Laser tattoo removal is a process and should be approached as such, however, progress should be noticeable (at least to an extent) after each treatment. When a tattoo is in a very visible place where you see it daily, it can be hard to see the progress from one treatment to the next as the fading takes place gradually throughout the course of the healing process and beyond. Very dense line work is also hard to notice progress from one treatment to the next. That being said, at Vanish, we try to take a photo before each treatment and will be happy to put the photos side-by-side for you to see just how much progress has been made from your first treatment to your second and beyond.
With colors that fade out evenly, we often forget over the course of time just how bold the colors were when we started. Seeing progression pictures can be an encouragement that treatment is progressing nicely.
More dense colors or line work tend to progress more subtly at first. Solid black lines tend to thin out or spread out depending on how deep the ink is in the skin and how your immune system is most easily able to process the shattered ink.
Be mindful that the closer together your treatments are scheduled; the less fading you may see from one treatment to the next. When the ink is broken up by the laser, it takes time for your immune system to process it out. Often times the bulk of that reaction occurs in the first 4 weeks while the skin is also healing, but allowing a few more weeks before a subsequent treatment will allow more time for your immune system to work on the shattered ink and therefore you are more likely to see additional fading in that time however gradual it may be.
Linework tattoo before and 4 weeks after 1 treatment
Solid colorful tattoo before and 4 weeks after 1 treatment