A Few Frequently Asked Questions

WHERE DOES THE INK GO?

I used to believe (may have been told in training a few years ago) that the fractured ink ends up excreted by the body in urine. However, more recently I’ve been informed that, in fact, the ink is removed by your lymphatic system where it stays (possibly). Before you raise an eyebrow at this, remember your lymph nodes collect all sorts of contaminants to the body and sometimes this means your glands become very swollen with all the ‘rubbish’ yet we never see or hear of laser tattoo removal causing so much strain on the system that your glands swell up. Nor that glands remain swollen forever. The human body is a master at ridding itself of things it doesn’t want or need (think how a splinter is often forced to the surface of your skin) and I suspect that the fragmented ink is finally ousted somehow….I’m just not sure of the exact mechanism! If anyone does know I’d be interested to learn myself.

ARE PICOSURE LASERS REALLY THAT AMAZING?

Honestly I don’t think they are. I follow many laser studios on social media and can see that they are simply not the holy grail of lasering that we were all led to believe. In fact, I often see clinics with a PIcosure and a YAG (what I use) revert to the latter for black ink as the wavelength used is quite simply better for dark inks, bar none…which is a scientific fact no matter how you want to argue differently. It’s possible that Picosure lasers can tackle lighter colours (certainly better than the YAG) and may remove the ink a bit quicker but I’m not sure the price tag for treatments justifies a possible rather than guaranteed outcome. If I have clients with green/blue ink that is resistant to the YAG I advise them to find an Alexandrite laser although even then outcomes are variable. I have a couple of clients who tried a Picosure and then returned for the YAG. Also, whilst the first Picosure lasers on the market were stupidly expensive (hence why only 3 in the UK at one point) many Chinese manufacturers have now jumped on the bandwagon and their lasers are much much cheaper. Nothing wrong in Chinese lasers whatsoever but I think it’s quite wrong to keep charging inflated Picosure prices for treatments when your laser hasn’t actually been that more expensive to buy in the first place. Would I swap my double YAG for one? No

CAN I COME FOR TREATMENTS MORE OFTEN THAN EVERY 6 WEEKS TO SPEED UP THE PROCESS?

No, no, no and no. We know that the longer you leave between treatments the better the process works, the better your skin heals and the less you pay in the long run. What’s to lose? Without exception, clients that don’t return for a long time (months) due to money, trips away or life in general always tell me that they are amazed how much their ink has continued to fade during all that time. It may take them slightly longer to be rid of the tattoo but they will have paid me an awful lot less money…yet so many clients still want to push for treatments at shorter intervals. Crazy

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