Mike Panic

My opinion, avoid this. It looks similar to Tatt2Away® by Rejuvatek Medical, Inc. (Official Site) | Tatt2Away® Natural Non Laser Tattoo Removal System, which I also don't trust.
Here's the thing. Who out there thinks it makes sense to open up a tattoo (create an open wound) via tattoo machine with no ink in it, then pour salt in it, or use saline (salt water) instead of tattoo pigment? No one. Ask your family doctor what they think about this, and they will tell you the possible side effects, you'll walk away.
It's non-FDA regulated. There's no governing body on how this is to be done, or instructional information. There's nothing saying who is and who isn't doing it right. It's also invasive. Whenever you open up the skin, you are opening yourself up to long term negative effects.

Really, it looks legit?
When you see FDA approval on the proprietary solution used and the process itself and are shown complete removals without scarring on all parts of the body, I'll become a believer.
I've NEVER seen anyone try this stuff on a knuckle, throat or other area of the body where there isn't a lot of muscle or fat tissue.
Not my website, found via Google search, MD Cosmedical Solutions Tattoo Removal Sydney | Laser Tattoo & Tatt2away Removal Specialists Sydney - that is NOT acceptable to me.
Tatt2Away official site, Tatt2Away® - How Tatt2Away Works - again, nothing looks right about that.
Again not my website and found via Google, Bad Tattoo Removal Treatments

Really, it looks legit?
When you see FDA approval on the proprietary solution used and the process itself and are shown complete removals without scarring on all parts of the body, I'll become a believer.
I've NEVER seen anyone try this stuff on a knuckle, throat or other area of the body where there isn't a lot of muscle or fat tissue.
Not my website, found via Google search, MD Cosmedical Solutions Tattoo Removal Sydney | Laser Tattoo & Tatt2away Removal Specialists Sydney - that is NOT acceptable to me.
Tatt2Away official site, Tatt2Away® - How Tatt2Away Works - again, nothing looks right about that.
Again not my website and found via Google, Bad Tattoo Removal Treatments

Laser just seems more natural to me , let your body deal with the ink. All this "drawing out " of ink with salt like it was pus in an infected wound sounds wrong and potentially scarring.

Good luck to her Gurby!

She saw a Dermatologist for the second time today and she is scheduled for surgery on the 8th, They are talking skin grafts of the entire area of the UV crap. It's not tattoo ink and they're seriously worried about her liver and kidneys due to the prolonged exposure.

In the nearly 20 years I've been going to, hanging out in and generally being around tattoo shops and artists, I've never heard a patron come in and ask what kind of machine the artist is using. In my profession, I answer it almost daily.
Right behind how much does it hurt? and what is this going to cost me? one of the most frequently asked questions I get asked is what machine I use to treat people. This is mildly important and yet, people really stress about it.
Why it's important? There are China-made machines available on eBay for a few thousand dollars, these are untested, generally not FDA approved in the USA and worse, most don't carry an adequate UL rating. That last one is a biggie, that means there's not been proper testing on the machine to pass fire, smoke and safety regulations.
The 4 main technologies used in tattoo removal:

Q-Switched Nd:YAG - the most popular across the board, commonly called the 'gold standard'
Ruby - thus named because it emits a red light and is typically used on grenn pigments
Alexandrite - essentially a red laser as well, but less powerful than a Ruby, again mostly used on green pigment
Pico - the new kid on the block, this laser operates at a 'pico' second, or one trillionth of a second, however isn't as effective on red pgiments

There are many brands, but I'm not going to go into a this is better than that. The Q-Switched Nd:Yag is the most versatile as it operates at two wavelengths and does a great job on the vast majority of pigments, however it's also possible via a swap of hand pieces to operate this laser at the two other wavelengths, making it the technology choice of most facilities. This laser is a 'Nano' laser, pulsing light at one billionth of a second.
Typically speaking, Ruby lasers are much more rare because the scope of treatment is much more narrow and you're likely to only find these in the offices of dermatologists who have a very specific need for them.
Alexandrite lasers are extremely rare to be seen.
Pico laser is the new kid on the block - and the one with the most hype. The claims are 30-60% faster removal, due to the 'trillionth' of a second light bursts. I affectionately call this the Viagra (or Lipitor) of laser machines. Why? Well, they are mass marketed to the general public, so the public learns the name of them fast and since they are only available by prescription, they are knocking down doctor's doors to get their hands on them. Yes, the pico is effective, I've spoken at length with their sales reps and read the clinical trial reports on them. Here's the catch, it costs almost 3x as much as a new Q-Switched Nd:Yag laser, which is also why you typically see prices 2-5x higher when using this laser. The sales rep justifies it as, people don't want to wait 18 months to remove a tattoo, this machine will get it done in 8-12 and we feel people will pay a premium for that. This could be true in LA, NYC, Miami, etc., in my market, it's not.
OK, once we've established the place you're going to isn't using a my first laser beam machine and you now know what 'type' of laser you will most likely be treated with, here's why the machine used really isn't that important.
Lasers are just like Michael Jordan Nikes, they are awesome, are cool to have, but you won't dunk like Mike. Just because you saw someone online who showed you great before & after photos after being treated with Acme Brand Laser doesn't mean you will have the same results. There are 3 main factors that go into any given tattoo removal, provided of course the tech is capable and they are using one of the main lasers available on the market.

Immune system does 95% of the work! Yes, you read this right. The laser just facilitates the process. It's medically proven non-smokers heal faster (not just for tattoo removal, in general), but if you're in shape, eat right and generally take care of yourself you'll heal faster and see better progression between each treatment.
Pigment varies bottle to bottle sometimes, even from the same manufacture. Aside from the fact there is no FDA regulation in pigment, even if there was it wouldn't stop your artist from mixing it with another ink, or even tap water, which could have contaminates in it. Have two tattoos done by the same artist 6 months apart? They could have switched inks in between sittings.
Application. Tattooing is an art, not just in the work they create, but actually getting pigment into your skin. The needle groupings, voltage, angle the machine is held and pressure all make differences in how well your body takes the pigment, as does your ability to follow their aftercare instructions. While this typically is a very small contributing factor, if an artist has a barbed needle (fish hooked, typically from bottoming out in an ink cap while dipping, or from not inspecting needles while assembling the grips), it can cause damage to the skin. Most commonly this is seen in the form of a raised to the touch tattoo, or sometimes known as 'braille tattoos.'

As mentioned earlier, seeing before and after photos is important, I also strongly believe seeing progress photos is equally important so you can see how the tech was able to treat the entire piece, but as it fades focus on the areas containing pigment still and avoiding those without pigment, reducing the chances of hypo-pigmentation.
When you're doing your research, don't get sucked into the hype of 'state of the art ACME brand machine' because one of the leading manufactures that makes one of the most popular machines on the market today hasn't changed the guts of the machine from the two previous models available, they've only made the case prettier. This isn't just from my own research, this is from my tech who services my machine and has 15 years experience in the industry.

I have zero experience with UV pigments, when not under UV light, are they visible to the naked eye? If they are not, the only safe and effective way to remove them will be via skin graft. Q-Switch Nd:YAG laser (the gold standard) and Picosure (the new kid on the block) rely on pigment differentiation to work, that is to say, fair skin with contrasting pigment. Likewise, white is very hard to treat as well.

@Mike Panic is our resident laser removal expert. he might be able to offer some advice.

This should be a great first-year con, tons of great artists!!

Thanks, really appreciate it. Ironically someone just tore me a new one on our Instagram account about how we could possibly justify the pricing for a 10 seconds worth of work, they sadly failed to read the person had more then one tattoo and we do scale for very small pieces. Thanks for the support!

update! @Mike Panic @YOMONEY
below are pictures after two pico sessions; right before going into my third session today.
laser time was considerably less this time considering all my shading's gone so there's less area to go over. really bummed about all the hyperpigmentation though.
so after being less than impressed with the results after my first session, i insisted my dr. to really burn this shit up (he had strongly advised against the settings i requested but i wouldn't have it any other way) so for my neck, he went from 3.7mm to 3.2 and 3.7 to 3.6 for my sleeve and wrists. results were amazing but left me with some scarring on my neck. so this time this is what we did:
neck: 3.5mm // 2.08 J/cm2 // 10 hz // 2 minutes
sleeve and wrists: 3.6mm // 1.96 J/cm2 // 10 hz // 27 minutes
total pulses: 2208
for the red on Poison's face and lips, we use YAG
you can probably tell the first photo is what my Lady looked like before i started treatments. :(
[/img]

Man gets Netflix tattoo, scores free year of Netflix | Crave - CNET

Thanks @Brock Varty & @YOMONEY - I probably said this elsewhere on LST but when we started, we made it clear in our plan that we don't want to shame people about having tattoos, for any reason. I also am not offended when someone only wants a few treatments because they want a cover up. At the end of the day, we (business partner & I) want to make people happy. Tattoo removal is very different compared to being tattooed. I build relationships with my clients, I see them every 4-6 weeks for months on end, in some cases a year or more. They need to be as comfortable coming into me as possible, because they obviously don't like what they have on them, so why make the environment one of regret and shame? Seems like bad business.
We offer a standing discount to enlisted members of the military and first responders, but like I said, are trying to work with recruiters about those wishing to enlist and trying to find government money to help even partially fund removal of tattoos for those who are re-entering the working world after being incarcerated, no longer in a gang or former member of a hate group. Also looking to partner up with local job fairs to help those who tattoos in visible locations (knucks & necks) who are now having issues pursuing more "conservative" jobs where such tattoos are frowned upon.
We're all tattooed, we all know that there shouldn't be prejudice but there is, and sometimes you just have to bend a little "for the man" as they say. Having worked in NYC, it's perfectly acceptable to be tattooed up and down, left and right, in most industries. Go to small town USA, totally different story.
I also agree with the pricing. We're not undercutting our local competition, we're competitively priced, but due to promos, sales and specials you can probably get a slightly better deal through us. That said, I have a few clients who come in from a neighboring state and would rather drive 2 and a half to three hours to me because their local options cost THREE TIMES what we charge!

Thanks @Brock Varty & @YOMONEY - I probably said this elsewhere on LST but when we started, we made it clear in our plan that we don't want to shame people about having tattoos, for any reason. I also am not offended when someone only wants a few treatments because they want a cover up. At the end of the day, we (business partner & I) want to make people happy. Tattoo removal is very different compared to being tattooed. I build relationships with my clients, I see them every 4-6 weeks for months on end, in some cases a year or more. They need to be as comfortable coming into me as possible, because they obviously don't like what they have on them, so why make the environment one of regret and shame? Seems like bad business.
We offer a standing discount to enlisted members of the military and first responders, but like I said, are trying to work with recruiters about those wishing to enlist and trying to find government money to help even partially fund removal of tattoos for those who are re-entering the working world after being incarcerated, no longer in a gang or former member of a hate group. Also looking to partner up with local job fairs to help those who tattoos in visible locations (knucks & necks) who are now having issues pursuing more "conservative" jobs where such tattoos are frowned upon.
We're all tattooed, we all know that there shouldn't be prejudice but there is, and sometimes you just have to bend a little "for the man" as they say. Having worked in NYC, it's perfectly acceptable to be tattooed up and down, left and right, in most industries. Go to small town USA, totally different story.
I also agree with the pricing. We're not undercutting our local competition, we're competitively priced, but due to promos, sales and specials you can probably get a slightly better deal through us. That said, I have a few clients who come in from a neighboring state and would rather drive 2 and a half to three hours to me because their local options cost THREE TIMES what we charge!

The technology is shorter bursts of light mean less heat, in turn means less damage to the surrounding skin tissue and yield faster healing with more efficient fading. 2-3x faster removal? That I'm not so sure of. I can't see a tattoo that would normally take 12 treatments being cut back to 6, but maybe down to 9-10, that seems reasonable to me.
Pico- - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Nd:YAG laser you're currently being treated with is a nano-second laser, or a billionth of a second burst of light at a time. The Pico will be firing at a trillionth of a second, but from what I've read they both still operate at 10hz

Wow. Longest I've treated anyone is 19 minutes. That's brutal. Drink water. Lots. Till it hurts. It will help you. Also eat well today and tomorrow.

For you guys that are paying for 20-30 minutes of "laser time" - is that actual time of the machine firing? The longest I've ever actually run the laser at a virtually non-stop basis is 19 minutes, and it was a huge section of a back piece.
I'm curious because the machine should be firing at 10Hz, that is the 'speed' of the machine. When each time it hits your skin should be like XXXXXXX, if it's more like X__X__X__X__X that means they are probably running at a slower speed, which ultimately gives more control over where the laser is firing on your skin, but can double or triple the time it takes to achieve any kind of coverage.
For something the size of an iPhone for example, if it's solid,that shouldn't take more than 2 minutes, tops. So I'm curious how long you guys are sitting for treatments / how big the areas are and what speed the machine is running. 30 minutes sounds like a very long, painful time for something that should be done much, much faster.

For you guys that are paying for 20-30 minutes of "laser time" - is that actual time of the machine firing? The longest I've ever actually run the laser at a virtually non-stop basis is 19 minutes, and it was a huge section of a back piece.
I'm curious because the machine should be firing at 10Hz, that is the 'speed' of the machine. When each time it hits your skin should be like XXXXXXX, if it's more like X__X__X__X__X that means they are probably running at a slower speed, which ultimately gives more control over where the laser is firing on your skin, but can double or triple the time it takes to achieve any kind of coverage.
For something the size of an iPhone for example, if it's solid,that shouldn't take more than 2 minutes, tops. So I'm curious how long you guys are sitting for treatments / how big the areas are and what speed the machine is running. 30 minutes sounds like a very long, painful time for something that should be done much, much faster.

The technology is shorter bursts of light mean less heat, in turn means less damage to the surrounding skin tissue and yield faster healing with more efficient fading. 2-3x faster removal? That I'm not so sure of. I can't see a tattoo that would normally take 12 treatments being cut back to 6, but maybe down to 9-10, that seems reasonable to me.
Pico- - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Nd:YAG laser you're currently being treated with is a nano-second laser, or a billionth of a second burst of light at a time. The Pico will be firing at a trillionth of a second, but from what I've read they both still operate at 10hz

great info you have posted in this thread,thanks :)

That's what myself and many others are very afraid of. I've already spoke to many professionals in the UK who face this problem on a regular, cheap, unregulated lasers and improper technique are scarring people. There's such a violent price-war going on right now in the UK over laser removal that quality is taking a back seat.
Old saying, Pick two of the following 3:
* Cheap
* Fast
* Good
but you can never have all 3

That's what myself and many others are very afraid of. I've already spoke to many professionals in the UK who face this problem on a regular, cheap, unregulated lasers and improper technique are scarring people. There's such a violent price-war going on right now in the UK over laser removal that quality is taking a back seat.
Old saying, Pick two of the following 3:
* Cheap
* Fast
* Good
but you can never have all 3

In the nearly 20 years I've been going to, hanging out in and generally being around tattoo shops and artists, I've never heard a patron come in and ask what kind of machine the artist is using. In my profession, I answer it almost daily.
Right behind how much does it hurt? and what is this going to cost me? one of the most frequently asked questions I get asked is what machine I use to treat people. This is mildly important and yet, people really stress about it.
Why it's important? There are China-made machines available on eBay for a few thousand dollars, these are untested, generally not FDA approved in the USA and worse, most don't carry an adequate UL rating. That last one is a biggie, that means there's not been proper testing on the machine to pass fire, smoke and safety regulations.
The 4 main technologies used in tattoo removal:

Q-Switched Nd:YAG - the most popular across the board, commonly called the 'gold standard'
Ruby - thus named because it emits a red light and is typically used on grenn pigments
Alexandrite - essentially a red laser as well, but less powerful than a Ruby, again mostly used on green pigment
Pico - the new kid on the block, this laser operates at a 'pico' second, or one trillionth of a second, however isn't as effective on red pgiments

There are many brands, but I'm not going to go into a this is better than that. The Q-Switched Nd:Yag is the most versatile as it operates at two wavelengths and does a great job on the vast majority of pigments, however it's also possible via a swap of hand pieces to operate this laser at the two other wavelengths, making it the technology choice of most facilities. This laser is a 'Nano' laser, pulsing light at one billionth of a second.
Typically speaking, Ruby lasers are much more rare because the scope of treatment is much more narrow and you're likely to only find these in the offices of dermatologists who have a very specific need for them.
Alexandrite lasers are extremely rare to be seen.
Pico laser is the new kid on the block - and the one with the most hype. The claims are 30-60% faster removal, due to the 'trillionth' of a second light bursts. I affectionately call this the Viagra (or Lipitor) of laser machines. Why? Well, they are mass marketed to the general public, so the public learns the name of them fast and since they are only available by prescription, they are knocking down doctor's doors to get their hands on them. Yes, the pico is effective, I've spoken at length with their sales reps and read the clinical trial reports on them. Here's the catch, it costs almost 3x as much as a new Q-Switched Nd:Yag laser, which is also why you typically see prices 2-5x higher when using this laser. The sales rep justifies it as, people don't want to wait 18 months to remove a tattoo, this machine will get it done in 8-12 and we feel people will pay a premium for that. This could be true in LA, NYC, Miami, etc., in my market, it's not.
OK, once we've established the place you're going to isn't using a my first laser beam machine and you now know what 'type' of laser you will most likely be treated with, here's why the machine used really isn't that important.
Lasers are just like Michael Jordan Nikes, they are awesome, are cool to have, but you won't dunk like Mike. Just because you saw someone online who showed you great before & after photos after being treated with Acme Brand Laser doesn't mean you will have the same results. There are 3 main factors that go into any given tattoo removal, provided of course the tech is capable and they are using one of the main lasers available on the market.

Immune system does 95% of the work! Yes, you read this right. The laser just facilitates the process. It's medically proven non-smokers heal faster (not just for tattoo removal, in general), but if you're in shape, eat right and generally take care of yourself you'll heal faster and see better progression between each treatment.
Pigment varies bottle to bottle sometimes, even from the same manufacture. Aside from the fact there is no FDA regulation in pigment, even if there was it wouldn't stop your artist from mixing it with another ink, or even tap water, which could have contaminates in it. Have two tattoos done by the same artist 6 months apart? They could have switched inks in between sittings.
Application. Tattooing is an art, not just in the work they create, but actually getting pigment into your skin. The needle groupings, voltage, angle the machine is held and pressure all make differences in how well your body takes the pigment, as does your ability to follow their aftercare instructions. While this typically is a very small contributing factor, if an artist has a barbed needle (fish hooked, typically from bottoming out in an ink cap while dipping, or from not inspecting needles while assembling the grips), it can cause damage to the skin. Most commonly this is seen in the form of a raised to the touch tattoo, or sometimes known as 'braille tattoos.'

As mentioned earlier, seeing before and after photos is important, I also strongly believe seeing progress photos is equally important so you can see how the tech was able to treat the entire piece, but as it fades focus on the areas containing pigment still and avoiding those without pigment, reducing the chances of hypo-pigmentation.
When you're doing your research, don't get sucked into the hype of 'state of the art ACME brand machine' because one of the leading manufactures that makes one of the most popular machines on the market today hasn't changed the guts of the machine from the two previous models available, they've only made the case prettier. This isn't just from my own research, this is from my tech who services my machine and has 15 years experience in the industry.

In a word @eisen777, no. It's just something else people fixate over without understanding how the machine operates, what a Fitzpatrick Scale is or without any experience. The word you're looking for is energy, not power is relative to several mitigating factors in any treatment. I also don't want to undermine any other professional laser tech, and you aren't being treated by me so I don't want to make any assumptions on you, anyone else, or give advice that could contradict any other professional. I may start a client at one setting, for arguments sake, an arbitrary number might be 2.2 joules (the measurement of energy, often times referred to as 'intensity'). The very next person that comes in might be started at 1.8j. The first client could come back after 5-6 weeks and their second treatment is at 2.4j while the 2nd client's 2nd treatment is at 2.6j. Too many factors go into determining how each client is treated, and each treatment is unique and different.
To clear up a little of your confusion, and maybe help set your mind at ease, you weren't treated at a setting of '5' - I'm going to assume that was the Hz setting on the machine, aka the speed setting. Most Q-Switched Nd:YAG lasers can operate at a 'speed' of 1,2,5 & 10. This has zero effect on the energy setting of a machine, and typically a slower Hz setting is used when a tech wants more precise control over a treated area, although sometimes slower speeds are needed when operating at specific nanometers.
I will also assume that "bubbling" you mean frosting, and not blisters. Frosting typically is most apparent in the first treatment, but again everyone is different. Frosting is water being vaporized in your skin, converting from a liquid to a gas, and the oxygen (O part of H2o) being trapped under the epidermis. While it's used as a guide for treatment, it bears no significance on the speed at which pigment will be broken down and dispersed through your bloodstream, it's merely a byproduct of the treatment.
Some of your questions you need to ask your tech specifically. I've never heard anyone quote a full removal in 4 treatments, typically speaking it's common in the industry to accept 10-12 as a baseline standard, however some will see faster reactions and need 8 while others will need 14+
It's also fairly typical to not see dramatic fading until 6 weeks after your second treatment. Are you or your tech taking photos prior to each treatment for comparison reasons? If not, then you're tattoo is probably fading more than you think.
Regarding thick black lines. It's my experience that any portion of a tattoo that's done with a liner will take longer than any portion of a tattoo done with a shader. Moreover, when linework is gone over several times to 'even out' or 'thicken' the lines, often a technique used by artists to hide the 'dot' that appears when they stop through a line or at the end of a line, the fading can take even longer.
Take care of yourself, drink plenty of water, eat healthy, get exercise, don't smoke. Those will help put you into a place that will allow the greatest amount of fading per treatment, assuming your tech isn't milking you for more treatments.