Each persons’ skin and every tattoo is unique. Each tattoo artist places the ink at different depths in the skin and with different densities of ink. There is also no standard ink as many artists make their own ink formulas. Most laser tattoo removals require between 3-6 sessions. The number of sessions needed to remove a tattoo depends on many different individual factors:
- Skin type – While most skin types are treatable with the PicoSure laser tattoo removal, lighter skin types of the Fitzpatrick Scale typically have a greater success with tattoo removal. Darker skin types need to be treated with lower energies and take more treatments. Most people will have a significantly reduced appearance of their tattoo after just one treatment.
- Immune system –Your body will break down the pigment at its own rate. People who are immunocompromised or on steroids take longer. Smoking also impairs your immune system and slows overall tattoo removal.
- Age of your tattoo – Older tattoos can usually be removed with less treatments sessions than newer tattoos. Older tattoos typically have less quantity of ink, as some ink has already been removed by your immune system over the years, that is why older tattoos are less vibrant and faded than when it was new.
- Ink Color– Certain ink colors are easier to remove than others. Black, red, dark orange and dark blue tattoos respond quicker and easier to laser treatments. Green, purple, brown, light orange and lighter blues may require more treatments.
- Density of ink – The darker solid outlines of a tattoo require more sessions to remove while the shaded portion of a tattoo is much more easily removed. The more ink used in a tattoo, the more sessions that are required for removal.
- Type of ink – Inks used for tattoos are not regulated so there are many inks for the artists to choose from. Some artists actually formulate their own ink formulations. Typically, amateur tattoos will be removed faster than professional tattoos.
- The depth of ink – Professional tattoos are deeper in the skin than amateur tattoos and will therefore require more PicoSure laser treatments for removal. Cover up of older tattoos will require more treatments due to the multiple layers of ink used.
- Location of the tattoo- Tattoos located on the extremities especially over bony prominences like the ankles and wrists have less lymphatic channels and a slower immune response requiring more treatments and longer times between treatments.
