.................................................................................. I arrived at the hospital at 9am and nervously awaited my treatment. I was advised not to use the cream to numb the skin because we weren’t sure how much pain I’d actually be in and the cream slows the laser process, as it has to be cleaned off before treatment.
I was called into the day surgery room and was met by my doctor and a nurse. There was a technician for the laser also, who didn’t actually run the laser but kept it calibrated and aligned (I guess for insurance purposes he has to stay w/the machine).
I signed the papers saying I could come away with permanent scarring, burn marks, discoloration, etc. I rolled up my pants and laid back.
Let me also explain, my heart at this time was beating out of my chest! I was freaking out because the laser looked so SCARY and everyone was so serious… I was freaked. So I laid back and …are you ready for this…they taped my eyes shut with gauze and tape! That only added to my nervousness and they said it was to protect my eyes but really, it was FREAKY!
I have been doing some reading on the Internet and people have described laser treatment as popping or hot bacon grease on the skin. This is true DEPENDING ON THE DEPTH of the tattoo! If it’s a light, surface tattoo, it won’t hurt as much because the laser isn’t going as deep to break up the ink! Makes sense, right? MY tattoo on the other hand, is DEEP. You can see the outline was done with a different set of needles that penetrated much deeper than the shading needles. Most tattoos are done deep so they don’t have to be redone or touched up.
That being said, the first ‘pop’ of the laser nearly sent me flying off the chair and it all went down hill from there. We had originally thought the treatment would take 15 min but it turned out to be more like ½ hr. I was clenched and squeezing the nurse’s hand so hard she had to replace her hand with a silicone breast implant, so I would stop hurting her. (I have no idea where the implant came from either…)
The pain was more like hot bacon grease mixed with HOT pokers. I can easily say it is the most painful experience of my life. I just had Lasik a year ago, I bit my tongue in two as a kid, I’ve broken my shoulder, and also have congenital scoliosis, and numerous other unpleasant physical issues. This by far is the most painful and horrible. The pop is like an explosion on the skin, over and over and over. It’s like an endurance test where you can’t stop because of the situation. Must...keep...going…
After the treatment was done I was crying uncontrollably and they gave me some water and cold compresses. The skin was bright red and it was burning a really intense burn. They put some cream on it and wrapped it up with pads and gauze, and sent me home.
I was told I could go to work later that day but the PAIN from the laser was intense. My leg throbbed and got really swollen, and as a result I had to lie down and keep my leg up. Not only that, but I was exhausted from the whole process! It was painful!
I couldn’t bear to touch it that night so I left the wrap on it until the next day. These pictures are from the next day. The blistering started and the entire tattoo was raised bumpy skin. It was still extremely sore and painful to touch but somehow I managed to wash it with soap and rebandage it for the next 2 weeks.
The blisters got worse and I had quite a few that were filled with liquid. This was horrible because they would burst and wet the bandages…then I’d have to re pack it and on and on. So about 4 weeks later I felt good enough to keep the bandages off and discontinue with the creams. About 5 days after I stopped pampering it, my leg molted! Like a snake! The skin began to blister again and it started to peel and off with the layers came ink. It was incredibly uncomfortable and I was forced to start using the bandages again because the blisters had appeared again. I didn’t get any photos of this stage, sorry but take my word for it; it was gross.
I wasn’t sure at this time that I had enough strength to do it all over again but everyone said it gets better with time and now I know what to expect so it shouldn’t be so bad. Not true.
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4 comments:
This is a great blog. Thank you for putting this forum together. I have been reading blogs like this for awhile and for the most part people have had positive experiences with their elective procedures. That is great to see. I would be interested to know what your cirteris would be - or has been - in a search for a cosmetic surgeon. That is undoubtedly the most difficult part of the process - finding a good surgeon for your specific situation. My name is Mia I am the VP of Operations at The Patients Advantage. I am not interested in selling what we do on these blogs. What we do is at no cost to patients. I am interested in feedback from people who have already gone through the search process and or have taken the process all the way and had an elective procedure done. We have been in business since 2004 and the feedback we have received has always kept us in the forefront of technology and develop the tools that keep patients better informed on who the best surgeons are and the research tools about the procedures of interest. Please reply to this post on what is important to you…or email me directly from here or through our site; www.thepatientsadvantage.com. Thank you and best wishes.
I went for my first laser treatment about 4 days ago. I have a lady bug on the knuckle of my right big toe. It's still this huge blister, which makes my lady bug 3D looking because you can still see the red underneath the blister. I can't even begin to imagine the pain you were in. Laser doesn't feel like popping bacon grease. It feels more like someone taking a sewing needle and poking you really fast. Knowing what it feels like makes it harder to go back... I hope I can get rid of my tattoo in 3 sessions. I paid $20 to get my tattoo and now almost $500 to get it removed. Let us all know how it goes...good luck.
wow thats strange they tapped your ees shut... they have special glasses to protect your eyes from the laser.. my docter also told me there wouldnt be any scaring blistering.. i hope hes not full of crap
An idea along with bright pigments, anticipation, and discomfort contribute to the tattoo process. Tattoos are permanent, visible statements that can be considered art. However, a poorly executed or no longer meaningful tattoo can make one regret the decision and wonder why he/she got it in the first place. Living in a world where image is everything, laser tattoo removal is the most modern, effective tattoo removal out there that creates an impact. One source of great information about laser tattoo removal is http://www.newlookhouston.com/TattooRemoval.html. Because of this process, people are able to find more job opportunities, which improves their standard of living and provides them benefits. Increased self-image and self-confidence occurs after the process is over and the visual representation of self is greatly reduced or completely gone. No more trying to hide or avoid the sight of that constant visual regret! While this process is meant to minimize damage to the skin and be as painless a possible, it also encourages overall wiser tattoo decision-making. While laser tattoo removal is a wonderful option, its existence has brightened people’s hopes of escaping a lifelong sentence of remorse; it is more costly and time consuming than getting the right tattoo at the beginning. Continuing to shape society with its science, potential, and effects, laser tattoo removal will continue its legacy of developing the least painful, least damaging, and most effective tattoo removal possible
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