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The Benefits and Risks of Laser Tattoo Removal
You thought it was going to be forever, but now your ex’s name is tattooed in your shoulder. You thought a tattooed look reflected your creativity, but now you’re finding it an obstacle to your professional advancement. You’ve heard that laser tattoo removal could be the answer – but is it right for you?
Benefits of Laser Tattoo Removal
From your perspective, the benefits of laser tattoo removal will largely depend on your reasons for wanting to be rid of your tattoo.
Perhaps your tattoo artist was less than expert. Perhaps a tipsy night out left a permanent mark you don’t really want to keep for a lifetime, or perhaps you’re covering up for personal or career-based reasons and hope to be liberated from wearing long sleeves on the hottest of days.
Whatever the reasons, the rise in demand for laser tattoo removal nearly matches the supply. The National Laser Institute says that 60 percent of people with tattoos will want to have them removed at some time, usually because of changing life circumstances.
From an impartial perspective, laser tattoo removal offers a safe and effective way to eliminate or reduce the appearance of tattoos, often to the point where they are either completely removed or almost imperceptible.
Risks of Laser Tattoo Removal
In the hands of an expert technician, laser tattoo removal involves only mild discomfort. Most people compare the sensation during treatment as being like having an elastic band snapped against your skin.
The laser targets the darker or coloured pigment in the skin leaving the surrounding tissues unharmed. Later, the body disposes of the dead tissue (and ink) using its own healing processes. The worst side-effect after treatment by a trained an experienced person should be a little redness and sensitivity.
However, the procedure does require skill. Everybody’s skin is different, and a too-aggressive setting can cause blistering, burning, and even scarring. And of course, if there are wounds, particularly burns, there’s always the risk of infection. A skilled professional, on the other hand, will be able to strike the balance between promoting the renewal, replacement, and rejuvenation of tattooed skin, and causing damage.
It is therefore important to ask about qualifications, certifications, and tattoo-removal track-record before committing to any particular practitioner.
It’s also why you need so many treatments. We need to pace the treatments so that you get their benefit without risk and with recovery time between sessions. It’s better to tackle tattoos a little bit at a time, applying the treatment with caution, than to risk overzealous treatment.
Because We Keep on Changing – and Improving
For many people, their tattoo has a symbolic meaning. It’s about something they overcome, or achieved, or about who they want to be. But even if you worked with a good artist, and even if you avoid lovers’ names and drunken impulses, your tattoo might not be “you” in a few years’ time.
You’ll often read that those considering tattoos should be sure they want them forever – but forever is a long time. Have you outgrown your tattoo? Talk to us about laser tattoo removal – because you should have the right to reinvent yourself.
Consultations Available Now
Take the first step. Get your questions answered and find out which treatment option is best for your personal situation by meeting with one of our knowledgeable medical staff at Yaletown Laser Centre for an in-person consultation.
Simply fill out the form on this page, and one of our experienced team members will reach out to you promptly to schedule your consultation.
