At Impulse Skin & Laser, we know that Richmond, Virginia, is the third most tattooed city in America. Because of this, we saw that the need for tattoo removal in our area was going to increase exponentially. That is why we focused on providing superior service for tattoo removal. Our owners, Drew Everhart and Lauren Abel, were trained at New Look Laser College for tattoo removal. We have 3 years of experience in tattoo removal and several clients have experienced successful removals. Let Impulse help you erase that tattoo regret!
We have different layers of skin. Tattoos are on the bottom layer. Within that bottom layer, tattoos are applied via a process of inserting ink into the skin with a needle at varying skin depths.
To remove a tattoo, a laser light is applied to the skin, it heats up, and shatters the ink that it reaches first within the skin. In other words, the shallowest layers of ink are removed before the deepest layers.
It takes multiple treatments to penetrate through all of the varying depths of ink in a tattoo. If a tattoo is particularly dark or bold, it will require more treatments to remove the ink compared to shaded tattoos with a lower density of ink.
Virtually all tattoos can be removed to completion with our laser. Unless the tattoo has scarring from its application or contains unusual inks, it can be effectively treated.
Regardless of the laser used for treatment, almost all tattoos require multiple treatments for complete removal. The speed of tattoo fading may vary from patient to patient, depending on the tattoo’s quality and the patient’s immune system. However, because of the unparalleled power of our lasers, we ensure the fastest tattoo fading possible.
Session cost depends on several factors and start at $50 per session.
Skin Protection- After treatment, your treated area may have many of the symptoms of a burn, such as immediate whitening of the area, plus bruising, swelling, blistering, and scabbing.
Below are some basic guidelines to handling these side effects and achieving excellent laser tattoo removal results:
- For the first 3 days after treatment, keep the treated area bandaged with sterile gauze and protected with a thin layer of antibiotic or healing ointment. After 3 days, keep the treated area clean and dry during the healing process. If necessary, clean the area gently with mild soap and water and pat dry.
- Blistering is common after laser treatment and is a part of the natural healing process. Do not be alarmed by blisters, but do protect the area and apply an ointment for at least 24 hours after the blisters have popped.
- You may apply cool compresses as necessary for 24 hours after treatment to help reduce discomfort and inflammation. You may take regular Tylenol, but avoid aspirin (as it can increase the risk of bruising or bleeding).
- Do not pick any scabs that form. This step is very important to prevent scarring. Avoid any activity (such as shaving) in the treated area that may cause scabs to be removed.
- Feel free to shower 2 hours after treatment, but avoid high water pressure hitting the treated area. Also, do not soak the treated area until all scabs and blisters have completely healed – that means no baths, hot tubs, or swimming to prevent the chance of infection.
- Exercise is generally safe after treatment, so long as all other aftercare instructions have been followed.
- Wear a sun block of SPF 25 or higher over the area for 3 months following treatment. Avoid wearing makeup or creams near the treated area for the first 2 days after treatment.
- Itching is very common due to the dehydrating effect of the laser. Use Aquaphor, Vitamin E ointment, or hydrocortisone cream to moisturize the area as it heals.
- If the area looks infected (honey-colored crusting, oozing, spreading redness) or you have an extreme reaction, immediately contact medical professionals for help.
- Healing is usually complete in about 4 to 8 weeks, depending on the patient’s aftercare, immune system, and level of treatment.
- Scarring, which can be hypertrophic or even keloid, can occur but is very rare. Loss of skin pigment (or excess gain of skin pigment) in the treated area may occur, but is temporary in almost all cases.