Laser technology makes tattoo removal faster, easier
Tattoos have become very popular, and they're meant to be permanent.
But what if you have tattoo regret? Laser technology makes removal faster and easier.
At Alibi Tattoo & Piercing in Hallam, York County, the skin is a canvas.
Mike Camp, of Harrisburg, has gotten some of his more than 40 tattoos there. The 47-year-old said he started getting ink before it was more mainstream.
"I didn't want to follow everybody else. I wanted to do my own thing, and doing my own thing meant getting tattoos," he said.
Now the tattoo shop, which opened in 2020, is offering another service: tattoo removal.
"Some people get tattoos that they regret. They're no longer with that significant other anymore. They want to get that name off of there. We can do that in quick sessions too," co-owner Lee Leffler said.
"That is a life-and-death tattoo, depending upon how you look at it," Camp said.
He said the life-and-death has to go since it's now too common.
Leffler got to work using the latest PicoWay system. It's a high-power laser with ultra-short pulses.
It shatters the tattoo ink but leaves the outer layer of the skin intact. The ink eventually drains out through the lymphatic system.
Camp said it feels similar to getting a tattoo.
"It's a little bit of a different pain, if that makes sense, but it's equivalent," he said.
The after-treatment is much the same.
"You treat it as a new tattoo. You apply your Aquaphor, keep it clean, and it should heal well for you," Leffler said.
There can be redness and swelling.
Leffler said she and Camp will know in about eight weeks how successful the removal is. If it's still there, he will come in for another treatment.
Once it's gone, Camp plans to get a new tattoo to fill the void.
Alibi charges between $125 and $200 a session for tattoo removal.