It is impossible to predict how many treatments it will take to remove your tattoo.

No tattoo removal specialist can 100% guarantee the complete (or even partial) removal of any tattoo in any given or suggested timeframe. This is regardless of which type, brand or model of laser they are using. The technology to back up such claims just doesn't exist yet, regardless of what some companies may be suggesting.

The light from a tattoo removal laser can only shatter a certain amount ink in one treatment, so several (and sometimes many more) treatments are needed at (a minimum of) 6 weekly intervals. You may notice the tattoo fades more and more with every treatment you have, but this isn't always the case because some tattoos can be very stubborn to remove.

A professional tattoo can take an average of 10 treatments (or more) to remove although some Indian ink and amateur tattoos can be removed within 6 treatments and sometimes it can take only take 1 or 2 (but this is very rare).

There are several factors that influence the number of treatments required, these can be down to how easily you heal, how deep the ink is in the skin, and the types of ink that were used.

Because every client is different, every client can expect different results.

You need to wait at least six weeks between each treatment, but it is fine if you're planning on going away and it means you may need leave it a few more weeks. This won't make any difference to the effectiveness of your treatments.

Leaving many months between treatments can be counterproductive.

Treatments can take between 10 seconds to 30 minutes depending on the size of the tattoo.

The treatment feels similar to a small elastic band being snapped at the skin and is easily tolerated by most people without any need for anaesthetic.

It is not uncommon for bleeding and/or blistering to occur, there are varying reasons why this happens but it is very short lived and in our experiece, is never cause for concern.

An instant whitening of the skin is usually seen after treatment, but this generally fades quickly. The area is likely to feel tender for a few hours and can be red and/or swollen for up to 48 hours.

No. If bleeding or blistering does occur it is very important not to pick any scabs that may result when the skin is healing – this could cause scarring, and should be avoided as scar tissue can make further treatments more difficult.

When you have a tattoo the particles of ink are too large for the body to destroy, so instead, it encapsulates the particles of ink with a network of collagen fibres as the skin heals, and there the tattoo remains.

Lasers generate a high-powered beam of laser light in an extremely short pulse and are the most suitable lasers for tattoo removal treatment. The very short pulse of high powered laser light is absorbed by the tattoo ink particles, breaking them down into smaller pieces, enabling your natural immune defences to absorb and disperse the ink. A gradual fading of the tattoo occurs over a series of treatments. here

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Light is measured in nanometres and there are two wavelengths of light that are emitted from this laser – one is invisible infrared light (1064nm) and the other is visible green light (532nm). The infrared wavelength is preferably absorbed into black and dark blue inks, whereas the green light is absorbed by red ink. It is possible to treat some other colours although white, yellow and bright colours are difficult. This is not usually a problem however, as lighter colours cover very easily. If you wish to cover-up an existing tattoo then the darker colours will be faded or removed, allowing you greater choice of size and colour of the cover- up design you choose.

It is not possible to produce a laser that can treat all colours equally well as some wavelengths are too shallow when absorbed to affect the ink.