Mike Panic

What a thoughtful, informative reply, @Mike Panic. Thanks for answering our questions so thoroughly!

Sorry for the late reply @rocketqueen, I stopped getting email notifications from this thread a while ago and can't figure out why. I will never, as a professional, quote 100% tattoo removal. My idea of 100% is different from yours, and it's not a tangible thing to fight over. Even in my "best case" scenarios, I can still find trace amounts of pigment if I look hard enough. A casual stranger who didn't know the history, wouldn't know though.
Also bear in mind, "dedicated to treatment course" isn't always a factor in how successful any given removal will be. How the tattoo was done (scarring, over worked area, dragging or barbed needles, etc.), pigment used, pigment saturation, liner vs. shader, location on the body, immune system, age, age of tattoo and quality of life will all play roles in how much any given tattoo will be functionally able to be removed. There is no black and white answer with tattoo removal.
Not some lasers, all lasers used for tattoo removal have the possibility of white ink turning black. In fact, many colors shift during removal. Black ink will often fade to brown or sometimes if it's got a deep indigo blue, that starts to show after a few sessions. There is no MSDS for tattoo ink, without knowing the ingredients there's always a possibility of color shift. Moreover, even if we do know the ingredients, there likely hasn't been any long term studies done on the effects caused from exposure to lasers.
To directly answer the question, it doesn't disqualify someone but it does cause for a very serious conversation about realistic expectations in my office.
Please understand that my job is to create very realistic expectations about what can and cannot be accomplished. The ol, "well my friend went here and they had the best and it's now gone after X treatments" simply holds no weight. Every tattoo done on every person is unique.

personally Id blast that once or twice with a laser and it would be all but gone. then if she wanted she could do anything there with a good tattooer

Thanks!!
I did consult with two places and one place told me "4-8 sessions" to lighten enough to do a cover-up, and the other place said they couldn't give me an accurate number due to the many variables of the session. Both use the Picosure.
When I had the first treatment done, I was told to expect blisters since my ink is so dense in certain spots (cover-up) and it should get better the further along I am in treatments.
Yes, that is exactly what I think I'm going to do - get some laser sessions than consult with a tattoo artist to see if my cover-up idea is even possible. Such a long process...........boo.
Thanks again :)

also at the risk of additional scaring. Neither cover up or removal are without some sacrifice.

Get a few laser sessions and lighten it up first, opens up so many more

It's small enough that it should be able to be covered up fairly easy with the right size and detail of the new work. I have a cover up, but it was a much larger area to be covered. The new ink ended up being way too dark and I find myself wishing I would have gotten some laser done first.

The point of a blast over, typically speaking, is to put a piece of art over-top what's there and not care about the previous tattoo / use it as "ascent" to the new tattoo. Personally speaking, and not professionally, it's a trend I really hope doesn't stick around long.
Professionally speaking, the dermis can only hold so much pigment. That pigment is of a particle size that is essentially too large for your body to process and dispose of it as the true contaminate that it is. Over years and years though, the immune system will indeed "chip away" at that pigment and that's why tattoos start to look a little faded / blurry / out of focus.
When you do a blast over, you're now cramming more pigment into the dermis, which will ultimately settle and any trauma from the first tattoo will most likely show through, via raised line work is the most common sight. Over time, it will settle down and become muddy. This of course will vary depending on who did the first tattoo, with what colors and how saturated it is.
Since the blast over trend is just now picking up steam, I doubt we'll see any 'long term' photos for another few years. But in the meantime, I'll point you to those who got heavy black work done with the intention of putting white over it. Looks killer when first done but 2-3 years in, it's all muddy.
At the end of the day, it's your skin, you need to decide what you're acceptable living with.

The point of a blast over, typically speaking, is to put a piece of art over-top what's there and not care about the previous tattoo / use it as "ascent" to the new tattoo. Personally speaking, and not professionally, it's a trend I really hope doesn't stick around long.
Professionally speaking, the dermis can only hold so much pigment. That pigment is of a particle size that is essentially too large for your body to process and dispose of it as the true contaminate that it is. Over years and years though, the immune system will indeed "chip away" at that pigment and that's why tattoos start to look a little faded / blurry / out of focus.
When you do a blast over, you're now cramming more pigment into the dermis, which will ultimately settle and any trauma from the first tattoo will most likely show through, via raised line work is the most common sight. Over time, it will settle down and become muddy. This of course will vary depending on who did the first tattoo, with what colors and how saturated it is.
Since the blast over trend is just now picking up steam, I doubt we'll see any 'long term' photos for another few years. But in the meantime, I'll point you to those who got heavy black work done with the intention of putting white over it. Looks killer when first done but 2-3 years in, it's all muddy.
At the end of the day, it's your skin, you need to decide what you're acceptable living with.

The point of a blast over, typically speaking, is to put a piece of art over-top what's there and not care about the previous tattoo / use it as "ascent" to the new tattoo. Personally speaking, and not professionally, it's a trend I really hope doesn't stick around long.
Professionally speaking, the dermis can only hold so much pigment. That pigment is of a particle size that is essentially too large for your body to process and dispose of it as the true contaminate that it is. Over years and years though, the immune system will indeed "chip away" at that pigment and that's why tattoos start to look a little faded / blurry / out of focus.
When you do a blast over, you're now cramming more pigment into the dermis, which will ultimately settle and any trauma from the first tattoo will most likely show through, via raised line work is the most common sight. Over time, it will settle down and become muddy. This of course will vary depending on who did the first tattoo, with what colors and how saturated it is.
Since the blast over trend is just now picking up steam, I doubt we'll see any 'long term' photos for another few years. But in the meantime, I'll point you to those who got heavy black work done with the intention of putting white over it. Looks killer when first done but 2-3 years in, it's all muddy.
At the end of the day, it's your skin, you need to decide what you're acceptable living with.

Before you decide to do 'non-laser' tattoo removal, have a look at this. 2 years after a single treatment and the client is left with pinkish-white scarring. They came to see my yesterday so we could start fading this with FDA approved lasers in hopes they will be able to get it covered up.
I don't do 'non-laser' tattoo removal, but if you have questions in general about what I do or how it works, please ask me. This type of scarring is not a fair trade-off in my mind.

I just wanna say..I am not in the least bit squeamish by nature, but some of the pictures of these non-laser methods in-progress make me wanna barf. So, so gross and traumatic looking. Knowing that this is the end result makes it kind of a no-brainer for me.

No problem, I'll get you an update in about 6-7 weeks when the client comes back in. My work speaks for itself though, as does most professional laser operators. Because I'm not here to promote myself / business but rather as a resource for the community, I rarely post progress photos on here. Take a look at my website / social media profiles in the meantime though.

No problem, I'll get you an update in about 6-7 weeks when the client comes back in. My work speaks for itself though, as does most professional laser operators. Because I'm not here to promote myself / business but rather as a resource for the community, I rarely post progress photos on here. Take a look at my website / social media profiles in the meantime though.

No problem, I'll get you an update in about 6-7 weeks when the client comes back in. My work speaks for itself though, as does most professional laser operators. Because I'm not here to promote myself / business but rather as a resource for the community, I rarely post progress photos on here. Take a look at my website / social media profiles in the meantime though.

Before you decide to do 'non-laser' tattoo removal, have a look at this. 2 years after a single treatment and the client is left with pinkish-white scarring. They came to see my yesterday so we could start fading this with FDA approved lasers in hopes they will be able to get it covered up.
I don't do 'non-laser' tattoo removal, but if you have questions in general about what I do or how it works, please ask me. This type of scarring is not a fair trade-off in my mind.

I think I'll stick to fuckin laser. Never heard of some one actually using that method willingly.

Before you decide to do 'non-laser' tattoo removal, have a look at this. 2 years after a single treatment and the client is left with pinkish-white scarring. They came to see my yesterday so we could start fading this with FDA approved lasers in hopes they will be able to get it covered up.
I don't do 'non-laser' tattoo removal, but if you have questions in general about what I do or how it works, please ask me. This type of scarring is not a fair trade-off in my mind.

Before you decide to do 'non-laser' tattoo removal, have a look at this. 2 years after a single treatment and the client is left with pinkish-white scarring. They came to see my yesterday so we could start fading this with FDA approved lasers in hopes they will be able to get it covered up.
I don't do 'non-laser' tattoo removal, but if you have questions in general about what I do or how it works, please ask me. This type of scarring is not a fair trade-off in my mind.

From someone who does laser, my advice for cover-up tattoos is almost always start with laser. With something as dark, heavy and scarred as that it will show through the new piece. Maybe not at first, but a year or two down the road it will, and the scarring will still be felt to finger tips and also visually seen through the new tattoo.
In my experience, a good number of people who come to with similar scarring see a significant reduction from the laser tattoo removal process, so it's more than likely worth a shot.
The other thing to keep in mind here is that the dermis has only so much room. In addition to the pigment that was put in here, it's competing for space with scar tissue. Adding more pigment could result into a less than favorable final product a few years down the road.

Yeah, my post was kind of a "put up or shut up."

This thread has become a source for spammers... :(
- - - Updated - - -
I think he is a spammer...

I'm sharing this so you can get a grasp of how quick the procedure is, for those who are wondering, and to showcase some of my skills.


This client is heavily modified and has decided to change their look in order to facilitate further modifications. This is the first pace on half of their face, we treated both sides during the same visit. Most full removals will require 10-12 treatments over a one and a half to 2 year period.
The white "frosting" that appears immediately after the the laser is water vapor, a byproduct of the laser tattoo removal treatment. Within 10 minutes, this fades and is not a burn or blister.
In the left hand of this video is a hose, it's a cryo-chiller, a device that blows extremely cold air onto the skin before and during a treatment to help reduce any short-term swelling, a common side effect. It is not a vacuum.
What you see here was filmed in real time, showing just how fast tattoo removal treatments are.

Great to meet you too, @SeeSea! Here's my recap from the weekend Wrap Up: 2015 Philadealphia Tattoo Convention

Great to meet you too, @SeeSea! Here's my recap from the weekend Wrap Up: 2015 Philadealphia Tattoo Convention