How laser tattoo
removal works.

Step one — measured in person

Every removal starts with a free consultation. We examine the tattoo, ask about its history — who did it, how old it is, whether it has been treated before — and measure it on a grid, counting only the squares the ink actually touches. That measurement is your price, and the examination tells us roughly how many treatments to expect. Before anything else happens, the laser is tested on a small spot so we can see how your skin responds. If you want to start the same visit, there is usually time.

Step two — the laser breaks the ink apart

Tattoo ink sits in the dermis in particles too large for your body to remove — that is why tattoos are permanent. The laser fires pulses of light tuned to the pigment's color. The ink absorbs that energy, heats and expands faster than the surrounding skin can, and shatters into fragments small enough for your immune system to carry away.

Different pigments absorb different wavelengths, which is why the machine matters: our DEKA Toro runs 1064 nm for black and dark blue, 532 nm for reds, oranges and yellows, and a 785 nm picosecond pulse for blues and greens. A single-wavelength machine handles black and struggles with everything else.

It stings — most people compare it to an elastic band snapped against the skin. Chilled air runs over the area the whole time, and topical anesthetic is available for $30 a tube if you want it.

Step three — your body clears the ink

The laser breaks the ink up; your bloodstream and immune system do the actual removal, and that takes weeks, not days. Sessions are spaced five weeks apart at the start, stretching to six and then eight weeks as the tattoo fades. Aftercare is simple: no bandages, expect swelling and redness for 24 to 72 hours and skin that feels like a mild sunburn. Keep the area dry and out of the sun between sessions.

How many treatments will it take?

• How it was made. An amateur or homemade tattoo may need only two to five treatments; a professional multi-color piece usually runs five to twelve.
• What colors it carries. Black and dark blue clear quickest; greens, oranges and yellows take the longest.
• Where it sits. The chest, neck and belly clear faster than fingers and toes, because circulation is what carries the ink away.

You will get a realistic number at your consultation rather than a guess, and you can see typical progressions on the before and after page.