How bad is it that I started my tattoo removal too soon?

Question

I got my tattoo 10 days ago, and started laser removal today. I did some research and the place I went seemed very professional and knowledgable with doctors their and very sure of themselves. Not until after it was done and I came home and googled laser treatment aftercare that I read online you are supposed to wait at least 6 weeks. Just curious how bad this is! Thank you.

Adaeze Okeke, MD · Answer

It is probably not too bad that you did the treatment right away. There are two reasons why we recommend waiting 4-6 weeks before starting. The first is to let your skin heal from getting the tattoo. Laser tattoo removal essentially creates a burn to the outer layer of your skin. Doing this on top of the trauma of getting a tattoo can lead to increased risks of infection and scarring. The second reason, is that tattoo removal works by targeting the ink in the dermis. It usually takes some time for the ink to settle into the dermis. If your skin is healing and you are taking proper care of it the worst care scenario is that the first treatment you did would not been as effective as if you had waited 6 weeks. I hope this helps, good luck!

Milan Doshi, MS, MCh · Answer

Hi,thanks for the question.Ideally the time interval between getting a laser session for tattoo removal should ideally be atleast after 4-6 weeks after getting the tattoo done.The ideal time required for the skin to heal.

Richard Rosol, MD · Answer

Perhaps the worst part of laser-treating a fresh tattoo is the waste of money. When a tattoo is fresh, the epidermis (the outer dead layer of skin) is still full of ink, giving the tattoo that vibrant, sharp, colorful (or black) appearance. Lasering a tattoo at this stage targets only this ink in the epidermis--which will be gone on its own in a few weeks' time--and none of the ink in the dermis. That's the ink you're really after.
If your practitioner knew the tattoo was only ten days old, I'm a bit surprised they started treatment knowing it would be ineffective. As always, my advice is to seek out a practitioner on the basis of tattoo removal experience and not just credentials.

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