Picosecond or Traditional Laser Tattoo Removal: Which One for Your Tattoo?
Picosecond, Q-switched, excision or dermabrasion: what each method does to the ink and the skin, and what a picosecond laser changes for your tattoo.
Not right away. The skin has to finish healing from the tattoo before the first laser session, and the exact date is confirmed at your assessment, because it depends on your skin rather than the calendar. We don't give a universal number of weeks: as far as we know, no medical guideline sets one.
If you just got tattooed and regret it, we understand, and there is no shame in wanting to undo it. Here is why we wait, what it means for your skin, and what to do in the meantime.
Why we don't aim a laser at a tattoo that is still healing
A brand-new tattoo is skin repairing itself. Mild redness and swelling are normal after the tattoo session, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. The skin also sometimes forms scabs. The laser leaves its own mark: redness, swelling, sometimes blisters or scabs for a few days up to one or two weeks. A laser on skin that is still healing adds a second repair on top of the first.
The risk of a scar exists whenever a healing area is picked at. That is the reason for the wait, and it doesn't come from a lack of eagerness on our part.
There are also late reactions. According to the AAD, some skin reactions to a tattoo show up right away, others weeks or years later. We prefer that the skin has shown how it reacts to its ink before we treat it.
And the number of weeks?
It's the question we get asked the most, and the honest answer doesn't fit in one number. Comparing clinic websites, you find guidance that runs from about a month to more than three months, and the sources don't agree with each other. We haven't found a medical guideline that settles it.
At our clinic, your skin decides, and we look at it in person. Here is what we read from it:
| What you see on your tattoo | What it tells us | What we do |
|---|---|---|
| Scabs, peeling skin, marked redness | The skin is still healing | We wait, and see you again later |
| Calm skin, no scabs, and the tattoo is well behind you | The skin may be ready | We confirm at the assessment, by looking at the area |
| Weeping wound, pain that keeps growing | A problem that isn't the laser's business | We send you to a doctor first |
On the last row, the AAD explains that tattoo infections most often show up in the first days or weeks. Skin that hurts more and more goes to a doctor before anything else.
While you wait: protect the skin
What you do now counts for what comes next. Here is what helps:
- Don't pick at scabs: the risk of scarring goes up when the area is picked during healing.
- Protect the tattoo from the sun. The AAD recommends a broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen of SPF 30 or higher, applied 15 minutes before going outside.
- Avoid tanning: the skin must not be tanned at the time of treatment.
- Follow the aftercare your tattoo artist gave you, and tell them about your regret. They're the first person to talk to.
Once the first session is done
The course doesn't change because the tattoo is recent. The picosecond laser breaks up the ink, your body clears it between sessions, and we space sessions 6 to 8 weeks apart. Most often it takes 8 to 10 sessions, sometimes more. A recent tattoo isn't automatically quicker to remove than an old one: the ink matters, and so do its density, colour and depth. We cover this in our article on the number of sessions.
What we tell you up front at the assessment
We look closely at your tattoo, then give you a date and a number of sessions. You leave knowing:
- whether your skin is ready, or what we're waiting for before seeing it again;
- the number of sessions to aim for with your tattoo, and what could move it;
- the price by size, from $100, taxes extra, on the tattoo removal page;
- that complete removal is never guaranteed.
If you're still torn between removing and covering, the unwanted tattoo page covers that too.
Your skin sets the date of the first session, and the assessment is how we read it.
Questions we get asked
How many weeks after a tattoo can you start tattoo removal?
There's no universal number. The guidance on clinic websites runs from about a month to more than three months. At our clinic, the date is confirmed at the assessment, based on the state of your skin.
Does a new tattoo come off more easily?
Not necessarily. The number of sessions depends on the ink, its density, colour and depth, not only the age of the tattoo. Most often it's 8 to 10 sessions, sometimes more.
Is there more risk of scarring if you treat too early?
A risk already exists when a healing area is picked at. Treating skin that hasn't finished healing adds a second repair on top of the first, and that's what waiting avoids.
My skin is still peeling. Can I come in anyway?
Yes, for the assessment: we look at the area on site. Skin that is still peeling or scabbing means we wait before the first session.
Sources
- American Academy of Dermatology, "Tattoos: 7 unexpected skin reactions and what to do about them." Read the page
- American Academy of Dermatology, "Tattoo complications may warrant a trip to the doctor." Read the page
- American Academy of Dermatology, "Caring for tattooed skin." Read the page
- American Academy of Dermatology, "Tattoo removal: Lasers outshine other methods." Read the page
- Cynosure Lutronic, PicoSure product page (manufacturer). Read the page
