If you are living with tattoo regret, you may be wondering how good tattoo removal in Baton Rouge is. You may want to get rid of your tattoo, but you definitely do not want to spend time, money, and energy on a treatment that will not work or that will leave you with severe scarring. We would love to tell you how the treatment works and the many benefits that it can bring to you.
Learn More About Tattoo Removal
In order to understand how the treatment works, you first have to understand how a tattoo is applied and the way your body responds to it. When a tattoo is applied, ink is injected under the skin. From the very moment that the ink is put in place, your body is constantly trying to remove it. Your immune system kicks in and sees the ink particles as foreign invaders. Part of the reason why a person’s tattoo fades over the years is because the body is always working to remove the ink particles. The reason why tattoos are permanent and why they do not completely fade has to do with the size of the ink particles. In most cases, they are just too large for your body to remove naturally.
- When you use laser treatments to get rid of an unwanted tattoo, energy is directed at the ink in the tattoo.
- The goal is to break up the ink particles into smaller pieces. When the particles are smaller, the body can more easily remove them.
- As you can see, the goal is not to burn the ink in the tattoo. The goal is to break up the ink in order to encourage the body to remove it on its own.
That is the most basic way to describe how the treatment works. But there are a lot of other factors that come into play that determine how long it takes to remove a tattoo, the type of laser that should be used, the type of results that you will get, and many other things.
Since energy from the laser is used to break up the ink in the tattoo, your skin is going to be affected by this. Of course, we do all that we can in order to keep you as comfortable as possible during the treatment. The cooling device attached to the laser along with topical anesthetic creams mean that you will likely be able to tolerate the treatment quite well. In some cases, individuals deal with some scarring because of the actual laser treatment. If you have keloid scars or some type of skin condition, you will want to mention this when you visit our Baton Rouge office for the first time. You may not qualify for the treatment or you may not get the results that you were hoping for.
Different wavelengths or lasers may be needed to help you get rid of an unwanted tattoo. One of the things that will determine the type of laser or wavelength we use is the color of the tattoo. Certain colors respond better to different forms of laser energy. The color of the tattoo also plays a role in how easy or quick it is to say goodbye to an unwanted tattoo. Other things that will play a role in how quickly a tattoo can be removed include the age of the tattoo and where it is located on the body.
In most cases, a tattoo that is close to the heart can be more easily removed than one that is farther away. The reason why this is the case has to do with the flow of blood through the body. As we mentioned above, the goal of the treatment is to break up the ink particles. Your body will then remove these in a natural way. So the closer that a tattoo is to your heart where blood flow is the most rapid, the more quickly the tattoo can be removed.
You are likely to feel the most satisfied with your treatment when you realize that it is not a thing that can be done immediately. You will not walk into our office, have one treatment performed, and then walk away without your tattoo. This is almost impossible. Most of our clients need anywhere from six to eight treatment sessions in order to get satisfying results. In addition to the fact that your body slowly removes the ink particles, we may have to use different lasers in order to treat different colors in your tattoo, which takes time.
If the tattoo was applied by an amateur, it may be more difficult to remove than if it was applied by a professional. It is common for amateur tattoo artists to not apply the ink in an even way. So some areas of the tattoo may have ink that is quite deep and more difficult to treat.
Say Goodbye to Tattoo Regret
While the treatment is not immediate and the results depend on each individual’s circumstances, laser tattoo removal is by far one of the absolute best ways to get rid of tattoo regret. It has been able to help thousands of people to say goodbye to tattoos that they wish they would never have had applied to their body.
Some people get a tattoo on a whim. They are out late with friends, sometimes drinking, and all decide to get a tattoo in order to remember each other, an idea that they all identify with, or something else. While the idea of getting the tattoo seems great in the moment, it is not something that represents the person as they get older. This is especially the case if it represents something that a person later feels embarrassed by or no longer wants to be associated with.
It is common for individuals to tattoo the name of a romantic partner on their body. When they have the tattoo applied, they have the idea that they will be with that person forever. However, the relationship may change and even be a source of sadness and frustration. Now, the person has the name or the image of their ex-spouse or ex-boyfriend or ex-girlfriend on their body. Not only is it a reminder of something sad and regretful, but it can be a further source of frustration when they try to pursue new relationships in the future.
Another common reason why people feel tattoo regret is because the tattoo artist made a mistake or did not apply the tattoo in the way the individual hoped. Maybe a word is misspelled or the tattoo just looks goofy. Some people use laser tattoo removal in order to just revise a tattoo. Parts of the tattoo can be faded or completely removed in order to fix it.
It is common for young individuals to get tattoos that represent affiliation with a gang or a fringe organization. They share the same beliefs as these groups of individuals and want to represent those beliefs by having tattoos applied to their body. However, as they get older, their ideas about life change. Instead of sharing the same values as the gang or fringe organization, they now feel embarrassed by it. They may not feel that they want their children to have those same ideals. Or they may find that getting suitable employment is difficult or even impossible. Many people have been able to turn their lives around by having tattoos removed, especially ones that are in visible areas, like the face, neck, hands, and arms.
What to Expect on Your First Visit
If you are serious about having an unwanted tattoo removed, you may be interested in scheduling a consultation. But perhaps you have some doubts or feel nervous about what to expect.
The first time you visit us, we encourage you to arrive to your appointment early. This will give you time to meet the staff in the office, fill out paperwork, and not have the anxiety that is associated with being rushed.
After filling out the necessary forms, you will be invited into a private room for a consultation. You will be able to speak with a doctor. You can tell them about the tattoo regret that you have. Or you can tell them about how you would like certain areas of your tattoos to be faded or removed in order to revise the tattoo. Tell them all of the concerns that you have. This will help them to come up with a treatment plan that will best suit your needs.
It is usually only individuals who have serious health problems who do not qualify for treatment. Since this is a treatment that is performed on the outer layers of skin, it is usually not viewed as an extremely invasive procedure. Of course, the healthier you are, the better the results you will receive from the treatment. Be prepared to answer questions about your overall health. Also, you are going to want to mention any medications or herbal supplements that you take. You should also be honest about things like smoking and the use of alcohol, which can affect your overall health and the way you respond to medical treatments.
After examining your tattoo and looking at your overall health, the doctor will be able to let you know about your candidacy for tattoo removal. The doctor will be able to give you a good idea of the kind of results that you can get. They should tell you how many treatments you will need, how often these treatments should be scheduled, and how much of the tattoo can be removed. In some cases, individuals should only expect for their tattoos to be faded. In other cases, it may be possible to completely remove them.
Many of our clients are able to have their first tattoo removal session right after their consultation. If this is the case for you, we will get you situated in a comfortable position where we will have access to the tattoo that you would like to have removed. For example, if you have an unwanted tattoo on your arm, you will likely be able to sit in a comfortable chair and position your arm on a table in front of you.
We may apply an anesthetic cream to your skin before starting laser treatments. We will do all that we can to make sure that you are completely comfortable. When the laser is in place, you will feel short bursts of energy coming from it. There is also a cooling device that is attached to the laser, so your skin will be kept at a comfortable temperature. The actual treatment session is likely to be quite short, especially if the tattoo is small and in a place that is easy to access. The bursts of energy that come from the laser occur very quickly, usually in a matter of just a second or two. The thing that takes time is repositioning the laser. So the larger the tattoo, the more repositioning that needs to happen.
The area that was treated will likely be covered with a bandage. The doctor will give you instructions on how to care for the area in the days that follow your treatment. The doctor will give you a good idea of how long it will take to start to see results. Many of our clients start to see their tattoo fade after just one visit.
Get In Touch with Us for More Information
Are you interested in learning if tattoo removal is right for you? If so, feel free to reach out and make an appointment with The Aesthetic Medicine & Anti-Aging Clinics of Louisiana. At our convenient locations in Baton Rouge and Lafayette, our caring and devoted team of professionals will be pleased to explain this option to you in greater detail and answer any questions you may have. Contact us today to set up your consultation – we look forward to speaking with you!