10 Days Post-Op
Feeling SO much better. I can sleep on my back and even laid out at the pool over the long weekend. I kept it covered while outside and used SPF 50 on the area. With the incision and the glue, I can’t have the area soaking in any water. The glue is completely gone now and the swelling has gone down a lot. I forgot to mention in my previous post that the reason the scar isn’t a straight line is due to the fact that I didn’t have enough extra skin back there to pull the sides together. If they would have tried to make a straight line, it would have resulted in a stretched scar that wouldn’t have healed properly. This was the best way to go. I truly hope that this is helping some people with their decision on tattoo removal. The laser does not work for everyone. Upon inspection, the plastic surgeon said the ink was so deep in my skin that it never would have come out completely with a laser. Here’s an updated picture…
10 Days After Surgery
3 Days After Surgery
I am in some pain but the surgery went great. It went really well. I was really nervous so they gave me a Valium, and I could get used to that stuff. Then they applied numbing cream (which didn’t work) then used local anesthetic and put about 50 shots into my back. I was awake for the whole thing and was asking the plastic surgeon about liposuction and boob jobs. He was getting a kick out of the whole thing. I felt the scalpel twice and made sure to tell him about it. I have 50 internal stitches and 2 on the outside. The entire incision was covered in glue to keep it together without having the Frankenstein look after it heals. They hooked me up with some Lortab and I’ve been healing great. The glue is still there which makes it look scary. Here is a picture…
3 Days After Surgery
Excision Decision…
After meeting with 3 plastic surgeons I have decided to go forward with the surgery. It will cost me $1100 including pre and post operation costs. I will be awake for the surgey and it will occur on 8/22. I could have chosen to be put to sleep but after I could handle the pain of the laser I think I could handle anything. They’ll be applying local anesthetic to the area. I’ll be posting pictures of the scar.
Laser Treatment #7
Well, it’s been 7 laser treatments and I’m still not seeing the results I’m wanting. We maxed out the laser today. It hurt more than anyone could imagine. I talked with the dermatologist and he feels we should look at another option for removal. We discussed excision. This is a process where the skin around the tattoo is cut out and then skin is put back together. I’ll let you know as soon as I schedule the appointment with a plastic surgeon. Each treatment = $150. Total cost so far = $1050. Here is a picture of my tattoo after SEVEN treatments…
After 7 Treatments
