Laser Tattoo Removal: Expectations vs. Reality

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Everybody makes mistakes in their lives. Some of them are small while some are more long-lasting. Thankfully, tattoos don’t have to be one of those permanent mistakes anymore. With laser tattoo removal in Toronto, poorly designed (or misspelled) tattoos can be erased faster and better now.

According to statistics, 49 million Americans have at least one tattoo. Of those people, 20% of them regret getting a tattoo. Dr. Mulholland, a Toronto cosmetic surgeon, says that women make up the majority of laser tattoo removal patients. Why is this, you might ask? Sometimes their tattoos simply don’t reflect them as a person anymore or they had the name of an ex-lover inked on their bodies.

People tend to think tattoo removal is difficult or too painful, but the PicoSure laser makes the process faster. That’s because technology and techniques for tattoo removal have come a long way since the 90s. Here are the most common expectations and the reality of laser tattoo removal.

I’ll have to come in for a lot of treatments

Older lasers are not as fast the PicoSure, so they require patients to come in for several treatments to see clearance. The PicoSure pulse duration is a billionth of a second and is super short. The laser has a pulsed shockwave effect on tattoo pigments with little thermal effect. This acoustic shockwave is excellent at removing tattoos—in as little as 4 treatments, people can see 90% of their tattoo gone. You won’t have to come in for 16 treatments to clear your tattoo with the PicoSure laser.

It’s expensive

Removing tattoos is usually more expensive than getting one, that’s for sure. But since the PicoSure laser removes tattoos much faster than older lasers, you’ll only need half the number of treatments to clear your tattoo. Older, less successful lasers required patients to come in for 8-16 treatments. This makes the whole process more expensive. Depending on how big your tattoo is, PicoSure treatments range from $250-$750 per treatment.

Source: SpaMedica YouTube Channel

It can’t get rid of certain colours

It’s known that certain tattoo ink colours are difficult to remove, such as red ink. When appropriate lasers aren’t used for that pigment, the tattoo becomes resistant and doesn’t clear. SpaMedica has a comprehensive laser tattoo removal program that uses multiple lasers to achieve at least 90% clearance of the tattoo. So if you have a very colourful tattoo, the PicoSure, Revlite and other lasers will be combined during your treatments.

It’s painful

Tattoo removal obviously isn’t the most comfortable feeling in the world, but the PicoSure laser makes the process much more tolerable compared to older lasers. Also, most Toronto laser tattoo removal patients have anesthetic cream applied and an air chilling system directed on the skin. Many SpaMedica patients say the treatments are less painful than getting the tattoo itself.  

Laser tattoo removal in Toronto is not as lengthy, expensive or painful as you might think. Getting rid of those embarrassing or just plain bad tattoos is now a common and easier process. Book your appointment now to start clearing your tattoo.