“Laser tattoo removal has become increasingly common over the past decade,” says Rachel Westbay, MD, a board-certified dermatologist at Marmur Medical in NYC. She suspects interest in the treatment might be driven by a change in attitudes toward tattoos. “Studies show that approximately 30 to 40% of adults in the US have at least one tattoo,” Dr. Westbay says, and more tattoos mean more people might be second-guessing ink-related decisions. According to a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, 24% of Americans regret one or more of their tattoos.
Innovations in laser technology might also be contributing to increased interest in the treatment, says Dr. Westbay: “The development of Pico lasers and other modern technologies has made tattoo removal more effective and less painful, encouraging more people to seek treatment,” she explains, adding that “multicolored tattoos and ink on darker skin, which were previously harder to treat, are now more manageable.”
This year, on a January episode of The Tonight Show, Pete Davidson shared that most of his 200 tattoos were “almost gone” after he had started “burning them off” in 2020. When host Jimmy Fallon asked if the removal process was painful, the comedian candidly described it as “horrible.” Given the number of Davidson’s tattoos, it’s not surprising that it wasn’t an easy experience for him; but removing a one-inch robot on me couldn’t be that bad, right? Ahead, I detail my experience.
The Consultation
When I decided it was time to take advantage of the offer for the Great Ex-Boyfriend Tattoo Erasure, I reached out to Ava Shamban, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in Los Angeles (whom I trust with all my injectables and who offered me the treatment), for a consultation via email. I sent a couple of well-lit photos of my robot, asked what kind of laser would be used, and how many sessions it would take to complete. Dr. Shamban pointed out that my particular tattoo featured multiple colors and a fair amount of pigment deposits, both of which had the potential to prolong my treatment time and plan—basically, it’s the slower, the better for minimizing risks of scarring and damage.
“The most effective laser will be Picosecond,” Dr. Shamban wrote in response. She explained that this type of laser uses intense power in ultra-short pulses to create pressure that blasts the pigment from its encapsulation, leaving it ready for white blood cells—described by Dr. Shamban as the skin’s “clean-up committee”—to remove it through the bloodstream.
Picosecond’s varied, ultra-short pulses of directed light make it highly effective for removing a range of unwanted pigment cells without causing injury to adjacent tissue, Dr. Shamban added. Compared with other lasers, it can be “more effective, less painful, and ultimately require a fewer number of treatments, hitting a broader range of colors.”
The words “less painful” perked me up a bit. I was nervous, but this was an opportunity to erase a reminder of my ex from my body. Gratis too. (Thanks again, Dr. Shamban!) Despite the fact that Picosecond requires fewer treatments than other lasers, it could still be a pretty long journey. An in-person consult, of course, would result in a more accurate treatment plan, but Dr. Shamban estimated I’d need about six sessions. “We like to wait six or even eight weeks, depending on the healing between pigments, but we would be able to assess after the first treatment, at about four weeks, to see how much pigment has been removed,” she explained.
