Tattoo removal cost, how much will it be to remove my tattoo? Removing a tattoo is not an easy process. Many factors come into play when considering how much does it cost, and how many treatments will I need to remove my unwanted tattoo? Unfortunately, there is no magic number, however. With the advances in technology, removing a tattoo has never been easier.
The most used technique to remove a tattoo has been to use a laser. Q-Switched lasers (nanosecond technology) were the gold standard for many years. What is a nanosecond? A nanosecond (q-switch laser) is one billionth of a second. How does this apply to removing a tattoo and how does this effect tattoo removal cost?
Tattoo ink is dense and composed of many compounds; Black (carbon-iron oxide), Blue (cobalt aluminum), Green (chromic oxide, lead chromate, ferric cyanide, malachite grn, cur cumin grn), Red (mercury sulfide, cadmium selenide), Yellow (cadmium sulfide, ochre), Violet (magnesium violet), White (titanium dioxide, zinc oxide), Flesh Tone (iron oxides).
Freaky right? Had you known what they used to produce those vibrant and not-so-vibrant inks you’d have rethought your decision. Luckily, most people don’t have adverse reactions to the various ink colors, however. There are a select group of people that have allergies to Red compounds that could lead to anaphylaxis. It’s some scary stuff, but I digress.
Using older technology like q-switch lasers to remove those colors was tricky. Some colors require various wavelengths to interact with the ink. That photothermal interaction is a heating process. Essentially, q-switch lasers super heat a particle until it explodes into tiny pieces. Lucky for us we’re equipped with a magical system within our body called the lymphatic system. This system takes those particles and flushes them out of our bodies through excretion.
The trouble of heating any tissue within the body is there are various risks to consider. First, you can overheat tissue and cause discoloration, or even burning. We all know what happens when you overheat something – it’s not good.
That’s how Q-Switch lasers work. They heat ink. If you’re lucky enough to find a practice skilled at recognizing the many facets of the tattoo removal process, most people see great results. But! There in lies the problem. The more treatments needed will increase the tattoo removal cost.
Nanoseconds is fast, but not as fast as picoseconds. A picosecond is one trillionth of a second! That’s like blasting a bolder and turning it into tiny grains of sand. How does that translate into tattoo removal? Well, the smaller the particle, the easier the body can absorb and remove it from the tissue.
Picosecond lasers are the future. They also use a photomechanical method to destroy ink, it’s like a pressure wave that levels the ink. Think atomic bomb; the waves that travel from the bomb level anything in it’s path, but in skin, it leaves the precious tissue surrounding tattoo ink intact without harm. Plus! Since the ink is shattered into much smaller particles most people need half as many treatments!
Which brings me back to our original point, remember when the auto industry told us we needed to change our oil every 3 thousand miles? Think of all the money you spent following that old methodology. Well, now cars are only requiring an oil change every 5-10 thousand miles! That’s a huge savings.
So, how much does tattoo removal cost? Remember, practitioners have no idea what needles, ink, depth of ink, or conditions that were used when the tattoo was applied, but expect to pay at least $150 per session or more. Whenever someone asks me how much it costs, I ask them, “how bad do you want your tattoo removed?”
Personally, I would pay anything to have my bad tattoo removed. Another important point to consider is the technology being used to remove your tattoo. Most machines cost $100k or more. They are not cheap. They are highly sophisticated pieces of technology that help change people’s lives.
So, hopefully, I’ve given you some insight into the tattoo removal process, and as always, please eMail Us, or call if you have any questions.
MLC
