Best picture I could find of ankle tattoo.
On June 17,2011 I went for my first tattoo removal session, hungover. Not a good idea. Dr. Geronemus, one of the leaders in tattoo removal, looked at my tattoos and told me green is one of the hardest colors to remove. Of course, both of my tattoos have a large amount of green in them. He told me I would probably need 7-15 sessions. Tattoo removal is not cheap! It costs $500 a session to remove the tattoo on my ankle.
Luckily, Dr. Geronemus is testing out a new laser and told me the tattoo on my back is perfect for the study, so it will be done for free.
Turtle tattoo on lower back
The cost to remove my tattoo is about 10 times as much as the amount I actually paid to have the tattoo done in the first place!
Tattoos used to be permanent. Now, with modern technology they can be removed. Mistakes can be eradicated.
During this session they worked on my ankle. If you’re going to get this done, I would strongly recommend going to some place that numbs the area. Everyone talks about how much pain is involved with tattoo removal. However, if they numb the area the only thing you feel are the needles poking you with lidocaine. The nurse told me that this would be the most painful part of the process. It didn’t bother me at all, but I guess that all depends on your tolerance of pain (and if you have a tattoo I think you’ll be able to handle it.) After the nurse injected me with about 6 needles of lidocaine I couldn’t feel a thing. They put goggles over my eyes (the kind you wear when you go sun tanning) and took a laser to my tattoo. I was a little upset I couldn’t watch, but I could still see bits of flashing light through the corner of my eyes. I could also hear it. It sounded a lot like the noise you would hear after a bug flies into one of those insect killer lights. The whole process took less than ten minutes, but that all depends on the size of your tattoo.
After they were done the nurse covered the area with Aquaphor to keep it moist, a gauze pad, and something that seemed like saran wrap. I’m supposed to keep it covered until the skin returns to normal, and change the bandages twice a day. The skin blistered like it would if I got a really bad sunburn. That part is the most disturbing looking part of the tattoo.
Blisters popped. I freaked out and called doctor. He said it was perfectly normal.
After the lidocaine wore off it was a bit uncomfortable, but nothing too terrible. The black that lined the tattoo is pretty much all gone, but I will need many more sessions to remove the green.
I feel like removing my tattoos is the necessary step I need to take in returning to a clean, shiny, and brand new blank slate. Not a blank slate that I can mark up again though! I am constantly changing my views and I don’t want to be branded or defined by the tattoos on my skin. This process has already lifted my spirits. It is worth every penny.
Will post photos of tattoo without bandage later when I’m changing it.
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- Regret That Tattoo? You’re in Good Company (livescience.com)
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