17 Post-Op
Everything is healing great. I ran this weekend without having any problems. I’ve been putting Neosporin on the incision twice a day. Starting next week I’ll be putting Vitamin E oil on it twice daily. If I wear high waisted pants they still rub a little bit on the incision. I went out and laid by the pool this weekend and just made sure to keep the entire thing covered so that the scar won’t get dark and even more visible than it already is. If it starts itching that means it’s dry and needs more oil on it. In my opinion this keeps is from trying to stretch. Having the excision was a great decision for me. It may not be for everyone, but if the lasers aren’t working and you really want it off of your body it may be the way to go. It’s healing quite nicely and I will continue to upload weekly pictures.
17 Days After Surgery
17 Days After Surgery
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
Laser Treatment #2
Oct. 07
The doctor and I have decided to wait 6 weeks between each session. I cannot tell any difference than before I had the 1st treatment. I found out we’re using a Q-Switch laser which is to be the best for tattoo removal. This session hurt more than the first time, but that’s because we’re going to increase the laser strength each time so we go deeper into the skin to break up the ink. Still not using any numbing cream. Doctor says I had great uptake again this session. I’m in and out within 15 minutes. Another $150 handed over. No blistering this time and I’m making sure to keep it out of the sun completely. No pictures, sorry.
Laser Treatment #1
Aug. 07
My doctor is amazing. He’s expecting me to have about 4-5 sessions at $150 each and then I should be finished. My tattoo is completely black ink so it should fade quite quickly. I didn’t use any numbing cream, and while it did hurt, I handled it very well. They covered it with ointment and bandages and I headed back to work. I had a little bit of blistering and scabbing but nothing too bad. It was REALLY swollen but I was told that’s normal. No pictures yet.
How it all started…
In Spring of 2003, I decided to get a tattoo. I was 18 at the time and thought it was such a great idea. I got a cat that I thought was an awesome design on my lower back. I later found out that it was actually a brand, and a brand that I didn’t fit. To me it felt like having a Nike sign across my back. In the Fall of 2006 I decided to have the tattoo removed with a laser. At the time, they were asking $150 per laser treatment and being a college student, that was a lot to ask of me. After graduation I went back to start the laser process. I wrote my experience in a journal but have decided to turn it into a blog so others could get some advice through my experience. So…welcome to my blog.
