26 February 2011

Another small update to say that everything still looks great. Still some itching, but that gets better by the day. I had some minor peeling the past few days. It peeled in the way a sunburn does, but on a much smaller scale. There were very tiny spots over the ink that simply flaked off.

Having to keep these covered is going to be the hardest part. It already hit over 90°F (32°C) here in the south and I had to spend an entire day in the sun. I wore both a light cardigan and used sunscreen.

This week, I was given the go ahead to use something like Mederma or Scaraway to help healing the scars on the tattoo on my left arm. Both have decent reviews, but the sheets seem to help the most with flattening out raised scars. Once I start using something, I will post any results I get.

20 February 2011

I mentioned in the last post that I was going to try a new baby oil. I bought some that day and have been using it three to four times a day. I can't say that it stops the itching, but it does help more than anything else I've tried. The itching isn't as bad as it was, but it is still there and I will try whatever I can find that will help. Plus it will prepare me for what to use after the next treatment.

If anyone reading tries out the baby oil, make sure not to use it before going outside. While shea butter does have a small SPF, the mineral oil can cause your skin to burn. Any exposure to sunlight for up to three months after laser treatment can cause hyper/hypopigmentation. If you have to be in the sun, stay away from products containing mineral oil, try to cover the treated area, and use an all natural sunblock, like Soleo Organics or Loving Naturals.

It has been one week and three days since my first treatment. There is still a slight bit of redness, but everything is looking better and better each day.

There is still some bruising at the bottom of this one. It was a lot worse last week, but never painful. You can see a good bit of difference between this and the first pictures I posted.

Because I take these photos myself, this one is a little hard for me to get. The angle is a bit off, but you can still tell how it has lightened.

There is still some redness left to the outline in this one, which makes it hard to see how much lighter it is. Looking at it and the first picture, I can notice a few spots that have almost completely disappeared already.

This is the most shocking to me. I know it was already light before starting the removal process, but I didn't expect the difference to be so noticeable already. There is a slight bit of bruising around the edges of this one, too.

I wanted to do a morphing style image to better show the differences, but I will wait until these have healed more.

I am more than happy with the results thus far. I have well over a month before I have to go in for the next treatment, but I will update soon with any progress I notice on the tattoos or with anything I find that helps with itching, scarring, or anything that one might come across after treatment.

16 February 2011

Almost a week to the day after getting my first laser treatment and the itching is still bad. From what I've read, this is one of the main complaints as the skin starts to heal. As I stated in the last post, I tried a few things and nothing helped. Last night I found some baby oil and slathered it all over my arms and stomach. The itching didn't stop completely, but it was minimized enough that I could sleep.

After a quick search, I came across Johnson's Baby Oil Gel with Shea and Cocoa Butter. Cocoa Butter is great for itching and shea butter is supposed to help prevent scarring. That on top of the relief from the oil could help a lot.

This is just a suggestion, as I haven't been able to find anything better to relieve the itching. If I come across any better suggestions, I will post them.

14 February 2011

I'm posting a small update today because I am a little surprised how things are going. First, last night was the worst night I've had yet since getting the laser treatment. Nothing painful, just a lot of itching. I woke up every 30 minutes or so simply because of how annoying it felt. I tried Hydrocortisone, prescription Lidocaine, and ice packs. None of it helped, but I managed not to scratch. If anyone has any suggestions on what can be used to stop the itching, please post a comment.

I don't have pictures today, because there is still a lot of redness, but everything looks great. The skulls on my right wrist are the best. If you look at my first picture post, you will see that the eyes are already light, but you can see that they are there. Now they look to have disappeared almost completely. I notice more and more little pieces of ink that have disappeared each day. It has only been four days, so I am hoping that things keep disappearing at this rate.

I've done a bit of reading and found out that keeping yourself healthy, drinking more water, and exercising can help the removal process. The body naturally starts to break down a tattoo as soon as you get it, but the ink particles are too large for the body to completely remove on its own. During laser removal, the ink is broken into smaller particles and is removed much quicker. The healthier you are, the easier it is for your immune system to take care of the ink particles.

I will update later this week with photos, if the redness goes away.

11 February 2011

I am done with my first treatment and I am pleasantly surprised. My skin responded very well. I had read about the pain, but wasn't expecting it to feel the way it did. It's not the worst pain I have felt, but it is extremely uncomfortable. I've heard it described as repeatedly being popped with a rubber band. I'd say it is more like being popped with a rubber band made of metal and tiny needles which has been heated to 400 degrees. I was lucky that I was injected with Lidocaine instead of a topical application of it.

Here are pictures of the tattoos about 24 hours after the treatment. There is still a lot of red around them and I was told to expect this for a few days. The tattoos may also appear darker than they were before treatment for a little while too.

The sides of my stomach are red from having just cleaned the area and applied a topical cream. It was easily the most painful. I could feel the zaps of the laser going through my ribs as the top was done. The bottom of it hurt the most. There are small lines that I noticed have completely disappeared. There is some bruising at the bottom from the injection.

This one will probably the the hardest to remove and may require some laser resurfacing to get rid of the scars from the first removal attempt.

This one was quick and easy, and some small parts are gone already.

This one was the lightest and I can notice the most difference in it. I think it might be almost completely gone after the next treatment.

Once the redness goes away, I will take more photos. Then again as I notice any changes.

Right now there is a lot of itching and irritation when anything touches the area. The pain during the treatment only lasts as long as the treatment itself. After it's over, it is only minor discomfort. Once the next treatment rolls around, I will have forgotten how much it hurt and be excited to do it again. As of right now, I am happy I have a while before then.

04 February 11

I have made the appointment and I will start getting the tattoos removed on the 10th, unless there is another freak ice storm.