03 June 2013

I had my fifth treatment on May 30th. I did get pictures before the treatment, but have been busy and haven't uploaded them yet. I will get those up at some point this week. This was the best procedure I have done, as far as pain goes. We started with the typical Lidocaine injections around each of the tattoos. When we got to my stomach, I almost didn't want to continue. I was told it is a lot more painful without, so I went ahead. It's weird, I'm fine getting blood drawn and didn't wince when an ER visit required getting an IV in my neck because I was too dehydrated to find a vein in my arms. These tiny Lidocaine injections are the worst, though. I'm glad I got through it because I barely felt the laser this time. I didn't have to ask for a break at any point. The best part was that the PA who does my procedures had a problem seeing the two tattoos on my right wrist because of how faded they are. I have no doubt those tattoos are completely done. It will be another two weeks before I am able to tell with absolute certainty, but there wasn't much left to remove.

The left arm looks good. It isn't as red as it normally is after a treatment and I can already see a great deal of fading. The problem there is still the scarring that existed before my first laser procedure (due to the Tat Gone Ink). Depending on how much ink is left, it might be time to start looking into some type of laser resurfacing. The tattoo removal has actually helped reduce the scarring a bit, but it is still noticeable enough that something will need to be done.

The stomach tattoo is fading nicely, too. It is impossible to tell with this tattoo how the result will be until a few weeks after. There is always minor bruising from the injections and it can get a little more irritated from shirts rubbing across it. Each time I get it done, there are small spots that completely disappear. The more it fades, the more excited I am about it going away. I've hated wearing swimsuits in the last few years because of it. It will be great when it is finally gone and my only concern will be working out enough to be able to put on a swimsuit.

I really hope that I will be able to get another treatment before August, when the PA will be on pregnancy leave. I've been saying it since I started getting these, too, but it really is time to start on getting the tattoos on my back and neck removed. I feel the one on my neck will go quick, like the ones on my right wrist. The others will be a bit more like the stomach. There are some thin lines that will disappear almost immediately and then some thicker spots which are going to take some time.

Though getting these tattoos have been some of the stupidest mistakes I have ever made, the removals has been such an interesting process. I'm glad I decided to document it. I honestly cannot believe how much they have faded since starting this. I knew I'd have some success, but I was extremely nervous going into this. I knew it would be painful. I knew it would be expensive. I was worried about how many treatments it would take and if it was even possible for them to fully disappear. Williamson Cosmetic Center and Kristi, the PA who has done all of my treatments (minus one during a pregnancy leave), have been perfect. Anyone in southern Louisiana or Mississippi in need of tattoo removal, make sure to get

I will try to get the "Before Treatment 5" photos up this week. If there is anything that will show up in photos as everything is healing, I will try to get those, too.

I hope those of you getting your own treatments are having as much success as I am!

24 April 2013

Wow. It has been almost exactly a year since my last post. I've gotten a few comments and messages asking for an update. The last year, I've been having some problems with kidney stones. I've had more than a few surgeries for that and I'm still getting over the previous shoulder surgery. Anyone who is getting a tattoo removed or knows someone who is can vouch, we almost always end up taking a much longer break in between treatments than we would like. This is especially true once the tattoos have faded enough that you aren't noticing a constant reminder any longer. As my health seems to finally be on an incline for the first time in a while, I'm hoping that I will be able to get another laser treatment soon.

Since my last update was soon after a treatment, I will post a wrist picture to show how things look now.

It's almost completely gone!

I think if I were to get some sun, I wouldn't see it at all. Right now, it looks like a slight bruise. The others are still visible and will probably take at least two more treatments, though they have faded very well. I am almost certain this one will disappear completely after one more treatment. Something interesting I have noticed is that even months after having a treatment, the tattoos are fading a little each month that goes by.

When getting IVs for the surgeries I had recently, the nurses would always ask about the tattoo on my left forearm. Because it is a bit of a faded blob that has some scarring for that first non-laser removal I did, the nurses all seem to tread lightly at first when asking about it. One thought it was a burn and didn't want to hurt my feelings. Many guessed correctly by asking if I was having a tattoo removed. When I would tell them about the one on my right wrist (the one pictured above), they've mostly been shocked because they didn't even realize I had one there. I can't wait until the same can be said for the rest of my tattoos.

Thanks to everyone who wrote to ask how the process was going. If anyone reading has started getting their own tattoos removed and is documenting it, please comment so I can link to your page.

I'm going to attempt synching my various accounts (Facebook, Google, Tumblr, Twitter) to keep myself a little more organized and able to update across various platforms. If anyone has any suggestions, I'm willing to try anything. That's it on the update for now. I hope to have another post-treatment update in the near future.