The Dude

You honored the temple of God by updating the paint job. I think it's worse that someone lets their temple go unpainted for years. Brings down property value of surrounding temples.

You honored the temple of God by updating the paint job. I think it's worse that someone lets their temple go unpainted for years. Brings down property value of surrounding temples.

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.

So i've been getting a couple of pieces removed with laser and wondered what other laser technicians have said is good aftercare for customers.
Ive been using Aloe-99 cold processed aloe vera gel as soon as i get home. by then the treated area is beginning to swell and is red hot. I'll wash the area with some dr bronners liquid soap (i use it at home and the tattoo shop) and apply the aloe vera gel straight away.
i will repeat almost as soon as the last batch was absorbed and do this as many times as i can before bed, then i have recently discovered that if i wrap up my leg (thats where the offending tattoos are) with lots of the gel for the first day following treatment (and change the dressing a few times during the day), the swelling is minimized and the discomfort is minimal without clothes rubbing on it all day.
i'm on day 3 since my last treatment (ive had 3 on one and 4 on the other) and bruising has def taken over and the mad itching begins. no one told me how insanely itchy lasered skin gets, holy shit! it's primal, you cant stop yourself, ill even wake myself up in the middle of the night full on scratching with all my nails.
also it goes without saying that laser treatment needs the patience of a saint and shouldnt be taken lightly, for a start it hurts WAY more than the original tattoo ever did, it's not a quick way to remove or lighten any tattoos, it's expensive over time.
i know people whove been trying to laser off medium sized plain black tattoos for a couple of years and they are only beginning to finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.
your lasered tattoo WILL look like shit for the whole period of time you are treating it ( i reckon it looks a bit like mouldy bread), i'm lucky cos mine are on my legs and i got so many tattoos around them you almost don't notice somethings amiss unless you know what youre looking at.
i only recommend laser to my customers if they want a cover up anyway and it's gonna help lighten the original tattoo. ive seen that laser just aint the magic cure to completely get rid of tattoos.
ps. once it's all over and it's time for the cover ups i will post before and after pics, but really, it's not gonna be for a frickin long while!