April 1st, 2025
For some reason I feel like writing about my tattoo removal process - maybe because I have an appointment tonight so it's on my mind - and figured my experience could be a good anecdote for anyone thinking about getting theirs removed.
I have been going to the same clinic to get my removals done for almost 4 years. Yes, that means I started in 2021 - August or September I believe. I have two tattoos I'm getting removed - a small one on the inside of my left wrist, and a medium-sized one on my left shoulder.
My wrist tattoo I got in 2012 and was my first tattoo. The shoulder one is from 2017. Also no face reveal for you, just Utena rose
Reasons?
- They didn't resonate with me anymore. My shoulder one in particular I got with an ex, and it was a flash tattoo from a tattooing convention, so it was a spur-of-the-moment thing anyway. The smaller one is cool - I got it when I traveled alone to NorCal for the first time - so it holds fond memories, but I just didn't vibe with it anymore. It also feels slightly too large for my wrist.
- At first, I felt like I was actually pretty basic for having tattoos at all. I would see comments online of people wishing they could meet girls that didn't have tattoos, since it seemed more common than not to have them, and that really hurt my ego.
- That being said, I also thought about a clean slate so I could get smaller, more dainty tattoos. That idea kind of faded away as I got older - my desire to be artsy fartsy and "unique" (ironically) has greatly decreased, particularly as I continue trudging along in my 30's.
Fun fact: I have a third, even larger tattoo on my right arm that I also considered removing but have decided against since for reasons that will become clear shortly.
2013. Anyone know what this is from? (because I'm a millennial so everything is a reference)
So, here are my general thoughts about the entire process:
It seems to be taking a long time. Like, a really long time. As I mentioned above, I've been doing this since late summer 2021 - so, we're getting on to 4 years of treatment. The biggest reason for this is actually part of the treatment itself - the longer between sessions, the more time the particles of the tattoo have to break down and remove themselves from your system. Blasting it every week or so won't allow time for the tattoo to heal between sessions, either. My appointments started as being spaced out every 6 weeks, and that gap of time grew as long as 16 weeks (it has since gone back down to every 10 weeks for reasons of the clinic where I go). Despite this, I was sort of hoping to be done by now.
It hurts like hell. It is so much worse than getting the tattoo done. You also swell and blister like crazy, and your skin is sensitive for the entire treatment plan, so you have to moisturize it and wear sunscreen more frequently (not an issue for me because I am a vampire and I already soak myself in the stuff). If you're going to get a tattoo, I highly suggest weighing all your options and thinking about the possibility of wanting to get it removed one day. If you already have one, just keep it - seriously. This is the main reason why I'm not getting my larger tattoo mentioned above removed.
It was less expensive than I expected it to be. I was quoted about $4k for whatever amount of appointments are needed until they're gone. If you're given the option, go with paying the full amount up front. My clinic let me pay it in two payments. If you do pay as you go, you will end up spending more in the long run, especially if you're removing tattoos with a lot of color or a larger size.
Colors take longer to break down than blacks. Particularly red. The laser wavelength used for red also hurts the most.
There is a chance that the lasers can cause skin discoloration. I think I'm seeing this on my left shoulder, though it could also be the yellows from that tattoo not being entirely gone yet.
Despite all this - I don't regret it. I regret putting myself in this situation, but I'm really happy that we have the technology to do this. I'm really hoping they both get fully removed, but if they don't, at least they'll have faded enough where I can be satisified...hopefully. We'll see. I'll let you know in another 4 years.
Results as of 4/1/25:
