Having the ink on your skin disappear

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I am sitting in a reclined chair, yellow-tinted goggles are glued to my face and
elaborate machinery surrounds me. My eyes are squeezed closed, hands are
clenched into fists and a laser is zapping me. It feels like a million red ants are
relentlessly stinging me.

The numbing cream they encouraged me to buy doesn’t seem to be doing its job. I
could only image what it would feel like if I weren’t numb. Thirty seconds feels like
an hour. And all I can think about is that stupid day I anxiously went into that tattoo
parlor, confidently wanting this tattoo.

A minute later, the treatment is done. $99 later and the treatment is
over; at least for the next 6 weeks.

The only reason I keep going back is because that little diamond tattoo I got 3 years
ago is slowly fading. Eight treatments, on average, are what they estimate it would
take to completely remove the tattoo I was once so sure of.

The only thing I am sure of now is that I no longer want something I once intended
to be permanent.

Tattoo removal is painful, it’s costly and it isn’t something that happens over night.
Tattoos naturally fade over time. Laser treatments work by breaking down the ink
and speeding up the fading process.

Laura Ramon, 23, a senior majoring in International Business, was relieved when
she discovered laser removal, only to later be discouraged, “I did one session and
was very disappointed, it didn’t even fade. I spent a lot of money and I am too angry
to go back for more sessions. I feel like I got ripped off.”

Tattoo removal has a reputation of requiring a lot of treatments before its final
result. According to TattooHealth.org, on average, laser tattoo removal, for the
simplest tattoos, requires 2 to 4 sessions. For more complex tattoos, it usually requires
6 to 10 sessions; split between 4 to 8 week periods.

Cynthia Moore, Certified Laser Specialist at Wellskin Tattoo Removal Clinic, in
Anaheim, explained the reason for varying results, “Five of the main factors that
determine how quickly a tattoo can be removed are: a person’s skin type, both the
color and quantity of the ink, how deeply the ink went into the skin and a person’s
immune system. Each person’s fading process varies. Someone might only require
one treatment, while another person may require fifteen.” Further stating, “It is a
process but with each treatment it gets better.”

 

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