LASER TATTOO REMOVAL

A BRIEF HISTORY OF TATTOOS 

Tattoos have been around for thou  sands of years, across time and cultures, tattoos have had many different meanings. Tales suggest that tattooing probably arose from bloodletting practices, scarification rituals, and medical treatment. In indigenous worlds, tattooing was often reserved for only the most skilled practitioners. It was ritualized to confirm tribe status. Tattooing is traditionally about all about the spiritual,  it was not viewed as artistic, it was more of a performance of self expression.

In more recent years tattoos were originally associated with sailors, the military, criminals, prostitutes and other marginalized groups. Recent studies show that the most tattooed generation were born between 1978 -1980 and that in 2012 people between the ages of 30-39 had the highest percent of tattoos.

Tattooing nowadays is a trademark amongst the X and millennial generations. Nearly 20% of the population has a tattoo and research has shown that people of a certain age are less likely to have tattoos than others. Younger generations are much more likely to have tattoos. This may be because getting a tattoo in the 1950s-1960s was not yet mainstream and was often considered out of reach for middle class non urban youth. Data shows that people with the highest level of education are the least likely to have tattoos, for example, only 7% of executives have tattoos. 

REASONS FOR GETTING A TATTOO

Tattooing is a deeply personal process and the motivations are complex and combine many things such as the desire to make one's body more interesting or the desire to seek individuality. People have many motivations and they change over time as their environment evolves.

Tattooing is largely a fashion accessory but it should just be treated as that because of its permanency and painful process. 

Tattoos are also a symbol of rebellion .

The popularity of tattoos is increasing. Tattooing amongst women has become increasingly popular over the past 2 decades, specifically for beautifying the face, around the eyes, filling in the brows, lining the eyelids or around the lips.

According to a recent poll

• 30% of people with tattoos felt sexier
• 25% find that tattoos make them feel more rebellious
• 21% agree that they are more attractive with a tattoo
• 9% think they're healthier since having tattoos
• 3% of people with tattoos reported feeling less sexy because they had one

TATTOO REGRETS AND REASONS FOR TATTOO REMOVAL

Millions of people have tattoos that they regret and want to have removed but doubt it will be successful or think it will be painful.  In a study 13% of people with tattoos were unhappy with their first choice of tattoo and some were unhappy with their choice of artist. Other reasons for regretting tattoos are because of poor tattoo choice, shame, embarrassment, lifestyle changes and professional reasons.

Tattoo technology has advanced a lot over the years, more finely crafted needles, better machines and specialized ink means that tattoos are more professional with finer detail, the ink does not fade as quickly as they no longer contain soot and other substances. Some people opt for laser tattoo removal to remove an old faded tattoo to have it more modernized and others want full removal & clean skin.

LASER TATTOO REMOVAL

Luckily, advanced laser tattoo removal technology means that tattoos can effectively be fully removed without damaging the skin, however, it's not a quick and easy process, it takes time and patience for the pigment to break down and leave the body and for the skin to heal efficiently before having further laser tattoo removal treatments. Usually sessions are scheduled every 6-8 weeks.

The laser of choice at Pro Skin & Beauty, Manchester is the Q Switch ND Yag Laser which provides 3 different wavelengths and has the ability to target all colours.

Black tattoo pigment is the easiest to remove as it absorbs all of the laser wavelengths, however, a tattoo that is not black and has multiple colours will take longer to remove as it will need more treatments.

The treated skin should be cared for following treatment with the use of antibacterial cream to avoid infection and Aloe Vera to hydrate, soothe and assist in healing after the first week. The healing skin should be protected from the sun when outside.

Tattoo removal costs vary from person to person but as a rough guide, a black tattoo with fine line work may take 2-3 sessions where as a tattoo with dense colour may take up to 10 or more 

Book a free consultation and patch test today!