A laser tattoo can take a long time to heal and to remove. Healing takes several weeks and treatments are scheduled several months apart. The results cannot be seen within the first treatment session. Getting a laser tattoo removal will usually generate very acceptable results in time as typically, most tattoos removed using a laser will disappear or come close to disappearing after about 6 treatments. Each treatment takes about one month for the skin to heal and the period of healing will be determined by several factors such as.
Skin Type
A tattoo ink must penetrate the skin dermis for the tattoo to become permanent. The removal of this ink requires the laser to penetrate into the dermal layer without causing much damage. Clinically, the skin is categorized into six classes of ‘lightness’ in relation to the level of reaction to ultraviolet radiation. The darker the skin, the longer it will take to heal and more sessions will be needed for the tattoo removal compared to the lighter skins.
The Location Of The Tattoo
Most tattoo ink comes into contact with the lymphatic vessels and the blood. Blood levels and lymphatic supplies vary from one region of the body to another, with the neck and the head having the most. These fluids are essential for healing of the body therefore tattoos located in regions with high concentration of blood and lymphatic fluids heal faster than those located in arms, legs and fingers thus taking less time to be removed.
Colors Used
Typically, black or darker colored inks are easier to remove. Any additional colors on your tattoo will mean more time to remove and more laser removal sessions. Tattoo artists use a number of compounds to create their inks and this is where amateurs differ from professionals. These differences in ink compositions and pigment sizes will determine the amount of time it will take to remove a tattoo using laser.
Amount Of Ink Used
The quality of a tattoo a patient has can be determined by the amount of ink successfully injected into the skin. Amateur tattoos are lightly placed on the skin and therefore easier to remove than professionally done tattoos which deliver more ink into the skin. These types of tattoos will require more sessions in order to penetrate the deeper inked layers of the skin.
Skin Damage or Scarring
If a patient suffered scarring from a tattoo, more sessions will be required to remove it as scar tissue is more resistant to the treatments.
Overall Health Of The Patient
Just like in any healing process, the general health of the patient will highly determine how long a tattoo will take to remove. Smoking, heavy drinking or exposure to sun tan can reduce the immune system of the patient and thus affect the healing period. The laser will break up the inks under the skin, however it’s the responsibility of the bodies healing process to flush out the ink particles that have been blasted through various body cleansing systems.