Removal
"How Does The Laser Tattoo Removal Work?"
To understand how the removal works, it is best to understand how the tattoo stays in the skin in the first place.....
When you are tattooed your body will automatically send you immune system to attack the "foreign body" i.e. ink! But as the ink particles are too large for the body to destroy and remove, they are instead encased in collagen as the skin heals, which effectively makes the ink 'safe' and unable to further enter the body or bloodstream.
When you are tattooed your body will automatically send you immune system to attack the "foreign body" i.e. ink! But as the ink particles are too large for the body to destroy and remove, they are instead encased in collagen as the skin heals, which effectively makes the ink 'safe' and unable to further enter the body or bloodstream.
Treatment
"Can You Treat All Colours?"
No, Light is measured in nanometres and there are two wavelengths of light that are emitted from the laser - one is invisible infra-red light (1064nm) and the other is visible green lights (532nm). The infra-red is preferably absorbed into black and dark blue inks, whereas the green light is absorbed by red link. It is possible to treat some other colours although white, yellow and bright colours are difficult. This is not usually a problem however, as lighter colours cover very easily. If you wish to cover up an existing tattoo then the darker colours will be faded or removed, allowing you a greater choice of size and colour for the cover-up design you choose.
"Will The Tattoo Be Removed In One Treatment?"
No, the light can only shatter a certain amount of ink in one treatment, so several treatments are needed. You will notice the tattoo fades more and ore with each treatment. A professional tattoo can take as many as ten treatments, although sine amateur tattoos can take as little as 2 treatments. There are several factors which influence the number of treatments required, from how easily you heal, type of ink used and the colours in the tattoo.
Afterwards
"What Happens To My Skin After Treatment?"
The immediate effect is that the skin turns temporarily white, this is due to water evaporation and disappears after 15 minutes. The skin may also swell and feel like mild sunburn, this usually disappears within 24-48 hours. The body continues to remove ink after the treatment and the skin is usually back to normal within 2-4 days. Sometimes bleeding and/ or mild blistering can occur, again there are varying reasons for this, We will try and adjust the treatment to try and prevent this from happening so the skin can heal properly. If bleeding or blistering does occur it is very important not to pick any scabs that may result, as this could cause scarring. Scar tissue can make further treatments more difficult.
"How Long Does The Treatment take And Is It Painfull?"
Treatments can take between 5 minutes and 30 minutes depending on the size of the tattoo. Large tattoos will need to be treated in several separate appointments to prevent too much trauma happening to the skin. Also 4-6 weeks must be left between each session to allow the body's immune system to do its job. The treatment feels similar to an elastic band being snapped on the skin and is easily tolerated by most people. However to make each patient as comfortable as possible we offer numbing cream to make the experience more comfortable.
All treatments are carried out by Inkwell personnel who have completed the Aesthetic Laser & IPL Training program and have successfully passed the "Core of Knowledge" and "Artificial Optical Radiation Safety" examinations.