Laser Tattoo Removal in Melbourne

Laser tattoo removal does hurt, let’s not sugarcoat it. This is because the laser uses very narrowly directed heat in a pulse, which hits skin cells and heat causes inflammation and pain.

Laser tattoo removal feels like a rubber band being flicked against the skin, so it is a bit uncomfortable. We have anaesthetic cream or a local anaesthetic injection if it is too uncomfortable. We each have different pain thresholds, and we will work with you to make the treatments as comfortable as possible. Most people find the discomfort tolerable.

Our picosecond lasers are so named because instead of a nanosecond-long pulse of laser beam, it has just a short, hard picosecond pulse. This pulse heats the tattoo ink in picoseconds with a stronger pulse of laser light than conventional nanosecond lasers, breaking it up into smaller particles. The speed and energy mean less heating of the skin cells, thus possibly reducing pain and inflammation, but at the same time, the smaller particles mean the tattoo is often removed faster.

The PiQ04 tattoo removal laser has four such frequencies, which allows it to get all tattoo ink colours.

These four frequencies in a laser are important for tattoo removal, therefore, if you have colourful tattoos or darker skin, our laser will have the best chance at removing your tattoo. Some lasers only do red and black inks, leaving other ink still in the skin.

The tattoo type, shape, colour & patient skin will determine which laser is best to use on a particular tattoo.

Cosmetic tattoo ink is not the same as the ink you would get on your body, and it responds differently to lasers.

If you have cosmetic tattoos you want to be removed, talk to your dermatologist for help – it’s not as easy as a regular tattoo, and results can be mixed. But, we can do a test patch and see how your particular ink will work. Cosmetic tattoos also have a tendency to dissipate as time goes by, so waiting could be a viable option for a cosmetic tattoo such as those done on the eyes as liner or eyebrows.

After your treatments, the skin will scab over with some redness and swelling. The after-effect goes down as it normally would with any other wound of the same nature, over the period of a week or two.

In some cases, there may be leftover ink, and from time to time, textural changes could be present on the skin. If you get burnt, you could have scarring, so choose your tattoo removalist carefully.

Our cosmetic doctors perform our tattoo removal at ENRICH and understand the process intimately.

We usually work on black first until it’s about 50 per cent gone, and then other colours will be approached. Each colour is treated separately because all colours have their own light frequencies they respond to. If this strategy isn’t adhered to, the skin will burn.

Some inks will respond differently to others because they are often made differently. It could take a longer time for the inks to be broken apart.

If you have a lot of colours, your treatments could be fortnightly, but you’ll need to speak to your dermatologist for more information on your specific tattoo.

The size of the tattoo, how many colours, and what area of the body the tattoo is on will all determine the time it takes to remove the tattoo. You can always expect more than one treatment since if there is more than one colour or the treatment area is large, you have to allow the body time to repair itself between sessions, and the ink to disperse.

Our lasers have taken treatment times from eight or ten treatments down to as little as five. This is quite an advancement if you consider what most laser clinics are charging for their multitudinous, slow treatments with partially effective lasers.

Some laser tattoo removal clinics in Melbourne are even using IPL machines, which have a very broad laser beam and are not suitable for tattoo removal, despite the manufacturers claiming otherwise. We do have an IPL laser at the clinic but we don’t use it for tattoo removal. 

No tattoo removalist can promise full tattoo clearance. Sometimes, dense tattoos can be more difficult to remove in their entirety. Nobody can remove white tattoo ink with a laser, because lasers do not understand white. (Incidentally, this is why fair-haired fair-skinned people have trouble getting laser hair removal – the hair is too light compared to the skin tone for the laser to detect.)

Healing time between sessions could be up to 12 weeks, especially if you heal slowly.

Yes but you must wait for your skin to fully heal before getting a new tattoo, allowing your immune system to break down the ink fragments. This process could take anywhere between a few months to over a year.

Scarring is a possible side effect with any laser treatment. Our medical staff with extensive laser tattoo removal experience uses the PiQ04 and the Picocare450 lasers. We will evaluate and consult you on possible risks during your first laser tattoo removal consultation.