Permanent Makeup – Tattoo Removal

Tattoo Removal - eyebrows, eyeliner, lips, tattooed beauty marks and small body tattoos with saline.

It is important to understand that tattoo removal is a process not a procedure.

Patience is the word of the day with tattoo removal. Sometimes we can remove all the pigment; sometimes we can only lighten it. Microscopic particles of iron oxide/organic pigments have been tattooed into the skin because we want them to stay there. Carbon ink may be more difficult to remove.

Before I attempt tattoo removal I always try to find alternatives. For example, on the brows, I always ask people if their brows will grow and possibly cover all or part of the tattoo. In many cases (see When Not to Tattoo on my web page) people have been over tweezing, over waxing/threading, or shaving their brows. I encourage them to let their brows grow and I get them through the growing in stages so they can just color in the design I have created for them. This approach makes it much easier to get through the growing in period. This can take up to three months depending on how fast they grow. In many instances they have a full or almost full brow. If the unwanted tattoo still shows in certain areas, then we only go after those areas with removal. In the end what could be better than your own beautiful well shaped brow. If some areas don’t come in completely, you can fill them in or re tattoo but be careful. Many tell me that they are done tattooing and are going back to the old fashioned way of filling them in.

If hair won’t come back at all or only very little, or if the tattoo shape is ok and the color has changed, we can correct the color and we can also correct the shape with additional tattooing placed correctly to fool the eye. We can also lighten or remove eyeliner, lip liner and tattooed beauty marks. I still try to find an alternative for these procedures before we attempt removal. No, I do not use a camouflage color to cover up the unwanted tattoo.

There are a number of techniques to try to remove pigment: Saline, clay, laser, glycolic acid, lemon oil are among the most popular. There are others but we don’t know the exact ingredients because the manufacturer says the ingredients are proprietary.

Even though new lasers are supposed to recognize all colors, that isn't always the case.  Often laser can cause permanent makeup colors to turn gray or red or yellow.  Sometimes laser can get out the permanent makeup. I can also try to remove or lighten small tattoo's and colors on the body that laser does not recognize.

The product that I use for tattoo removal doesn’t care what color the pigment is, it is just trying to lift the pigment out of the dermis, up through the epidermis, then forming a scab which exfoliates with pigment in it.

How much comes out in any given appointment is unknown. It all depends on what the body gives up during that session. We wait a minimum of 35 days between treatments. Sometimes longer depending on how a person heals. Then we repeat the treatment until it fades or is gone.

Often we reach a certain point and the client says that is good enough and we stop.

I use topical anesthetic to keep you comfortable during the procedure. It is very important to keep the area we have worked on absolutely dry until the scab falls off. Don’t plan to do this work before a sun vacation or a special occasion for at least 10 days. You cannot be pregnant or nursing. If you have any medical issues that might preclude you from having tattoo removal it is important to get clearance from your doctor.

Don’t have tattoo removal before a cosmetic procedure such as laser or peels that might interfere with healing the removal area.

Contact me for a consultation. You are welcome to send me up close, clear pictures of the area to my cell phone or email (see below). You don’t have to make any decisions at that time, you are welcome to think about it. I want everyone to be comfortable with their decision.

If you have questions you can call me (818) 326-9982 or email: carol@carolpackman.com