Our Spectra™ Laser directs short bursts of intense light at the unwanted tattoo pigment. The laser pulses shatter the ink particles into 1/10th to 1/100th of their original size. Over the course of a short series of sessions held over several weeks, your immune system will naturally flush the ink particles away from the treated area which will result in the gradual fade or disappearance of your tattoo.

The number of treatments and length of each treatment will vary depending on the size, age, colour, and density of ink of your tattoo and your overall health.

Single Pass Treatments

Tattoo fading takes an average of three to five single-pass treatments for a cover-up.

Tattoo removal takes an average of 10 to 12 single-pass treatments.

R20 Treatments

R20 treatments involve four treatment passes with an interval of 20 minutes between passes. Treatment with the R20 method is proven to be much more effective than conventional single-pass laser treatment, with some clients achieving 50-85% clearing in just one session. Individual results vary based on the size, age, colour, and density of ink of your tattoo and your overall health.

Immediately after the treatment, you may notice the treated area to be red and swollen. It will feel much like a sunburn. We treat this area with antibacterial ointment and dress it with a sterile bandage.

The morning after the treatment, gently wash the site with a mild soap taking care not to scrub the area. Thoroughly dry the area by patting dry, again, taking care not the scrub the area. Gently rub a fresh dose of antibiotic ointment over the treated area making sure the area is well covered, then rebandaged. Clean your hands well after applying the ointment (unless hands are part of the treated area).

Cleaning and applying fresh ointment should be continued twice a day for seven days. We suggest applying a sterile dressing for at least the first 48 hours after treatment. A dressing may be used for the duration of the healing process if desired. If there is a risk of damage to the area, protect it with a dressing for seven to 10 days.

After seven days, you may switch to Vitamin E or hydrocortisone cream to promote healing.

During the healing process, you may experience pinpoint bleeding, scabs or blisters. This is all part of the healing process. Do not remove scabs and let blisters clear on their own.

Failing to allow normal healing of the treated site will increase the possibility of scar formation and can lead to infection. It is important to keep the treated area clean to reduce the risk of infection.

You may resume most activities immediately after treatment. However, we highly recommend that you avoid soaking (i.e., baths and swimming) the treated area until healing is complete.

It is very important that you protect the area from sun damage. The treated area will form new skin as it heals and in turn will be more susceptible to the sun's rays. Do not expose the treated area to the sun for 14 days after treatment.

The body's natural process will need six to eight weeks to break down the ink from a treatment. Therefore, if you require additional treatments, please contact us to schedule a follow up appointment six to eight weeks after your previous treatment date.

We use a Spectra™ VRMIII Laser by Lutronic. The Spectra™ Laser is an advanced medical laser system that is highly effective at removing a wide range of dermal pigmentations including tattoo ink, dermal and epidermal lesions, melasma and vascular lesions.

The laser targets the unwanted tattoo by emitting a pulsating beam (six billionths of a second) of intense light at specific wavelengths (532nm, 585nm, 650nm and 1064nm).

The pigment in your tattoo will absorb the energy from the laser. This energy will cause the ink to shatter (much like a sugar cube breaking apart) into manageable particles that your body then eliminats naturally through its filtration system.

The American Academy of Dermatology study: Optimal tattoo removal in a single laser session based on the method of repeated exposures concluded: "the R20 method is much more effective than conventional laser tattoo treatment, removing most tattoos in a single treatment session."

Once the laser breaks down the ink, your body will respond by moving fluid to the area. This immune-response will be obvious by displaying signs of swelling and redness. Over the next few weeks your body will flush the ink away.

The Spectra™ Laser is effective on a full spectrum of colours. Black and red inks generally are the easiest to remove.

Yellow, green and blue inks are difficult to remove completely and take a few more sessions to achieve the desired fading. Unless a tattoo is very old (20 years or more), tattoos with these colours will not fade more than 70% to 80%.

White ink (which can be found in bright blue and pink tattoos) cannot be treated by a laser as it results in a permanent darkening of the treated ink.

There are over 100 compounds that may exist in tattoo ink. In our experience, less than 1% of tattoos currently contain ink that is not treatable by laser.

While it is a small percentage, clients need to be aware that some tattoos will not respond to laser treatment and this is not something that can be determined before treatment begins.

Most patients compare the pain of the procedure with that of getting a tattoo applied. The laser pulse creates a sensation that is similar to a quick hot snap from a rubber band. The key difference is that laser tattoo removal is much faster.

Most treatments take between five and 30 minutes, with the average treatment lasting approximately 10 to 15 minutes.

No. The pulse from the laser is so fast that only the tattoo pigmentation is affected and the surrounding cells and tissue are left undamaged. And despite greater epidermal injury with the R20 method, neither the single nor the R20 method cause adverse events or scarring.

Unless you have a history of keloid scarring, or have exposed the treated tattoo to UV light or have a UV allergy/sensitivity, there is very little risk of scarring or skin damage. Our technicians will discuss this with you.

Most patients experience minimal side effects including redness, swelling, and minor blistering of the skin after a laser treatment. These side effects are temporary and by following our detailed aftercare instructions your skin will heal completely and fairly quickly.

The cost of each session depends upon the size of the tattoo and number of tattoos you are removing.

Although consultations are not necessary for tattoo removal, they are beneficial for price estimation. We are able to price the cost of your session during an in-person, phone, or email consultation.

We price your tattoo by the square inch. For an accurate cost estimate, please email a picture of your tattoo with its dimensions by holding a ruler against the tattoo. Please include the details of the age and location. Please note that we typically give large tattoos a custom price per session.

The number of sessions needed to remove a tattoo depends on three factors:

• Age: Older tattoos can be removed with fewer treatments than newer tattoos. A 10-year old black ink tattoo may take one or two fewer treatments than a one-year old black tattoo. A 20-year old tattoo may take two to three fewer treatments than a one-year old tattoo. A one-year old name tattoo written in black (also called "dark green") may take 10 to 12 sessions to be removed completely.
• Colour: Certain colours are more easily removed than others. Black and red tattoos are the easiest to remove. Orange, yellow, pink, purple, brown, and other shades are slightly more difficult. The most difficult colours to remove are light green, light blue, and teal/turquoise. During the free consultation we'll discuss the number of treatments you'll need to remove certain colours, but expect that you'll need a few more treatments if you have a difficult colour and that the most difficult colours may not be able to be faded down completely.
• Density of the ink: All tattoos are layers of ink, stacked on top of each other comprising a thick concentration of pigment particles that cannot be completely broken down in one session. We will go over your entire tattoo with the laser, breaking up as much ink as possible in every session. Each session will produce some level of fading, although for very new tattoos the fading may not be as visible because the ink is still so thick and dense. Shaded areas in a tattoo will be easily removed in a few sessions because there is less density of ink.

The tattoo treatment area should not be exposed to the sun for seven days prior to treatment.

We recommend that you apply a topical anesthetic, such as EMLA cream, one hour prior to the session to reduce possible discomfort.

Under normal conditions, the process that breaks down the tattoo ink begins two weeks after the laser treatment. The ink will continue to evacuate from the body until the six to eight week post-treatment mark. For this reason, treatments should not be scheduled closer than six to eight weeks from the previous treatment date.

We've seen little to no evidence that magic creams help to fade tattoos. At best, they fade the skin on and around the tattoo, which makes the tattoo look a bit lighter. Looking at the ingredients and components of such products makes one wonder how they can legally claim to remove tattoo ink. No medical professionals that we've ever spoken with have expressed anything different from our view - these creams are a gimmick, and a waste of time and money.