As tattoos have become more common — a 2019 poll showed that 40 percent of Americans aged 18 to 34 have at least one — so, too, has tattoo removal. Fortunately, modern laser treatments are a safe and effective way to give you the skin you want.
There are variables impacting the time between tattoo removal sessions and how long it takes to see final results. But the process itself is fairly simple.
Blasting Unwanted Ink
Laser tattoo removal uses focused beams to target the colors in your tattoo. Essentially, those colors are broken down by the focused energy of the laser and reabsorbed by the body. That reabsorption takes time. How long to wait between tattoo removal sessions is dictated by many factors, but traditional laser removal treatments are usually scheduled six to eight weeks apart.
Factors Impacting Removal Speed
Laser tattoo removal can show results almost immediately. However, complete removal might take two years. Some factors impacting the speed of tattoo removal include:
- Ink Color: Darker colors typically fade quicker than lighter colors. Greens and pastels often prove the most difficult.
- Tattoo Size: The more skin you’ve covered, the more time it will take to uncover it.
- Tattoo Location: Areas of strongest circulation, and thus more robust cell activity, remove ink faster than other areas. The closer a tattoo is to your heart, the more likely it is to clear quickly.
- Tattoo Age and Depth: Older tattoos come off quicker. Removing a brand-new tattoo shouldn’t be attempted until you’ve had it from four to six weeks. Professional tattoos, where the ink is applied more consistently and deeper, usually take longer to remove than amateur work applied closer to the surface of the skin.
Do Your Part
You can help the tattoo removal process along in several ways:
- Drink more water, both in the weeks leading up to your first appointment and in between appointments.
- Eat well — specifically a diet that’s low in sugar and high in lean protein — to promote skin cell regeneration.
- Work out to increase circulation and oxygenation.
- Don’t smoke or drink because the healthier your skin is, the better you’ll respond to treatment. Smoking hurts circulation (a vital component in successful tattoo removal) and alcohol thins the blood, thus making skin cell regeneration more difficult
- Avoid the sun because laser therapy cannot be done on sunburned or excessively dry skin.
- Moisturize to keep your skin healthy. Make sure it’s water based as oils could impair the laser’s effectiveness.
The ART of Faster Removal
Simply put, the fastest laser tattoo removal in the world is Zapatat’s ART (Accelerated Removal Technique). One ART treatment can do in three months what five to seven standard treatments might take a year to accomplish.
The time between laser tattoo removal sessions is different for ART than for traditional methods. Generally, ART is scheduled at 90-day intervals. Conventional treatments typically are scheduled twice as often and require visits over a longer period.
Zapatat also offers traditional laser removal. Conventional laser methods are less aggressive but give you the same results. Typically, there is a time vs. cost tradeoff.
Regardless of the method you choose, tattoo removal has never been safer, faster or easier. Contact Zapatat to determine which of our treatments is right for you.