Laser Tattoo Removal

Often it can be faded to the point where it is hard to see, and some tattoos clear almost entirely. But complete removal is not something anyone can promise you. What frequently remains is a faint ghost of the design, a slight difference in skin texture, or a stubborn colour that will not shift. If total invisibility is your requirement, that expectation needs discussing honestly before you begin.

No — the consultation where we examine the tattoo and give you a realistic estimate is complimentary. A booking fee is charged to reserve the appointment, which holds clinical time for you and helps keep the schedule from being wasted on missed appointments. Reception explains it when you book.

Because cosmetic pigments frequently contain compounds such as titanium dioxide and iron oxide, which can change chemically when hit by laser light and turn dark grey or black instead of fading. On an eyebrow or lip line that is a very visible problem. A small test patch reveals whether your particular pigment does this before it is applied to the whole area, and further treatment can sometimes improve darkening if it happens.

Most people say it is sharper but far shorter. Getting tattooed is a sustained scratching or dragging sensation over a long sitting; removal is a rapid series of stings, often described as elastic band snaps or hot flecks, and a small tattoo takes only minutes. Cooling is used throughout, and numbing can be arranged for larger or more sensitive areas.

The laser only breaks the ink apart. The removal itself is done by your immune system carrying the fragments away, and that takes weeks. Treating again before that work is finished adds trauma to the skin without adding much benefit. Patients who space sessions generously often reach better clearance in the same total number of treatments than those who rush.

Yes, and it is a common and sensible goal. Fading for a cover-up needs considerably less than full clearance, since your tattoo artist only needs a lighter base to work over rather than blank skin. It is worth telling us this at the start, and worth speaking to the artist about how much fading they want, because the plan we build is quite different from a full removal.

Usually not. Blistering is a common and expected response to tattoo removal, and it can look alarming the first time. What matters is what you do next: leave them alone, keep the area clean and covered, and let them settle on their own. Picking or popping them is the main route to a scar. Contact us if pain increases, redness spreads, or there is discharge or fever — those are different signs entirely.

Scarring is uncommon but possible. Three things raise the chance: picking at scabs and blisters, a burn during treatment, and a tattoo that already carried scarring from how it was applied — something people are often unaware of until the ink fades and reveals it. If you have a history of keloid or thickened scars, tell us, since that changes how conservatively we treat you.

Yes. Selective treatment is possible, whether that is removing a name from within a larger piece, clearing one section for reworking, or targeting a colour that no longer suits the design. It needs careful discussion of the boundaries and an understanding that edges can fade a little beyond where you draw them, so it is worth planning this alongside whoever will be doing the new work.

You can be treated, with wavelength and settings chosen to reduce the risk of pigment change, and usually after a test patch. The honest caveat is that your skin's own melanin competes with the ink for the laser's energy, so treatment tends to be more conservative and clearance slower. Rushing carries a real risk of leaving lighter or darker patches, so a steady course is the safer route.