgeon has assured me that, if I'm not genetically prone to hypertrophic scars or keloids (but with a pale skin as mine and specifically on the forearm it's very unlikely) the resulting scar will be barely noticeable and after the 1 year process of maturation it will end in a neat thin white line, with the pale background of the inner forearm which is slightly paler than the rest of the arm already on its own. Massaging accurately the scar and avoiding the sun exposure for the first months are the two fundamental routines to follow but I don't think it will be a problem for me even in the summertime thanks to specifical creams and oils.
My passion for McLaren is deeper than ever now and I've come to the conclusion that you don't need to write something on your skin FOREVER to pay homage to it. I should have respected my skin more instead of inking/dirting it and I hope that my experience could be useful to other ones planning to have a tattoo: think about it VERY VERY VERY carefully. I didn't use to hate tattoos and maybe I don't even now (obviously on other people) BUT after this experience I've learned that it's just not something for everyone.
My advice is: DON'T INK ANYWAY. Not doing a tattoo is something you'll never regret in your life, while viceversa you could experience very bad feelings of regret and I'm talking about the WORST regret.
Provider Review
Dr. Stefano Pau