Getting a tattoo on yourself means you are stuck with it. The tattoo you get is meant to be for life. But what happens when your tastes change, the tattoo deforms because of weight gain, or you get a new girlfriend and the old one’s name on your hand is no longer relevant? The good news is that tattoos can be removed with the help of a laser.
One of the frequent questions that clients ask before removing their tattoo is about how long the procedure takes. This depends on multiple factors. Depending on the tattoo, the procedure may last anywhere from a minute to an hour. Here are the different things that impact the length of the tattoo removal session.
Tattoo size
The larger the tattoo the longer the session is going to be. Large areas have more ink to be removed and the area will take longer to be cleaned and cooled. There is a dressing that is applied at the end of the treatment, and larger areas require more time for that.
If size is the single factor of the procedure the time length of removal is as follows:
Very small: 1-2 minutes Small: 2-5 minutes Medium: 10-15 minutes Large: 20-14 minutes Very large: 40-60 minutes
For very large tattoos a division of the areas into smaller parts is usually done in order to decrease swelling after the procedure. Whether this is done in a single procedure depends on whether the client can manage the care of the area that is required afterwards. A couple of treatments may be required for large tattoos.
Tattoo type
The darker the tattoo the more heat will be required to remove it. This will make the skin more prone to swelling which will take longer to recover. For these tattoos, smaller patches are done in a single procedure to avoid blistering and severe pain.
Tattoo location
Some places on the human body like the elbows, wrists, stomach, pubic area, breasts, and head are more sensitive to heat and the laser procedure than others. These zones are usually treated in a longer span of time in order to deal with the pain more efficiently. Multiple appointments are usually taken for very sensitive areas.
Tattoo colors
The color of the tattoo also affects how soon it can be removed. If the tattoo is multicolored it will take longer to remove it as different colors require different wavelengths of light to be dissolved. Some colors are easier to be removed. These are black, brown, green, and dark blue. Colors that are harder to remove are orange, light blue, yellow, and red.
Tattoo depth
The darker the shade of the tattoo is the closer it is to the surface of the skin. This tattoo will be removed easier than if the color is in the deeper part of the skin.
Tattoo age
With time, tattoos fade away. The ink breaks down in the skin and becomes less noticeable. This is why older tattoos are easier to be removed with the lasers than new ones.
These multiple factors will determine if the removal of the tattoo will be performed in a single session or in a couple of sessions and how long each session will take.
If you’re interested in getting your unwanted Tattoo Removed, please schedule a complimentary consultation with the Wisconsin Tattoo Removal experts.