Essentially, tattoos are ink particles inserted with a needle into varying depths or layers of your skin.

Tattoo removal uses laser light to destroy the ink particles layer by layer starting with the topmost color until the deepest layers are fragmented.

It takes multiple treatments to penetrate through all of the varying depths of ink in a tattoo. If a tattoo is particularly dark or bold, it will require more treatments to remove the ink compared to shaded tattoos with a lower density of ink.

A typical tattoo takes about 10 – 12 treatments, spaced 6 – 8 weeks apart, to remove.

No two people’s pain experience is exactly the same for a few reasons, beginning with your personal pain threshold.

The skill and experience of the person doing the removal can also impact how painful the experience is, which is why having it done by a licensed laser technician is recommended.

A trained laser technician can adjust the treatment to your comfort level and provide you a numbing cream and suggestions for reducing discomfort.

Research shows that stress and other negative emotions can increase pain perception. On the flip side, the more positive you feel, the lower your pain perception.

There are various things that affect tattoo removal. A few include the following:

Lifestyle

Smoking or vaping, and allowing direct sun exposure to the treated area can reduce your body’s ability to remove the ink.

General Health

Chronic health conditions and being sick are your immune system’s priority to fix. This can reduce the speed at which the ink is removed from your skin.

Age

As you age, your metabolism and immune system slow down. Younger or more active immune systems will remove ink faster.

Tattoo Location

Tattoos in high blood flow areas can be removed faster than those located further from the circulatory system.

Ink Color

The color of your ink and skin tone will play a factor in the removal outcome.

Skin Tone

Your skin tone can impact the laser removal outcome and may determine the laser settings your technician uses.

If there is any pre-existing scarring from when the tattoo was done, it will show. The degree of this scarring ranges from severe to mild and often affects the skin’s texture more than its appearance.

At iKhaya Day Spa, we use the latest laser technology which helps minimize the appearance of previous tattoo scars. Talk to your laser technician for more information.

Most people will experience redness, slight swelling, and a stinging sensation around the treated area, similar to a mild sunburn.

This can last anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours depending on the level of your skin sensitivity.

Occasionally, laser tattoo removal will result in blisters or scabbing, both of which should be left alone.

As your tattoo begins to heal, some bruising might develop as well. You might not notice a difference in your unwanted ink after your first treatment as the shallowest layers of ink are removed before the deepest layers.

It takes multiple treatments to penetrate through all of the varying depths of ink in a tattoo.

We recommend the use of Eminence Organic sunscreen post-treatment, regardless of the time of year, as harmful UV rays are present even during the winter months. UV rays are also present with the use of technology such as cell phones, computer screens and televisions. Our Medical Aestheticians and Front Desk staff can assist in choosing the Eminence sunscreen best suited for your post-treatment care.