Knowledge & aftercare

Everything we get asked, answered properly.

How removal actually works in the skin, what to do for the fortnight after each session, and every question we get asked. No sales copy — if the honest answer is "it depends on seeing it", that is what it says.

How it works Aftercare Basics Colour & skin Safety Money & time Other services

How it works

Four stages, in the skin.

Tattoo ink sits in the dermis, below the layer your body sheds. That is why it is permanent — and why removing it is a clearance problem, not a bleaching problem.

Stage 01

Where the ink sits

Ink particles are too large for your immune cells to carry away, so they stay trapped in the dermis for life.

Stage 02

The pulse

A 500-picosecond pulse is absorbed faster than heat can spread. The particle shatters mechanically — a pressure wave, not a burn.

Stage 03

Clearance

Over the following six to eight weeks your lymphatic system carries the fragments out. This is the part that takes time, and it happens between appointments.

Stage 04

Repeat

Each session removes another layer of what is left. Six to twelve passes for most tattoos, and the last few are always the slowest.

Diagram is schematic, not to scale. Ink depth varies with the original artist's technique, which is one reason session counts differ between two tattoos that look alike.

Basics

How does laser tattoo removal actually work?

The laser fires pulses measured in picoseconds — trillionths of a second. Ink absorbs the energy faster than it can spread as heat, so it shatters mechanically rather than burning. Your immune system then carries the fragments away over the following weeks. That clearing is why the gap between sessions matters more than the laser settings.

How many sessions will I need?

Most tattoos need between 6 and 12 sessions, spaced 6 to 8 weeks apart. Size, age, colours, ink density, placement and your skin type all change it. We can only give you a real number after seeing the tattoo — that is what the free consultation is for.

Why six to eight weeks between sessions?

Because the work happens between appointments, not during them. Treating again before your body has cleared the last round wastes a session and raises the scarring risk.

What does it feel like?

An elastic band snapping against the skin, repeatedly, for ten to twenty minutes. Cooling runs throughout and numbing cream is available. Most people find it easier than getting the tattoo was.

Colour & skin

Can green and blue ink be removed?

Yes, with the right wavelength. Green is the hardest colour in tattoo removal and needs 660 nm; blue needs 595 nm. Clinics running one or two wavelengths cannot shift either, which is why they turn those tattoos away.

Is laser removal safe on Asian and deeper skin tones?

Yes, at the right wavelength and settings. We use 1064 nm because melanin absorbs very little of it, which lowers the risk of hypo- and hyperpigmentation. We assess your Fitzpatrick type and patch test before the first full session.

Why did my tattoo go grey instead of fading?

Some inks — particularly whites and flesh tones used in cosmetic work — oxidise on the first pass and darken. It is usually reversible with the right wavelength, and it is one of the reasons we patch test.

Will the skin underneath look normal?

In most cases, close to it. Long-standing tattoos can leave faint textural ghosting visible in raking light. We will tell you at consultation if we expect that.

Safety & aftercare

Will it scar?

Properly performed removal does not scar in the great majority of cases. Risk rises with over-aggressive settings, sessions spaced too closely, and picking at scabs. Existing scarring from the original tattoo does not disappear — the ink goes, the texture stays.

What do I do for the two weeks after?

Keep it clean, covered and dry for the first few days. No sun, no pools, no hot yoga, no picking. Written aftercare goes home with you and we are reachable if anything looks wrong.

Who should not be treated?

Pregnancy, active infection in the area, recent isotretinoin use, photosensitising medication, and some autoimmune conditions. We ask at consultation and we will say no when no is the right answer.

Is BC regulated for this?

British Columbia does not licence laser operators, which means anyone can buy a device. Ask any clinic what they trained on, on what machine, and how many sessions they have run. Ask us the same.

Money & time

Why is it priced per session and not per tattoo?

Because nobody can honestly promise a total. Per-session pricing means you are never paying up front for sessions you may not need, and you can stop when you are happy.

Is a package worth it?

If you have already had one session and know you are committed, yes — packages of 3 and 6 reduce the per-session rate. We do not sell packages at the consultation.

What is the cheapest way to do this?

Fewer, correctly spaced sessions on the right wavelength. Bargain sessions on a single-wavelength machine usually cost more in total because they do not shift the hard colours.

Hair removal, carbon peel, brows

Fading for a cover-up versus full removal?

Fading is two to four sessions to lighten the piece enough that your artist has room to work. Full removal is 6 to 12. If you already know you want a new tattoo there, fading is cheaper and faster.

How many hair removal sessions?

Six to eight, four to six weeks apart, because only hair in its active growth phase responds. Expect maintenance once or twice a year after that.

Does carbon peel shrink pores?

It empties them, which makes them look smaller. Pore size itself is structural. A course of four gives the clearest difference, and oiliness settles with it.

Can I have hair removal and a carbon peel the same day?

Yes, on different areas. We would not laser the same patch of skin twice in one appointment.

Twelve longer articles are being written one a month. Until each is finished it stays off the sitemap rather than going up half-done.

Aftercare

The fortnight after.

How well you look after the area between sessions changes your result more than any setting on the machine. Written aftercare goes home with you; this is the same thing.

Hour 0–1

Frosting

The area goes white immediately and settles within the hour. Expected, not a burn. A dressing goes on before you leave.

Day 1–3

Swelling

Redness, warmth and some swelling. Cool compress, no ice directly on the skin. Keep the dressing dry.

Day 3–14

Healing

Scabs or blisters may form. Leave them alone — picking is the single most common cause of scarring.

Week 2–8

Clearing

The visible fading happens now, quietly. SPF 50 on the area every day it sees daylight.

Keep it clean, dry and covered for three days

Gentle unscented cleanser, pat dry, fresh dressing. A thin layer of plain ointment if the skin feels tight.

SPF 50 on the area, every day, for the whole course

Sun on a healing laser site is the main cause of pigment change. This matters more than anything else on this page.

Message us a photo if anything looks wrong

Spreading redness, heat, pus or pain that increases after day three all warrant a message. Sooner is better than braver.

Don't

Don't pick, scratch or peel a scab

A scab is the dressing your body made. Removing it early is how a clean session turns into a textural scar.

No pools, hot tubs, sauna or hot yoga for two weeks

Submersion and heavy sweating on an open site are an infection risk. Showers are fine from day one.

Don't book the next session early

Closing the gap does not speed anything up. It wastes a session and raises the scarring risk, so we will decline it.

Aftercare for hair removal and carbon peel is lighter — no dressing, SPF and no heat for 24 hours. We go through it in the room.

Still not answered?

Ask directly on WhatsApp. Questions get an honest answer whether or not you book.

Ask a question