Q. Now that I’m in the workforce, my tattoos are a problem. It was one thing to have a tattoo while in college—so many of my friends did. But when I look around my office, none of the department heads have tattoos. Sometimes I think that no matter if my work performance is exceptional that I will end up being the exception: the one single person who doesn’t get promoted. How many visits and how long will it take to get my tattoo removed?

A.  Interestingly, most of the patients seeking tattoo removal at the Rocky Mountain Laser Clinic are younger vs. older, says Jessica Santi, CNS, CLS and Rocky Mountain Clinical Coordinator. “We rarely see an older woman getting her Betty Boop tattoo removed!”

“Patients tell us that they thought getting a tattoo was a good idea at the time. Now that they’re older, the tattoo doesn’t fit their lifestyle or career plans,” Santi says. The good thing is that the younger the person, the more likely their skin is to heel better during the tattoo removal process.

The length of time it takes to remove a tattoo is entirely dependant upon the size of the tattoo, the color inks, and if it was professionally done. “A professionally done tattoo is far more difficult to remove than a tattoo that’s homemade,” she continues. Black is one of the easiest tattoo colors to remove while blues greens and purples are not. Also, newer tattoos are more difficult than older because the older ones are usually already in the process of being broken down, being attacked by the body’s own forces and as well being impacted by sun. “We’ve all seen tattoos that are blurred and soft-edged,” Santi says.

The Rocky Mountain Laser Clinic has invested in the MedLite® C Series laser, a Q-Switched Nd:YAG Laser series from HOYA ConBio, this laser is considered the safest, fastest and easiest-to-use aesthetic laser currently on the market for tattoo removal.

Tattoo removal became an option with laser technology. Prior to the introduction of the laser to erase tattoos, many people chose to overwrite their existing tattoo with another larger and darker tattoo, oftentimes regretting that even more than the original.