Hi..I would like to know if anyone has any info about this procedure that they can share. I am looking for real answers please as I am beyond the "you should have thought about it b4 you got it done" we all make mistakes. I am and African American with dark skin and wanted to know if I am a good canditate for tattoo removal by laser. The ink is Black and was done professionally. the area is about 2.5 * 2.5 inches and it is more of an outline...it doesn't have too much shading. I also wanted to know if anyone knows how the lenghth of time the ink has been in the skin affects removal. Some websites say older tattoos are harder to remove, and some websites say the opposite that new tattoos are harder to remove. Any comments or personal experiences anyone can share is greatly appreciated. Also if anyone has tried any Doctors in the Washington DC, Maryland or Virginia area that they are satisfied with please share thier information. Thanks in advance.
I have been to a plastic surgeon for some cosmetic procedures and he told me that he could get my tat out on my shoulder in one treatment. I had it done when I was 17 (I'm 33 now) and it is just of the outside of a flower. The laser treatment(s) only goes onto the skin and breaks up the pigment of the tat and lets the skin reabsorb the dye. I have heard that African Americans can't handle cosmetic surgery well, due to the scaring of an incision, but with something like that, it probably would be fine since its not going into your skin. I would try to find a reconstructive/cosmetic surgeon or dermatologist who does that type of procedure. Most plastic surgeons will charge a small fee for the consultation but you will get that back when you do the treatment. If its something that you want to do, then I would go see a doctor and get a estimate for the cost. I was told to have mine removed, it would be about $1200 total.I have a tattoo that I've considered having removed. I consulted with a physician four years ago mainly to get pricing information. He told me that the number of visits could vary. He said some tattoos come out with one treatment, others took as many as six. He told me mine would take three or four treatments. Each treatment would cost $325. From talking to various people on the job, I understand that dark skin is more likely to become scarred from laser removal. This isn't only African American skin, but Greek, Asian, or any other skin with a dark pigment. You definitely need a consultation before you get your heart set on removal.
Are you the same person who asked this question on the yahoo tattoo removal board today? If so, I posted a response for you there but will post it here as well in case others are searching for similar info.I'm African-American and I've had one laser treatment on an armband tattoo. One word of caution….African-American skin is incredibly vulnerable to injury. I knew this going in but decided to take my chances. I went to a doctor who uses the Ruby laser – big mistake – I have since found out that the Medlite C6 (Nd:YAG) is the best laser for dark skin. The Ruby laser scarred my skin – it has been 6 months and it has not yet healed. I still have brown burn marks (you have to get right up on my arm to see them though) on my arm but it are slowly clearing up. I will not go back for more laser treatments until my skin is totally healed. I’m still committed to laser (I can see that my tat has faded slightly) but I am definitely switching to the Medlite. My advice for you is that before starting down this road you realize that laser will not remove your tat completely without some residual damage to the skin. I’ve seen pics of African-American laser removal that left the skin stark white (a really unnatural looking white) – the laser totally robbed the skin of its melanin. In my experience, the laser practitioners I consulted with were NOT knowledgeable about AA skin. Only one had worked on AA skin. This is the one I went with and he told me that I should come back for the next treatment in 1 month. Thank god I did not or I would have some serious skin damage going on. Clearly AA skin takes a longer time to heal. If you decide to do this you should wait at least 3 months between treatments (preferably until you skin is completely back to normal). I am not convinced that I can completely remove my tat via laser but am ok with fading it as much as possible and then use body make-up to cover it. What I am not ok with is major discoloration and scarring so I am taking it SLOW and as I said, I am switching to the Medlite laser. Here is a bit of info that I found on the web about laser on AA skin (from brownskin.net):Laser Removal of TattoosAlthough getting your tattoo was relatively easy, having it removed often takes a great deal of work. When a tattoo is made, ink is injected into your skin with needles and it becomes a permanent part of your skin. Lasers are commonly used to remove tattoos, but with variable success. Some ink colors are easier to remove than others. Because black pigment absorbs all laser light, it's the easiest to remove. Green is the most difficult color to remove, but red and blue are removed more easily. In general, having a tattoo removed can be both an expensive and time-consuming procedure.The Q-switched Nd:YAG is probably the most appropriate laser for tattoo removal in people of color. Other lasers such as the Q-switched alexandrite and Q-switched ruby have been used, but there is a greater risk of light or dark marks and scarring developing in the skin. Tattoo removal may require up to 8-12 treatments with 6 to 8 weeks between treatments. The laser selectively targets the pigment of the tattoo, breaks down the tattoo pigment, and the body reabsorbs and excretes it. Each session will allow the laser to fragment more ink and penetrate further into your skin. Most tattoos are not removed completely with the laser treatment and a shadow of the tattoo may be visible after treatment.
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