After your treatment
The night of
Immediately following treatment, your tattoo may look white or frosted. This is an expected response to the laser.
As this settles, the area may become red, warm, swollen and tender. Depending on the treatment, you may also experience pinpoint bleeding, blistering or crusting.
Cleaning
If you need to clean the area tonight, gently wash with lukewarm water.
Use your fingertips only.
Do not scrub, rub or use anything abrasive over the tattoo.
Pat the area dry with a clean towel or allow it to air dry.
If we have applied a dressing, follow the specific instructions we have given you regarding when to remove or change it.
The first night: keep the area covered.
The ointment in your kit
Apply a thin layer of the ointment in your kit to the treated area as directed.
You do not need to layer multiple products over the tattoo.
Keep it simple and allow your skin to heal.
Cooling
The area may feel quite warm for several hours.
If you need some relief, you can use a cool, damp towel for a few minutes at a time.
Do not place ice directly onto the skin.
Tonight, avoid
- Hot showers or baths over the treated area
- Saunas and steam rooms
- Strenuous exercise and excessive sweating
- Swimming
- Tight clothing or anything that rubs against the tattoo
- Scrubs or exfoliation
- Perfumed or irritating products
Most importantly
Do not pick, scratch, squeeze or pop anything that develops on the tattoo.
First 48 hours
The next day: gently wash it, let it breathe and keep it protected from the sun.
Day 3 to 7
By this stage, the tattoo may begin to look darker, drier or more crusted.
You may see individual areas of the tattoo changing at different rates. This is particularly common with multicoloured tattoos because different pigments respond differently to different wavelengths.
This is not the time to try to make the pigment come off faster.
Your routine
Gently clean the area with lukewarm water.
Apply a thin layer of the ointment in your kit as directed.
Continue to keep the tattoo protected from friction and unnecessary irritation.
Do not exfoliate, scrub, pick, scratch or peel the area.
Avoid swimming, saunas, hot baths and activities that create excessive heat or friction until the treated skin has healed.
What is happening underneath?
The laser has fragmented the tattoo pigment into much smaller particles. Your body's immune system then gradually removes these pigment particles over the weeks following treatment.
The laser treatment happens on the day you visit us. The clearing process continues long after you leave the clinic.
This is why we don't rush your treatments or expect the tattoo to disappear immediately.
Week 2 to 4
By weeks 2 to 4, the surface of the skin should be progressively healing, while the tattoo continues to fade.
Some tattoos will show obvious fading during this period, while others may change much more gradually.
Don't judge the final result too early.
Once the skin is completely healed, with no open areas, active blistering, significant crusting or tenderness, you can return to your normal skincare routine around the area.
If the skin is still healing, keep it simple and keep using the ointment in your kit until it has settled.
Sun protection
Protect the treated area from direct sun while it is healing.
Once healed, use broad-spectrum SPF 50+ and physical sun protection whenever the area is exposed.
This is particularly important because laser treatment can temporarily alter the way your skin responds to UV exposure, increasing the risk of unwanted pigmentation changes.
Long term
Laser tattoo removal is a process rather than a single treatment.
Your body needs time to clear the fragmented ink between sessions, which is why treatments are spaced apart rather than performed too close together. Depending on the tattoo and treatment plan, intervals of approximately 6 to 8 weeks or longer may be recommended.
During this time
Use SPF 50+ once the skin has healed and cover the area with clothing where practical.
Keep the surrounding skin healthy and moisturised.
Do not try to accelerate the tattoo-removal process with aggressive exfoliation, picking or home treatments.
Your tattoo may fade considerably between appointments, and different colours may clear at different rates.
Remember
Every tattoo is different.
The colour you see on the surface does not always tell us exactly what pigment is underneath. Some inks contain mixtures of colours, and previously treated tattoos can also behave differently from untreated tattoos.
Your treatment plan will be adjusted according to how your individual tattoo responds.
What is normal, and what is not?
Things you may panic about that can be normal
- Frosting or whitening immediately after treatment: This can be an expected immediate response to the laser.
- Redness and warmth: Mild to moderate redness, warmth and tenderness can occur after treatment.
- Swelling: Some swelling can occur, particularly during the first few days.
- The tattoo looking darker: Treated pigment can temporarily look darker before it begins to fade.
- Pinpoint bleeding: Small pinpoint areas of bleeding can occur with tattoo-removal treatment.
- Blistering or crusting: These can occur following laser tattoo removal, depending on the treatment and skin response. Do not pop, pick or remove them.
- The tattoo fading unevenly: Different colours and areas of ink can respond at different rates.
- Not seeing dramatic fading immediately: Your body needs time to clear the fragmented pigment.
Things that are not something to ignore
Severe or worsening pain, rapidly increasing swelling or redness, significant blistering, open or weeping skin, signs of infection, or unusual changes in skin colour should be brought to our attention.
What signs mean I should call you or see a doctor?
Please contact us immediately if you experience:
- Severe, worsening or persistent pain
- Rapidly increasing swelling
- Severe or rapidly worsening redness or heat
- Large or extensive blistering
- Open, broken or weeping skin
- Increasing pain accompanied by spreading redness, swelling, warmth or discharge
- Pus or other signs of infection
- Unusual white, grey or markedly changed areas of skin
- Any reaction that is significantly different from what we have explained to you
- Anything that makes you feel that something is not right
Do not pick, peel, scratch or attempt to treat a concerning reaction yourself. Contact us so we can assess the area and advise you appropriately.
If you cannot reach me and you are worried, see your GP or go to your nearest emergency department. In an emergency, call 000.