It has taken some time, but I am finally here with the update I promised months ago. I had problems finding the pictures I had taken before my last treatment. Once I found them, I realized the quality was horrible compared to previous photos I had taken. I tried to fix them, but there wasn't much I could do. On top of that, I've just been fairly
eh for the past few months. I assume "eh" is the technical term? I've had many nights like tonight where I am sitting in front of my computer trying to organize the mess I've made on my desktop. There are so many random folders full of photos from my phone, from my camera, or that I've scanned. Pictures of cats, pictures from vacations, pictures of my ancestors from 100 years ago that I'm trying to clean up for my Ancestry tree ... but mostly cats. Anytime I do this, I come across the pictures I meant to upload here and think that I need to get with it and finally post an update. Tonight is the night I finally did it.
Without any further delay, here are the photos of my tattoos that were taken before my treatment in May of this year.
Comparing this photo with the photo
before my fourth treatment, you can see a difference around the edges.
Though the flash is really bright, you can see that this one has also faded a decent amount between the fourth and fifth treatments.
This is the underside of my right wrist. While you can still see the outline prior to the filth treatment, you really don't see it at all anymore.
This is the top of the right wrist. This one is also nearly gone. I can show people my arm and they have no idea there were tattoos there. It is amazing to compare it to how it looked
before starting the removal process.
Now that I have done this update, I need to take pictures of how everything looks now. Though the left arm and stomach tattoos are still visible, they have faded even more. The right arm looks great. I'm hoping to get another treatment before the end of the year and look forward to seeing if they are even going to be able to do anything on the right arm. Since there really isn't much there at all, I don't know if the laser will hit it correctly. If that is the case, I hope the price I normally pay gets cut a little.
I've mentioned the scarring around the tattoo on my left arm before
along with different things I've tried to reduce it. I'm attempting
something new now and will post any results I might get from it. Some of
you may have heard of derma rolling. For those that haven't, it is a
procedure where you take a handheld device called a derma roller, which
is outfitted with hundreds of small needles, and roll it across your
skin. The needles slightly pierce the skin and cause the skin to heal
itself, producing collagen. It is done for acne scars, fine lines,
stretch marks, and things of that nature. When I first learned about
this, I did a lot of reading up on it. When I heard positive reviews
from people whose opinions I trust, I decided to try it out for myself. I
found a roller with great reviews for an amount that I didn't mind
wasting (if it didn't work) on Amazon. Before it arrived, I read more
and more about derma rolling and how people do it. That is when it
clicked that if it can be used to heal scarring from acne and stretch
marks, perhaps this might help my arm. (For those who don't remember or
haven't read, I explain the reason the tattoo on my left arm is scarred
in
this post.)
This is my roller. Yes, those little needles are sharp. Yes, it is painful. It is meant to pierce the skin. Most people use these rollers on their faces and they do bleed. This procedure is better done by a dermatologist or at a clinic where the roller can be properly cleaned and your skin can be treated to make sure you do not get an infection. It can be done at home. There are rollers specifically for medical professionals and others which are meant to be used at home, though they must be cleaned and sterilized.
I have used my roller on my face. I don't do it hard enough that I bleed. Some people do. It all depends on the reason you use it and the results you are trying to achieve. I do it and then will massage coconut oil over the area. I feel my skin has gotten brighter and even a little bit tighter. Has it helped the scarring from my tattoo, though? I only did it once, so no. The reason I didn't continue is one of the reasons I decided to finally update this blog. I created this blog because I wanted to share the details of my tattoo removal. I don't want to do something that results in a dramatic difference in the appearance of one of the tattoos and not detail what went into it. The roller has been sitting there, waiting for me to use it on my arm. I will get post-treatment five photos this week and finally start using this roller. I am actually thinking about using it only half of the tattoo to see if there is any change. When I do use it on my arm, I will be using it the way it is intended. I'm going to need to bleed a little in order for the scarring to re-heal. If I can figure out how to do it, I will get a short video.
That is it for this post. I will take current photos and get to the next
update much quicker than I did with this one. Until then, if anyone has
tried derma rolling or any other procedures like it, please tell me how
it worked! Same for anyone else going through tattoo removals right
now. Especially those of you documenting the process. Leave a link to
your blog, Instagram, Facebook, or whatever else you might use in the
comment section and I will link to it.
Have a great Halloween everyone! Enjoy the candy and the weather.
