Laser Fading / Removal of Three Tattoos

General tattoo discussion

Moderators: buttwheat, sidelvar, kohlhaas, EvilJay, Sphenoid, SharpTattoos

User avatar
Jayman1982
Hardcore
Posts: 120
Joined: Mon Sep 08, 2014 9:37 am

Mon Sep 15, 2014 10:28 am

Hey all,

I'm Jay, first time poster, long time browser.

It's been over ten years since my last tattoo, but I never lost the urge to get more, I just couldn't figure out what it was I wanted. I knew my next wouldn't be like my first three, impulse decisions by a stupid young kid. The next will be a truly unique piece of art by the best artist I feel can match my style and constant need for perfection.

I lost my Dad almost 3 years ago and not a day goes by that I don't reflect upon him and wish he was back in my life, if not for just a day. I want to do a full sleeve tribute to his life, his passions, things that will forever represent who he was and still is to me...but I'm leaning heavily away from having a portrait involved...It's going to be strictly a black and grey piece

To do this I need a somewhat blank slate so the artist can have full reign on the project, I don't want any POS tattoos getting in his way. Hence why I am undergoing laser treatments to hopefully fade out these two pieces that are in the way.

I trust this thread will serve as a reference to how effective laser treatments can be on my particular style of tattoo/skin tone. We'll see how fast these tattoos can get faded so as not to drastically restrict the artists' creativity.

Here are my tattoos on my right arm that I will be having treated:

right shoulder (about 6 inches x 4 inches)

Image[/img]

inside right bicep (about 3.5" x 3.5")

Image[/img]

I will try to post pics right before every treatment, which will hopefully be 6 weeks from now and then every 4 weeks after. The laser tech who I consulted with seemed absolutely sure that he can get rid comepletely of the shoulder one in 4-5 treatments and the bicep sufficiently faded/removed by next Spring. I'm not so sure as I've heard of these treatments going on for years, oh well, gotta try. I'm getting an amazing total price of $450 to treat both tattoos for 5 times each.

I have a consultation with the artist in December and we will at that point assess how the laser is working and when to schedule the work to be started (sometime in Spring 2015). Since I'm an out of town client it's going to require multiple sittings over a period of a year (50-60 hours).

Alright, wish me luck, appointment for pain at 3:30 this afternoon...
Last edited by Jayman1982 on Mon Dec 15, 2014 3:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
HighballSam
Hardcore
Posts: 521
Joined: Thu Oct 31, 2013 11:27 am

Mon Sep 15, 2014 11:03 am

I'm glad you're leaning away from a portrait piece.

Stick to things that were enjoyed by both of you.

And please, no text.

Keep us posted.
schloob
Hardcore
Posts: 141
Joined: Sun Sep 15, 2013 8:10 pm

Mon Sep 15, 2014 6:45 pm

HighballSam wrote:I'm glad you're leaning away from a portrait piece.
Why? Nothing wrong with a good portrait done by a great artist.
User avatar
HighballSam
Hardcore
Posts: 521
Joined: Thu Oct 31, 2013 11:27 am

Mon Sep 15, 2014 7:42 pm

schloob wrote:
HighballSam wrote:I'm glad you're leaning away from a portrait piece.
Why? Nothing wrong with a good portrait done by a great artist.
I have seen some very well done portraits but I think having my dad's face on me would be too weird.

If I were to dedicate a tattoo to my dad it would be a Christmas wreath, a cigar, and a bottle of vodka. He loved Christmas (he made hundreds of wreathes) he enjoyed cigars and vodka.
User avatar
Jayman1982
Hardcore
Posts: 120
Joined: Mon Sep 08, 2014 9:37 am

Tue Sep 16, 2014 7:37 am

HighballSam wrote:I'm glad you're leaning away from a portrait piece.

Stick to things that were enjoyed by both of you.

And please, no text.

Keep us posted.
Rest assured there is no text involved

I share your feelings on the portrait, looking at a photo now almost 3 years later evokes too many emotions/memories/images, some not very pleasant...

I'm looking forward to sitting down for that consult in December and seeing how my vision melds with that of the artist!

One concept for part of the sleeve:

My Dad lived in Manchester during the Blitz in WW2. His earleist known memory is that of being on his Dad's shoulders watching the fires burning across the city from the bombing. I'd like to have this Manchester cityscape, perhaps wrapped around the bottom wrist area (start of the sleeve):


Image[/img]
User avatar
HighballSam
Hardcore
Posts: 521
Joined: Thu Oct 31, 2013 11:27 am

Tue Sep 16, 2014 9:06 am

My dad was in Italy and Africa during WWII.

He had various stories to tell. Some would make interesting tattoos as well.

Manchester during the blitz? I could see the smoke climbing and wrapping around your arm with different images included.
User avatar
Jayman1982
Hardcore
Posts: 120
Joined: Mon Sep 08, 2014 9:37 am

Tue Sep 16, 2014 9:21 am

HighballSam wrote:My dad was in Italy and Africa during WWII.

He had various stories to tell. Some would make interesting tattoos as well.

Manchester during the blitz? I could see the smoke climbing and wrapping around your arm with different images included.
Ya you pretty much matched my thoughts exactly...

That pic is from the "Christmas Blitz", Dec 1940.

Manchester United's stadium was hit in 1941, rebuilt in 1949. Soccer was another passion in his life, an all encompassing passion actually, so I will try to incorporate that into the piece somehow...perhaps a historic player or two in amongst the rising smoke
User avatar
kalash
Hardcore
Posts: 1393
Joined: Thu Apr 30, 2009 3:11 am

Wed Sep 17, 2014 4:36 pm

Great Idea, I want a tattoo like that similar to the tree wrap concept only less trees and more bombed out city scape https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q ... 2463376482
falco4758
Hardcore
Posts: 244
Joined: Thu Aug 29, 2013 1:02 am

Wed Sep 17, 2014 6:03 pm

hey man, the black is pretty dense, depending if you want to cover it with bng or color you should need between 5-10 sessions to fade enough to cover properly, and red is harder to fade, i have no e xperence with color but i know they take longer if they even fade at all everyones body is different, good luck man ij ust finished session 7 on a full sleeve
User avatar
Jayman1982
Hardcore
Posts: 120
Joined: Mon Sep 08, 2014 9:37 am

Thu Sep 18, 2014 8:58 am

kalash wrote:Great Idea, I want a tattoo like that similar to the tree wrap concept only less trees and more bombed out city scape https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q ... 2463376482
I found this picture a while ago, it's Dresden, a German city that was completely bombebd out. The statue overlooking the city and total devastation is really moving. It would make a killer section for a sleeve!

Image[/img][/url]
User avatar
Jayman1982
Hardcore
Posts: 120
Joined: Mon Sep 08, 2014 9:37 am

Thu Sep 18, 2014 9:01 am

falco4758 wrote:hey man, the black is pretty dense, depending if you want to cover it with bng or color you should need between 5-10 sessions to fade enough to cover properly, and red is harder to fade, i have no e xperence with color but i know they take longer if they even fade at all everyones body is different, good luck man ij ust finished session 7 on a full sleeve
The shoulder lettering is looking a little broken up already, I think it should be good to go for coverup next Spring.

The red/black one is going to be an issue I think. Definitely like you said in the 5-10 treatment range. The black outline looks slightly broken up after the first treatment.

Will post pics in 5 weeks right before my second treatment!
User avatar
Jayman1982
Hardcore
Posts: 120
Joined: Mon Sep 08, 2014 9:37 am

Tue Oct 28, 2014 6:45 am

Here are the pics right before my second treatment:

Right Shoulder:

Image

Right Inside Bicep:

Image


Laser intensity was ramped up a bit this time, definitely smelled some skin being heated up :twisted:

No blistering, but there are burst capillaries wherever there is ink, so a lot of redness. Let's hope this translates to some serious fading. Pain during the lasering was the same as the first, however the torched areas are way more tender post treatment.

I will now be going every 4 weeks, I'll post pics of the tattoos right before the 3rd session.

Consultation is still booked for Dec with Caesar in NYC. Tentatively booked to start the sleeve late Feb., most likely we begin on the forearm and give the lasering more time. Ideally I'd like to have the second sitting around April/May, but realistically it's looking like late Summer/Fall to see progress on that pile o shit on my bicep.
User avatar
Animosity
Hardcore
Posts: 1033
Joined: Sat Sep 18, 2010 6:44 pm

Tue Oct 28, 2014 2:47 pm

Jayman1982 wrote:Laser intensity was ramped up a bit this time, definitely smelled some skin being heated up :twisted:

No blistering, but there are burst capillaries wherever there is ink, so a lot of redness. Let's hope this translates to some serious fading. Pain during the lasering was the same as the first, however the torched areas are way more tender post treatment.

I will now be going every 4 weeks, I'll post pics of the tattoos right before the 3rd session.

Consultation is still booked for Dec with Caesar in NYC. Tentatively booked to start the sleeve late Feb., most likely we begin on the forearm and give the lasering more time. Ideally I'd like to have the second sitting around April/May, but realistically it's looking like late Summer/Fall to see progress on that pile o shit on my bicep.
Atta boy! Caesar is top notch.
User avatar
reefdiver
Hardcore
Posts: 4124
Joined: Sat Feb 10, 2007 2:26 pm

Tue Oct 28, 2014 7:51 pm

just curious ..

is the first in Japanese? what does it say ? or mean?

was the red one supposed to be something ?
User avatar
Jayman1982
Hardcore
Posts: 120
Joined: Mon Sep 08, 2014 9:37 am

Wed Oct 29, 2014 7:03 am

reefdiver wrote:just curious ..

is the first in Japanese? what does it say ? or mean?

was the red one supposed to be something ?
It's probably meaningless jibberish for anyone that can read Japanese kanji, I found them online when I was 20 and drew them up in that shape, never actually having them properly translated.

But the big one in the middle "might" say Believe, the top one Myself, on the left is Horse, on the right is Strengths and the bottom two are Fate and Future...to me it meant believe in myself, in my strengths, in my horse, and that fate controls the future. But now if anyone asks it means "hit me with a big fucking laser"

The red thing on the bicep is another thing I drew around the same time, I guess I thought 'What's the harm in having something I drew on my arm?'...well I can see the harm now :)

It's my initials J and P together
Last edited by Jayman1982 on Wed Oct 29, 2014 7:17 am, edited 2 times in total.
Post Reply