Have you heard of removing a tattoo by tattooing over it? No, we’re not talking about using “flesh-toned” ink to cover up the tattoo. That is an option, albeit not a very good one as skin is somewhat transparent and ink is not. Plus matching your precise skin-tone can prove quite difficult if not impossible.

No. What we’re talking about is actual tattoo removal that uses a tattoo machine to apply a saline-type solution over the existing tattoo. The idea is that the saline solution will bond to the tattoo ink and force the immune system to push it all out through the now open wound caused by that tattoo machine.

Does it work? To an extent, it does. A good portion of ink does bubble up and out of the skin causing some pretty rough looking scabs; at least that’s what our patients who have tried this procedure tell us.

Wait…They’re now patients at Vanish? Seeking laser tattoo removal? Why? Well, it seems that this “re-tattooing” tattoo removal is only effective for a few treatments. There comes a point where the patients no longer see results. On top of that, the time required for each treatment is rather lengthy. Remember the amount of time that it took to put the tattoo there in the first place? It’s that same amount of time for each of these treatments. Couple that with the increased risk of scaring that comes with “re-tattooing” over and over again, and these saline solution tattoo removal treatments just don’t sound like a good idea.

Laser tattoo removal treatments are much more effective. Each treatment is very quick in relation to the time necessary to apply a tattoo. Also the risk of scaring is extremely rare when a properly calibrated tattoo removal laser is used by a properly trained technician. At Vanish, we use the Astanza Trinity Laser that was designed specifically for tattoo removal. We are seeing excellent results on a wide variety of colors and on a variety of skin-tones. Also, each member of our staff is a certified laser specialist/technician with specific training in tattoo removal and on our specific laser. You can be certain that Vanish is the right place with the right equipment for your tattoo removal treatments.

Below is a photo progression of a tattoo that had 12 months of treatments via the “saline/tattoo machine” method prior to coming to Vanish.  The top picture is after the tattoo machine removal treatments but before laser treatments.  Each following picture was taken about 6 weeks after a laser treatment.  This patient said the tattoo faded so much better from just one laser treatment than it had in the entire previous year of tattoo machine treatments.