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Have you ever noticed how old tattoos look faded and blown out? When a tattoo has been in the skin for over 10 years, your own immune system has time to try and chip away and remove a portion of the ink without needing a laser. Our clients find that the older the tattoo is, the fewer laser treatments are required.
If you look closely at the original tattoo, you will see that there are raised spots. Sometimes, when the tattoo is applied by an amateur tattoo artist, scarring will occur if the tattoo machine is not tuned appropriately or if the tattoo does not heal properly.
When pre-existing scarring is present, the tattoo removal process may take longer due to what we call “scar tissue encapsulation.” This is when the tattoo ink is “stuck” in scar tissue. When this happens, the laser has to first break through the excess tissue and then needs to break down the ink. Only after the ink is broken down can it then be carried away by the immune system. While the laser still effectively breaks down the ink, the body struggles to remove the ink from within the scar tissue.
First, we worked to break down the heavier black outline. This helped to set the groundwork for future sessions with the PicoWay®. The PicoWay® is the only Picosecond laser to utilise a 730 wavelength. Where 1064 is the most common for black ink removal, sometimes certain inks respond better to the 730 due to the chemical composition of the tattoo ink. Both 1064 and 730 modalities were used for the linework on this tattoo, and we also used the 532 wavelengths to reduce the appearance of the yellow ink.
To address the pre-existing scar tissue and ink encapsulated within it, the client also utilised micro-needling treatments. This causes a mechanical breakdown of scar tissue and creates channels for the encapsulated ink to escape through. Micro-needling was used at the end of this client’s process to ensure all the scar tissue was broken down and the crystalised ink was ready for the immune system to carry it away.
Getting a tattoo removed is a big step. Connect with us to start your removal journey.