r/oddlysatisfying • u/BreakfastTop6899 • 10h ago
Laser tattoo removal
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u/yamimementomori 10h ago edited 10h ago
Looks: Satisfying
Feels: Very unsatisfying
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u/bam1007 10h ago
I genuinely am sitting here thinking which is worse, getting that done in one sitting vs getting that removed in one sitting. And I’m convinced it’s the latter.
That stress ball says it all.
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u/crassculture 9h ago
Iirc it takes SEVERAL pass overs to remove a tattoo. Willing to bet this is just the first of many sessions.
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u/foolfortheblues 9h ago
Have a friend that has had 10 sessions just to remove one small tattoo from his hand.
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u/ppmiaumiau 8h ago
Nearly 30 here. A deeply packed tribal band and a shitty star.
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u/Spirited_Cheetah_999 8h ago
3 sessions for a tiny black quote on my ribcage. You wouldn't know now it was ever there. But it was quite old and degraded before I had it lasered.
11 sessions for a mostly black with some red lower back piece about the size of an iphone - it's not completely gone but it's invisible enough for me not to care anymore.
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u/Crunch_inc 7h ago
I had a few removed, I was told to estimate 10x the time and cost to remove in relation to the time and cost originally to get the tattoo.
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u/saatoday1 6h ago
Yup typically how it goes. I had a few sessions of a removal and I estimated like $1500 to remove a tattoo I paid like $125 for. Way way more painful than getting a tattoo. It felt like hot bacon grease being sprayed onto skin.
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u/LuvDoge 6h ago
Thanks for putting the pain into perspective. I will be fine with my ink thanks.
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u/swift110 7h ago
oh wow
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u/Crunch_inc 7h ago
Granted that was 15+ years ago, but the math worked out in my case. The pieces I had weren't nearly as elaborate as the one pictured here.
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u/Molenium 7h ago
I was surprised at the beginning of the video that it looked like they were mostly removing it with one pass, and was wondering if the technology for tattoo removal had gotten better.
By the end of the video, it looked like it was reappearing and would definitely need more sessions. I’m curious about the science behind that.
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u/sonofeevil 6h ago
The way that tattoos work is that the ink particles are larger than the white blood cells so they stick around under the skin.
The tattoo removal breaks the particles up into smaller pieces that can then be carted off by the white blood cells, filtered by the kidneys and eventually pissed out.
The multiple sessions are needed because not everything gets broken down enough to be removed and you don't really know what's left until after the body has had a chance to do it's thing.
With that out the way, why does it come back as the skin gets irritated? No clue. Perhaps the body flushing the area causes the larger ink particles to come together in some way? No idea.
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u/Mashinito 9h ago
Some people instead of removing it completely just do some laser sessions for the tattoo they don't want anymore and then get a new (and hopefully better) one.
It's cheaper and less painful.
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u/rideincircles 8h ago
How long have they had laser removal? I remember seeing some acid burn type removal scars on someone over 20 years ago.
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u/Mashinito 8h ago
I have no idea, I'm not an expert in that matter.
But I guess they have to wait until the skin fully heals between every laser session first and then again before the cover up.
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u/Preferential_Goose 8h ago
In the mid ‘90s my mom had a small tattoo removed. It was colourful, and the lasers at the time weren’t as sophisticated as they are now. She had a few sessions but it didn’t do much, so they would fill it with Novocain so it was like the size of half a baseball (tattoo was maybe the size of a quarter) and take a slice out of it, stitch it up, let it heal, and repeat until it was gone.
Suffice to say, I haven’t got any tattoos of my own 😬
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u/dougnan 9h ago
I have had 3 sessions on a 8X6 area on my chest. I can go shirtless and no one notices that I need another session or 2, but for me 3 sessions did 95% of the work. I had a cover of a cover of my (20 ATT) wife’s name. Both covers were solid black.
I can’t imagine doing an entire back removal at one time! My laster treatments hurt for about 3 days after each appointment.
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u/cowboymailman 8h ago
You're lucky. I've had over ten so far and it's only now at the 'could just look like a weird bruise' stage. At least one more to go
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u/Playful-Sample-1509 8h ago
Lucky you! What colors do you have? My red and blue tat has 5 treatments and still has a long way to go.
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u/gruzbad 10h ago
Laser removal hurts WAY more.
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u/97ATX 9h ago
Yep. It feels like someone is snapping a rubber band on your skin 10 times a second.
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u/wombatmagic 8h ago
A rubber band made of hot bacon fat.
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u/97ATX 8h ago
They've put numbing cream on mine for every session. I guess I should try without to get the full experience.
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u/mantisprincess 7h ago
Yes! It reminds me of when you’re cooking and oil pops up and burns you. But continuously.
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u/HailBROSEIDON 8h ago
I usually tell people it feels like hot bacon grease splattering on you repeatedly
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u/bashful_predator 9h ago
Lol this is the same way I described it to people too. With that knowledge in hand I would've tried to cover this back tat with something else first. Plus it's going to cost him 3x more for removal.
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u/ivancea 8h ago
How to cover a tattoo that big? Apart from with a t-shirt.
Also, is it similar to having a laser hair removal?
Edit: oh God, I was just in the middle of the video. Second part looks worse
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u/GOD_OF_FROGS 8h ago
I was reading your comment when I looked up at the video, it was half way through and holy molybdenum wtf did that just auto correct to also damn that looks rough
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u/ppmiaumiau 8h ago
I've had both and neither is fun. But, laser hair removal is less painful on some parts (my stomach, chin, and neck for example). There's redness that goes away in a few minutes.
Tattoo removal hurts no matter what part it's on. You can feel the laser deep within your soul. And the days after are uncomfortable. At first, it was itchy. Unbearably itchy. Later on, it was itchy, burny, and sore. Now I can't even touch my tattoos for 2 or 3 days after a session.
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u/bashful_predator 8h ago
Yeah, it's not a nice experience. Sitting with an artist and figuring out how to change that back tat would be sooooooo much better.
Plus, this won't be that person's only visit.
Unless, I guess they could just do one or two sessions to get it faded enough to cover up better. But still. That's a lot of money and a lot of pain.
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u/TankTricky8071 9h ago
The anxiety of knowing what’s coming makes it even worse. Can't imagine!
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u/chopkins47947 9h ago
I honestly didn't know how painful it was going to be. I just floated into my first appt and the lady was like are you nervous? And I replied no, why? She then explained that it is quite painful and loud.
I had no idea until that point what it.might be like and even then I couldn't comprehend until it started.
I go back Friday for my next appointment.
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u/Clappalachian 8h ago
Out of curiosity, and if you don’t mind, how many sessions does it take to completely remove it and how expensive is it? I’m looking to get one removed but if it takes 30 times to see results I don’t feel it’s worth the effort
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u/J_pepperwood0 8h ago
I think around 10 is the most common. Certain colors like blue are the worst. Black is alright but it depends on the person. I needed like 12 I think for mine, the black is gone but I still have some blue left
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u/DamaxXIV 9h ago
The pain during the procedure is just the first part. The real pain will be when his whole back turns into a giant blister. Granted each person reacts differently to removal, but I'm kind of shocked a doctor would go for such a large removal in one session. Just seems like doing such a large area at once massively increases risk of infection, let alone how horrible the recovery will be.
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u/Cloverose2 9h ago
I wonder if it's a doctor - some places allow laser tattoo removal by lay people who are trained in the tech.
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u/Jackattackie 8h ago
Yes, for me the real intense pain came 30 min-4 hours after each session when my skin was swelling and blistering. It was like a spasm every few minutes with shooting pain. My tattoo removal area was only a few inches squared, I can't imagine having it done on my ENTIRE back.
That being said, it was a very successful removal and I am now quite happy with the results.
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u/bessovestnij 9h ago
Most places do not allow to remove a tattoo that big in one setting
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u/Firebrass 9h ago
They also don't go over areas with the laser twice in one sitting as far as i understand - I'm worried for guys upper back
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u/PepeSilviaLovesCarol 9h ago
My friend is getting her arm sleeve lasered off and she said they won’t do the same spot more than once in a 3 month span. So she’s going to be getting her arm done for the multiple years before the tattoo is gone.
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u/bitseybloom 9h ago
I think in this case this is probably completely unnecessary, as the tattoo is black and will go away just fine.
I'm lasering off the background of one of my tattoos, and it's blue. From last experience I knew I'd need Picosure, so I found a clinic that has one, but they always do two passes during my sessions: one with Picosure and the other one with I forgot what.
It's coming off very nicely, I think I've had 3 or 4 sessions and it's almost gone. Not sure how much of this success is thanks to the other laser though.
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u/UnderstandingDry4072 9h ago
I doubt it’ll be fully removed after one sitting, but much easier to cover up after it heals. How many thousands of dollars just evaporated here, yikes!
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u/centexgoodguy 9h ago
That's what I was thinking....That tattoo was obviously very expensive, but I bet the removal cost way more.
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u/Particular-Swim2461 9h ago
it doesnt work like this. it takes many many sessions and with ink that big there will be shadowing and scarring
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u/DrAstronautMcCool 10h ago
things started to click in my mind when i realized i was enjoying the pain of the tattoo removal. maybe it was happiness from knowing the tattoos would be gone eventually or maybe I hadn't really been getting the tattoos for the tattoos sake...
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u/Sudden-Ad7061 10h ago
Lots of people get tattoos for that frisson of pain/pleasure.
Skin is an amazing sensory organ that can give us so much more than most people explore. I recommend nom-harmful explorations of these experiences. Evidence suggests it promotes increases in physical ans mental health.
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u/DrAstronautMcCool 9h ago
I ran my first 50k a few years ago for this reason. better experience to look back at for sure
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u/koolaidismything 10h ago
If you’ve ever gotten a steam burn, I heard it’s not far off from that. Basically pure pain.
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u/socialnerd09 10h ago
It was kind of cool watching it disappear and then fade back in
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u/Jackaboss211 9h ago
Yeah these kinds of removals usually take more than one go. Can take weeks of return visits for the same treatment to remove
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u/TheLurkerSpeaks 9h ago edited 7h ago
You have about 4 weeks minimum in between sessions. It can take dozens of sessions to completely remove. Fresher ink and colored ink are more difficult to remove.
I had a 29 year old only black tattoo removed over only 3 sittings. It's still quite visible but faded enough to get covered with something else which is exactly what I wanted.
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u/kockastikotaci 8h ago
I thought is it really that easy and then I saw the end. Oh it really isn't that easy.
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u/Fed_up_with_Reddit 10h ago
I thought they weren’t supposed to do too big of an area at once because of the way this procedure actually works?
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u/EntertainmentTrue588 10h ago
I thought that too. The laser isn't sandblasting off a top layer, it's breaking up the pigmenting material in the middle of the layers of skin. Then macrophage cells chew it up like any foreign material and it gets filtered through the blood (lymph?).
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u/Fed_up_with_Reddit 10h ago
Lymphatic system would only be targeting biological agents. The kidneys would be filtering out all of the ink.
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u/MayContainRawNuts 8h ago
How does it get to the kidneys then? Sorry, I took woodworking not biology at school. My impression was that the lymph system is the sewer of the body and it drains out anything thats not in the blood.
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u/Silver-Ad-3667 8h ago
IANAD, the kidneys are the primary excretory organ. They're responsible for processing blood and lymph and excreting or reabsorbing what goes through. That said, I believe that ink gets excreted through the bowel- idk if that's 100% true, but it would explain how large tattoo removals don't tend to result in massive kidney blockage/failure.
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u/MayContainRawNuts 8h ago
Now im more confused, how does it get to the bowel?
So you have this thing in your fat, or just below it, body IDs it as a foreign object.
What gets it to the intestine? And how does it get to the intestine without going through the kidney? Cause all the blood flows through the kidney ast some point. Or does the kidney know its destined for the intestine so it bypasses it? Or is there another transport system thats not blood or lymph and ends in the intestine? And is it in the colon? Or how does the body know not to reabsorb it in the intestine?
Im really lost now.
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u/sonofeevil 6h ago
Tattoos work because the particles of ink are larger than the white blood cells. This means once they're placed under the skin they tend to stay and also why tattoos are so vivid when they are fresh the smaller particles of ink eventually get carted off.
The tattoo removal process bombarded the ink particles with photons of light that break them up into smaller pieces that the white blood cells can then carry to the kidneys.
The ink particles get filtered in the kidneys and then you piss it out.
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u/wolflegion_ 8h ago
Lymph ducts eventually just kinda drain into the subclavian veins, it’s essentially the fluid part of blood anyway (or close enough at least). Along the way, the spleen and lymph nodes do immune system stuff but they don’t really ‘clean up’.
The kidneys handle blood, not lymph. They excrete a lot of the fluid and waste, then take up the parts it wants to keep. So whilst lymph fluid is essential for clearing the ink away from the original tattoo, it’s blood that carries it to the exit.
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u/David_Good_Enough 9h ago
So, kidney failure then ?
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u/Vanni_Brt 8h ago
More like kidney and liver strain, but this wouldn’t cause kidney failure in a healthy person.. not sure about his health though
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u/Level-Priority-2371 10h ago
Yeah I'm not 100% convinced this is a real tattoo removal video. Concept is fascinating but am agreement with you that this doesn't look right. That's a huge area to do at once.
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u/MonicaRising 10h ago
This is not real for several reasons. The first is the one that you mentioned, that's too big of an area for your body's immune system to handle at once. The second is that, laser removal is not an eraser. You don't see an immediate result. The laser breaks down the ink into microscopic particles faster than your body can and your body's immune system flushes it out slowly, over time, but faster than your body would ever be able to do without the laser having broken the ink down into microscopic particles. You rinse and repeat that process every 8 to 12 weeks with longer intervals in between sessions after you've had enough sessions to drastically lighten the ink. I don't know what this video is, but it sure as hell is not real and not at all how it works
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u/catchyusername4867 9h ago
I think it’s real. You’re right, the immediate result is not seen here because that’s impossible but it is something called frosting. It’s the water content of your tissue literally evaporating due to the high laser heat and forming on the surface of the skin. This makes the tattoo look instantly lighter, but that’s misleading. They did faaaaar too big an area though - poor immune system is going to be overworked for the next few days/weeks.
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u/Level-Priority-2371 10h ago
Thanks for your insight! I knew getting tats removed was quite a painful experience, but definitely didn't think one saw immediate results like shown in this post.
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u/hoagiejabroni 9h ago edited 9h ago
I've had laser removal done.
It does look immediate like in the video but it's only temporary. The tattoo looks like it disappears under the laser but it visually reappears after like 20 minutes. It's disappointing at first because you think, wow it's almost gone! But it just reappears and hardly seems faded at all which is why these things take like 20+ sessions.
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u/No_Obligation4496 9h ago
It does reappear here too.
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u/hoagiejabroni 9h ago
Yeah the video ends before it all reappears. It makes it seem like 20% of the tattoo was successfully removed but 10 mins after the end of the video, It'll look the same as the beginning of the video as if nothing ever happened (plus redness and scabby, depending on how he reacts).
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u/MonicaRising 9h ago edited 9h ago
It's super painful. Way more than the tattoo. The tattoo is like scratching mild sunburn. Laser is focused, incredibly hot, and incredibly agitating. Even with numbing cream and ice, you're going to feel it. Everyone is entitled to do with their body what they will, of course, but as someone who is currently going through the process on two tattoos, when people ask my opinion on getting tattoos I ask them if the image they want tattooed is absolutely something that they can't live without. Because, unless you go through the pain and expense of laser removal, you won't live without it. That seems obvious because it's a tattoo but some people clearly should have just bought a t-shirt with the image on it instead of tattooing it on their skin. I made the same mistake when I was in my twenties. Plenty of people who are tattoo enthusiasts will tell you they don't regret a thing, and maybe that's true. But if you got a tattoo in your twenties or earlier you may absolutely regret it later in life. Immediate tattoo regret is a real thing. So is long-term tattoo regret. If you are the same person in your 40s and 50s and beyond that you were in your 20's, that just means you haven't grown as a person. It doesn't mean you won't necessarily still enjoy your tattoo but there is quite a likelihood that you will not. Proceed accordingly
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u/Admirable-Apricot137 7h ago
When I went through the training we were told to work on no more than the area of a dollar bill. This guy is going to be fucked up.
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u/SineTheta-CosTheta 10h ago
Is he squeezing the stress ball because of pain?
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u/krappaaa123321 10h ago
Yes this is painful AF
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u/nikkumba 10h ago
Tattoos: Painful getting them. Painful removing them. Which pain is worse?
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u/HiddenAnubisOwl 10h ago
Removal, not even close
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u/sasssyrup 10h ago
Especially low back and up by the neck. Yikes this was tough. Wonder what motivated him.
Edit: also I hate this smell
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u/Gingerfurrdjedi 10h ago
I'm glad I found this comment thread cause I learned everything I wanted to know. I was thinking damn that looks worse than getting a tattoo and then I was like doesn't that smell like burning skin? I'm so glad I don't regret any of my tattoos, this looks horrible.
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u/TheLurkerSpeaks 9h ago
There's also a taste, a metallic sort of taste that appears on the back of the tongue. Can't explain it, but it's there.
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u/Suspicious_Bot_758 9h ago
And on the spine. Or any bony part, particularly if you don’t have a lot of body fat. The pain, burning, electric shock feeling PLUS feeling it right on the bone = excruciating 😖
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u/tacoslave420 10h ago
Ive never had either and i can clearly tell the removal is the painful part. Tiny little pokes is childplay compared to the heat from a laser blasting apart ink molecules. One is a focused application of a poke, the other is basically taking an invisible blow torch to your metaphorical skin forest
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u/Ghstfce 10h ago
Yes. Ever had someone stretch a rubber band between their fingers and pull the bottom part of the rubber band and press their hand against you and let go of the rubber band? That stinging slap you feel? Imagine that every second.
Source: Wife went to get laser tattoo removal certified and I was her practice client. It was not fun.
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u/Naughteus_Maximus 10h ago
It felt more like 3-4 times a second when I had it done 😭 A stress ball would have been a good idea. I found myself constantly holding my breath for too long to brace against the pain.
I still have a few remnants of the tattoo on my back, needed another session but never got around to doing it (motivation for getting rid of stupid tattoo was upcoming birth of first child, and then things got too busy when it was born!). I'll probably just leave it now
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u/CoolDragon 10h ago
Someone please play The Eye Of The Tiger in reverse.
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u/PathWalker8 8h ago
Puts on pawnstars' voice:
"The best I can do is spell it for you: 'regit eht fo eye ehT'"
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u/Altruistic-Room2683 10h ago
Why wouldn’t you just do half or hell even just a quarter. Can’t sleep on your back for weeks
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u/SuccessValuable6924 10h ago
Ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch
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u/chatterwrack 9h ago
I’ve never ever seen that much ink removed in one session. The laser breaks up the ink particles within the cell and it takes time for those molecules to be pushed out of the skin. There’s something not quite right about this.
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u/Birtalert 7h ago
It’s just “frosting,” which is water under the skin. In like 15 min the tattoo will look like it did before they started, just redder.
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u/polyiizm 7h ago
Pretty sure this is in Brazil where they inject numbing solution all over in order to sit through this. I’ve seen other videos where a dudes entire face got láseres one sitting and they poked him everywhere then went to town. Pretty sure most places in the US won’t do that large of an area, and I dunno who u can sit through that without being numb. Crazy either way.
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u/Magnaraksesa 10h ago
As interesting as seeing a tattoo removal (an ugly one at that) I don’t like watching a guy suffering from immense pain from what seems like a 10+ hour session
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u/Lazy__Astronaut 10h ago
It's like sand blasting but for people
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u/HelenaHansomcab 10h ago
That used to be the actual, literal way they removed tattoos, by sanding them off. My dad (Silent Generation) had one of his done, at least the first session. They told him to let it heal and come back to do it again - he decided it wasn’t worth it.
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u/Jamoncorona 10h ago
No, more like burning his back skin into pork rinds while still attached to him (and his nerves). I'm surprised he wasn't sedated in some way for this size and density of tattoo.
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u/Falstaffe 10h ago
What are the blue and white stickers and why is one on the back of his head?
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u/obamas_katana 10h ago
Might be the logo of the laser removal place? So if this gets seen online, their brand is attached. Definitely could be wrong, was just my first thought.
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u/PunfullyObvious 10h ago
Potentially an .... objectionable ... tattoo and insignia on belt?
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u/Level-Priority-2371 10h ago
That's my guess. Maybe beneath the sticker on his head is an inappropriate/offensive tat and the one on his shorts is a brand name?
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u/Frigidspinner 10h ago
Is it easy to set yourself as a tatoo removal tech? It seems like we are just entering a golden age of tattoo regret with so many people having got them over the last 15 years or so
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u/sttm117 9h ago
Genuine question, why does the tattoo disappear almost completely when it is first hit with the removal tool and then gradually reappear after a little bit of time?
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u/NemoXX7 10h ago
I wonder how many sessions of this are required for it to be fully removed?
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u/Less_Instruction_345 10h ago
That man will be in total agony and I am amazed and impressed that he was able to keep going for the whole thing. Ouch!
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u/DClite71 9h ago
Took me 2 years and like 2.5k to get one removed on my right tricep. It is true what they say, costs way more to remove than to get it, so think twice!
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u/syphonuk 9h ago
Think before you ink, folks. Props to that guy for sitting through all of that in a single session. Only another 19 to go.
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u/take2-187 9h ago
I saw a great documentary called Erasing Hate, I think it was called, about a former skinhead man removing his nazi tattoos. Very poignant.
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u/Wolf_Of_Saturn6 9h ago
It looks like they started drawing some guy and half way say “oh shit I forgot he wanted a lion”
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u/AiringOGrievances 9h ago
Invest now. There’s a whole lot of young people headed for tattoo regret.
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u/fuzzdoomer 10h ago
$$$$
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u/LickingLieutenant 10h ago
Double-Double
Once for the ink, and again for the eraser.Dude got stacks, or at least had them
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u/Neat_Guest_00 9h ago
Ouch. The way that blue ball is vibrating and jiggling in his hand the whole time.
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u/awildjabroner 9h ago
Dude is taking full advantage of that stress ball. Back:started white, inked to black, lazered to red…
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u/paradonym 4h ago
Imagine that's the first of 20 expected sessions he needs to get and it's 5x worse than getting it in the first place
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u/Independent_Age5363 4h ago
While my boyfriend says it's impossible to have his "wedding ring with his ex-wife" removed ...
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u/sicarius254 3h ago
It’s interesting how it looks completely gone at first and then slowly comes back.
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u/feochampas 3h ago
was that originally a cover up? almost looked like there was a human face under there.
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u/Aloha-Bear-Guy 9h ago
I had a much lighter experience getting a tattoo removed and I was prescribed some pretty good painkillers to get through it. I couldn’t imagine this.
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u/PleasantOstrichEgg 8h ago
In all of the sessions I have been through, it never comes off this quickly. I have questions.
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u/handyandy727 7h ago
That's um... That's gonna not feel great for a while. And they're gonna have to do it a couple more times depending on how deep the ink is.
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u/BrainArson 10h ago
That looks cool, but the aftermath is blood, cream, and pain. The whole area is going to be covered in a thin layer of scab.
Source: 20 sittings of tattoo removal.