How Long Does Tattoo Removal Take?
TLDR:We don’t know. And anyone who says they does isn’t being honest.
It’s generally not a one-and-done sort of situation. How long it takes depends on so many factors: including your goals, your tattoo, your lifestyle and health, and your laser tech.
This is the question we get asked the most (after how much it costs) – and the answer is: it’s complicated.
There are so many factors that influence the rate of removal – so much so that if we had the same tattoo done by the same artist on the same person, with the same ink, but on different locations of the body: each tattoo would respond differently.
What Affects Your Timeline
Factors that affect how long your tattoo removal will take can generally be categorized by your goals (as described above), your tattoo, your lifestyle, and the skill of your laser technician.
How your tattoo affects your timeline
Age
Older ink = better result
Older tattoos tend to respond better to the laser. This is due to a variety of factors like sun exposure (which breaks down your tattoo, albeit much slower than a laser) and your body already working away at it.
Size
More ink = more work for your immune system
If we’re removing tattoos that are larger than a standard sheet of paper, we have to break the tattoo into smaller sections. Each section can be treated as soon as 3 weeks apart – but we’re still looking for long gaps before treating the same section again.
Style
Bold will hold
Different tattoo styles also play a big role. Fine line tattoos generally require less treatments than bolder styles like Tribal or American Traditional.
Colour
Our laser machine is a pigment targeting tool. We have 3 main tools to target different colours effectively.
- Our 1064nm targets black and brown hues.
- Our 730nm targets blue, green, purple, and brown hues
- And our 532 targets red, orange, purple, brown, and yellow hues
The easiest colours to remove are black and red.
White also presents additional challenges: when the laser snaps on white pigment, it produces a noticeable flash – so we definitely can tell that it’s there. Too aggressive of a treatment on white can also oxidize the white, turning it a gray or black hue.
Location on Body
The closer the tattoo is to your core, generally the better it responds. This is because we’re tag-teaming your white blood cells: so circulation plays a major role in the effectiveness of the laser.
Ink Composition
What the ink is made of makes a big impact. Metals vs plastic polymers vs unconventional inks like soot.
Tattoo ink is generally easier to remove than inks used in Permanent Makeup. Cosmetic inks generally have a complex, long list of ingredients to keep up with trends and create nichely different colours.
The tattoo ink market is largely unregulated in North America – so we generally don’t know how a pigment will respond until we test it.
Since 2020, we’ve noticed an increase of odd inks used for at-home tattooing, generally purchased from online giant corporations. These inks have been responding inexplicably odd – sometimes not responding at all to the laser.
How Your Lifestyle and Health Affects Tattoo Removal
Your Immune System
Since laser tattoo removal is a partnership between technology and your immune system, anything that effects your general health has an impact on how long it will take. If you’re fighting an active infection, are sick, or have a chronic health issue: you will generally see slower results.
Lifestyle Choices
Anything you can do to support your immune system will generally see you better results. Smoking and alcohol consumption will generally slow your results, while an active lifestyle with lots of water will generally speed up the process.
Immediate Plans
If you’re planning to go swimming in a lake or go somewhere hot and tropical, we’ll hold off your appointment until you’re back.
Skin Tone
Darker skin tones require more conservative treatment settings and longer breaks between sessions.
How Your Laser Technician Affects Tattoo Removal
As with most services, the more experienced your laser technician, the better results you’ll see. If you know what you’re looking for, you know how aggressive you can treat without damage.
More Treatments ≠ Faster Results
Some places might offer treatments every 4-6 weeks.
We (generally) highly recommend doubling that to 12 weeks – or more – between sessions. Occasionally we’ll go down to 6 or 8 weeks for the first couple of treatments, but the further along we get we’ll be enforcing longer gaps.
Not only does this help your bottom line (less treatments often mean more money for your next tattoo!), but it means better results for you.
When the laser breaks apart the ink, it creates a cloud of ink particles, signaling your body to process each piece out as waste. If we treat before your body moves most of that “cloud”, the laser can’t “see” past the cloud, resulting in a less effective treatment.
How You Can Support Your Process
Space your sessions properly
The longer the better. We generally recommend 12+ weeks, sometimes less.
Support your immune system
Anything you can do to support your immune system can positively affect timelines. Exercise, drink lots of water, eat well, sleep well.
Follow our aftercare guidelines
Ice, ice, ice, baby! This is our number 1 tip. This reduces adverse reactions and encourages better heals.
Protection from the sun
Sunscreen, sportstape, or living inside like a vampire. Or take breaks during the summer and focus on fall and winter treatments
Being patient
It seems counter intuitive, but the gaps between sessions really are where the magic happens.
The Bottom Line
Tattoo removal is a marathon, not a sprint. Anyone promising quick, easy removal in a handful of sessions is either inexperienced or dishonest.
We won’t give you timelines, but we’ll keep you informed every step of the way. We’ll work together to get you to your goals as efficiently as possible.