Anyone had a tattoo removed?

I'd like to know about the process, where you went, how succesful it was etc...

I got one when I was 16 - mostly to annoy my mother - I was very stupid, picked any old thing and then got tattooed by an inebriated tattoo artist.

I've regretted it ever since and I would love to have it removed!

I know of someone who used the Caci clinic to get theirs lasered, it was very expensive and took a lot of sessions. They only had it done till it was faded to a point that they could then get it covered up with another tattoo. The process was very painful as they are pretty much burning the skin.

My DH has a tattoo that he got when he was young and then regretted and he had it covered up with another tattoo, it now looks amazing and you would never know there was another tattoo underneath. He got this done by a very very good tattoo artist that has a long waiting list but it was well worth it.

becky wrote: Hey I stupidly got my ex-husbands name tattoed on my arm started to get it removed by my doctor but it was going to take 5 sessions at $75 dollars a pop. And his name was only 3 letters! It burnt your skin but didnt hurt probably about the same as getting a tat. It did smell though like burning hair and flesh. I only did two sessions and decided to just get his name covered up by another tattoo instead!!

How large were the letters?

My tatt is about the size of a $2 coin.

I dont really want any other tattoos otherwise it would probably be much easier to just cover it.

AzzaNZ wrote: becky wrote: Hey I stupidly got my ex-husbands name tattoed on my arm started to get it removed by my doctor but it was going to take 5 sessions at $75 dollars a pop. And his name was only 3 letters! It burnt your skin but didnt hurt probably about the same as getting a tat. It did smell though like burning hair and flesh. I only did two sessions and decided to just get his name covered up by another tattoo instead!! How large were the letters? My tatt is about the size of a $2 coin. I dont really want any other tattoos otherwise it would probably be much easier to just cover it.

Its probably about the same size mine might have been a bit smaller and made a mistake before it was four letters!!

In an extreme case if you want it completely gone you could get a skin graft, my mum had this done a few years back on her wrist, only thing she complained about was the pain and although it left a scar it's not really that noticable anymore.

I got a tattoo on my shoulder blade when i was 14 (the tattoo places were pretty lenient in the 90s when it came to age!) for similar reasons - to piss off my parents & to show off to my friends that I was pretty cool. I really really regretted for years after. Anyway, when I decided a couple of years ago that i wanted to wear a strapless wedding dress, I also really didn;t want anyone to see my tat - I had kept it covered for about 14 years - cos it looked so trashy.

I had it lasered off at the Caci clinic, it took about a year and a half, having 'zappings' every 6 weeks. The nurse who did it said the longer it was left between treatments, the more it would fade. The good thing about the laser was that there is no scarring (i scar very easily) but it hurt like hell - apparently more than child birth, but im yet to compare! Now I can wear tops and singlets which show my shoulder blades.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do AzzaNZ, and feel free to PM me if you have any questions

Just to update anyone who is thinking of having it done...

If you buy 6 sessions in advance at Caci they give you 2 sessions free. So I have 8 sessions lined up, the first of which was today.

It hurts a lot more than getting the tattoo in the first place (or maybe my memory is bad). The therapist stopped every so often to remind me to breathe

I feel a bit like my arm has been set alight but I am glad I have started the process. Next session is in 6 weeks time and I will have to stop if I get pregnant.

She hadnt told me about the garlic tablets! When do you take them?

jano1 wrote: What is the cost through the Caci clinic?

I'm paying $120 per session but it is dependant on the size of the tattoo

Yeah I was a bit surprised by the price. Wish I didnt hate the tattoo so much, it could pay for a nice holiday.