During your consultation, Sharon will discuss that your tattoo removal is a process, it takes time to remove the tattoo. It will take typically more than 6 treatments for removal.

The laser technician (Sharon) will apply numbing cream if you like, however certain areas are comfortable with cooling air.

The tattoo removal itself is relatively fast, it can take up to 15 minutes depending on size and location.

The pain is tolerable with numbing cream; however, it is location and patient dependent. I found plucking my eyebrows to be more painful.

Yes, colours play a big factor in the removal of tattoos, the easiest tattoos to remove are the dark grey to black fades.

At Newcastle Cosmetic Doctor we have 4 different laser hand pieces for laser tattoo removal, that are specific to what colour you would like to remove. This is because the different tattoo colours sit in different depths of the skin.

Black is the deepest and yellow is the shallowest depth in the skin. Between this spectrum of dark and light colours, you have the other colours including reds, tans, blues, green, purple and so on.

The most difficult tattoo colours to remove are the sky blues and purples.

Some people can get complete removal, others might find it difficult. Patience is the key; it is going to take time.

Complete tattoo removal with laser is dependent on many factors:

The main factors include:

1. Colour of ink
2. Location of tattoo
3. Client health and skin type
4. Type of tattoo removal laser

The above factors are the most important. We have control over which laser is removing the tattoo. Not all lasers are not equal, some leave fibrotic scarring and hypo pigmentation more than other lasers.

At Newcastle Cosmetic Doctor, we only use the Fotona Starwalker QXMAX laser for tattoo removal. After researching tattoo removal this is the best laser, we could find for tattoo removal.

It would be described as an elastic band flicking your skin repeatedly, it is tolerable with the Fotona Starwalker laser.

Tattoo removal pain is dependent on the machine, the location of the tattoo (eg, neck is going to hurt more than a lower leg tattoo), patient's pain threshold and of course the most important would be, that we can apply prescription grade numbing cream as we are a doctor led clinic and not a tattoo parlour.

At Newcastle Cosmetic Doctor we can apply prescription grade numbing cream, specially formulated for tattoo removal and laser. This specific type of numbing cream reduces pain significantly. Most patients describe the laser tattoo removal in clinic as very tolerable.

The Fotona QXMAX has been the market leader in tattoo removal in clinics around the world for over 30 years.

The Fotona Starwalker is the next generation of tattoo removal for Fotona Lasers.

Many well-established clinics throughout the world, have had great results with using the Fotona Starwalker laser to safely remove tattoos, with a lower risk of having adverse effects such as fibrotic scarring and hypo pigmentation.

Factors that affect tattoo removal include:

1. Who did the tattoo? Amateur tattoos are easier to remove then professional tattoos. 
2. Type of ink and depth, colours of ink are a huge factor. shades of black are the fastest to remove. Colour tattoos are always more difficult. Certain colours are very hard. 
3. The type of machine and laser technician, a skilled technician and a good laser tattoo removal machine is very important. At Newcastle Cosmetic Doctor we have the Fotona Starwalker QXmax laser, which is world class for tattoo removal. But please do your research yourself. 
4. Location of tattoo, tattoo on places where there is good blood supply and lymphatic drainage will have quick and better results for tattoo removal 
5. Your general health and skin type also play a role in the removal of tattoos, the better your health, the better results.

This explains how many variables there are with tattoo removal. We see plenty of clients requesting tattoo removal after having 10 - 12 sessions of tattoo removal by another business. "The past 3 -5 treatments, I have not seen any improvement in removing the tattoo". This type of conversation happens regularly. We can typically continue the removal of the tattoo with the Fotona Starwalker QXMAX laser.

1. Never pick scabs or blisters, picking scabs may cause scarring. Let the skin heal, and the scabs fall off at their own time. 
2. Avoid excessive heat (baths, spas, saunas, heat yoga etc) for at least 48 hours, this includes heated environments such as workplaces e.g., industrial workshops and kitchens.
3. Avoid soaking the tattoo whilst your tattoo is scabbing, pat dry the tattoo with a towel when wet, do not rub.
4. You may shower on the day of your laser treatment, avoid wetting the tattoo, if possible, avoid high pressure and hot showers for a week after the tattoo removal. Ice your tattoo after your initial shower, to reduce swelling.
5. Avoid vigorous exercise during the first 48 hours, we recommend avoiding heavy exercise for one week.
6. Avoid sun exposure prolonged sun exposure to the tattoo removal area. Sun protection is important with skin repair. this takes up to 4 weeks for the healing process.
7. We recommend no smoking, as it inhibits the repair of the skin and uptake of the tattoo fragments from the lymphatic system.
8. We recommend no alcohol, for the first 48 hours.
9. No artificial spray tans, tanning beds and tanning before or after the tattoo removal.
10. Avoid injury or abrasion to the tattoo removal area, protect the area. The better you care for your skin the better the results. 

During the laser tattoo removal treatment, you will initially notice whitening (frosting) of the ink. The whining of the tattoo is indicative that the ink has been shattered by the laser beam, it is caused by the reals of energy (heat) from the ink particles being smashed (broken down).

The whitening (frosting) of the tattoo is temporary, typically it lasts no more than a few minutes. Once the whitening disappears, the skin will become red and swollen, it will also radiate heat and may even begin to throb. This sensation has been described like a feeling of severe sunburn, it can last from hours to a few a days.

Swelling of the immediate area is common after tattoo removal, larger tattoos usually experience more swelling than smaller tattoos. Areas of lower circulation like lower limbs and extremities are more likely to have more swelling than areas with good circulation. Swelling will slowly resolve by itself and is relatively common. If you are unsure, please contact the clinic for review.

Bruising and pinpoint bleeding can occur at the laser tattoo removal site. Different locations and skin types are more likely to bruise. Most common areas for bruising include the inner bicep and ribs. This is a normal occurrence. The bruises can last up to two weeks.

All laser tattoo removal appointments are made by phone 1300 282 410 or alternatively privately messaging our Facebook or Instagram account.

Unfortunately, we do not use online bookings link, as there are too many variables when it comes to laser treatments and time taken to complete the treatment.

We kindly ask if we do not answer the phone, to leave a short message with your name and request a laser treatment. We will get back you as soon as possible, this can take up to 3 days depending on our workload and work hours.

If you do not leave a message, we will not be able to call you back, as we have large volume of calls for a small business.

Alternatively, privately message our Facebook or Instagram messenger, and we will respond. If this is written on a post, we will likely miss it as we can be quite busy and have a large volume of notifications on social media.

Key points for aftercare include the following:

1. Ice the area with cool packs or ice in a plastic covering, do this as soon as possible after the laser tattoo removal and continue to repeat this as much as possible over the next 2 days. Taking heat out of the treated area, the better the recovery will be. Ice packs on the region are 15 mins on and off intermittently for the first 24 hours.
2. If a dressing has been applied remove after a few hours or before a shower or bed. The dressing is to keep the wound clean.
3. After the removal of the dressing, gently clean the area and pat the wound dry softly. Do not wipe the area.
4. Do not use soaps or body lotions on the tattoo whilst it is still healing.
5. Apply aloe vera gel 2 - 3 times per day for at least 3 days. Aloe Vera will soothe the area and will reduce the feeling of itchiness.
6. If your tattoo is in a location where it is rubbing another body part or clothing and is likely to become aggravated, you can apply another dressing with Aloe Vera under the dressing.
7. If it is painful and swollen, please contact the clinic for review, elevating the area and over the counter medication such as paracetamol 1g three times per day as required. Avoid ibuprofen or aspirin as it can increase the risk of bleeding or bruising.
8. On the days following your laser tattoo removal you will experience some light scabbing on your tattoo. Do not pick these scabs and allow them to fall off on their own. This can take up to two weeks.
9. Light oozing is common in the days after your tattoo removal treatment, especially in larger tattoos. Softly dab dry the oozing, keep the wound clean and cover it with a bandage if necessary.
10. Once your skin is fully healed after your laser tattoo removal treatment, moisturise regularly with vitamin E. This will keep the skin well hydrated, and ice with ongoing healing.
11. As part of the healing process you can have the sensation of itchiness. This is a normal part of the process of the skin healing.
12. Keep well hydrated as the tattoo removal process, requires fluids to eliminate the broken tattoo particles.
13. If you have any concerns, please contact the clinic and we are happy to review at no cost. We have a qualified doctor in clinic most days and is contactable.