Owing to the latest innovations in the tattoo removal industry, tattoos are no longer meant to stay on your skin forever. If you have tattoos, there can come a time in your life when you want them erased. Luckily, there is a procedure to get rid of unwanted tattoos.
The use of permanent ink is not the reason tattoos are permanent. Your immune system is stimulated every time the needle punctures the skin, which causes the ink in a tattoo to become permanently bonded to your skin.
As a result, your immune system's cells start moving towards the wound site. The cells then absorb the ink when they arrive as they arrive because they believe it is entering your body. The ink stays visible there as the cells get suspended in your skin.
Have you ever observed that a tattoo that has been on the body for 20 years appears more faded than one that has just been on the body for six months? The reason for this is that the human body doesn't accept any foreign elements on it. Thus, it naturally tries to get rid of it, which is why tattoos fade over time.
However, due to the size of the particles, the body can only break down a portion of the ink. Therefore, laser tattoo removal treatments are essential to remove the tattoo completely. The ink absorbs the energy of the laser.
Thus, the ink particles are broken up into very small fragments. This facilitates the lymphatic system's (the body's natural cleaning system) capacity to get rid of the fragmented ink.
While opting for tattoo removal treatments, most people often wonder which tattoos are easier to remove: older or newer? Keep reading to find out!
Which Tattoos Are Easier to Remove: Older or Newer
Most people believe that the older a tattoo is, the more permanent it becomes. However, it is quite the opposite. In reality, older tattoos are easier to remove than fresh ones. The reason for this is they have been absorbed by the body and exposed to the sun longer than fresh tattoos. Although new tattoos can also be removed, they require more treatment sessions.
Now let’s dive in and see why older tattoos are easier to remove:
Your Skin’s Exposure to Sun Over the Years
The more sun exposure a tattoo gets, the more quickly it will fade. The ink particles progressively break under direct sunlight. The same principle governs how laser tattoo removal equipment operates. The only difference is that sun exposure gradually fades the tattoo, while laser tattoo removal treatments are much faster.
However, don't think sitting outside in the sun all day will help you eliminate unwanted tattoos. The sun will likely result in skin damage than fade your tattoo.
The Body’s Natural Rejection of Foreign Elements
The human body naturally rejects alien material it detects to maintain its health and prevent diseases. The body works to progressively eliminate the tattoo because it sees ink particles as a danger. However, it doesn't immediately reject a fresh tattoo injection but gradually breaks the particles until the colour fades.
However, the body alone cannot erase the tattoo. Therefore, tattoo removal treatments are necessary to quickly break down the ink so that the body can absorb and flush them out. Older tattoos have already faded over time due to sun exposure and the body's natural rejection of foreign elements. Thus, this facilitates the rapid and efficient removal of unwanted tattoos by laser professionals and laser removal equipment.
How Many Tattoo Removal Sessions Do You Require?
Laser tattoo removal treatments take time, but they offer lasting results. Dermatologists advise their patients to have several laser removal treatments to remove unwanted tattoos completely. On average, people require five to ten tattoo removal sessions. However, the exact number of sessions required varies depending on the tattoo's colour, location, and size.
The tattoo's age also significantly affects the number of sessions you require for its removal. Newer tattoos require several laser removal sessions since many ink particles still need to be broken down.
Approximately 3,000 times per minute, needles inject ink into the skin to create tattoos. The design remains in place for an extended period as the skin traps the ink. However, this procedure traumatizes the skin, leaving it bruised, puffy, and pierced.
Thus, before starting laser tattoo removal treatments, you should wait until your skin fully recovers. Normally, this process takes six to eight weeks.
Final Word
Many people ultimately have second thoughts about their tattoos and seek out various methods to have them removed. Since laser tattoo removal techniques are more efficient than tattoo removal creams, they are becoming increasingly popular. Also, they provide long-lasting results without the high risk of scarring associated with tattoo excision surgeries.
With laser therapy, older tattoos are much easier to remove since most of the ink particles on the skin's surface have already been broken by the sun. That said, the removal of fresh tattoos is also possible. It just requires more sittings.
There are two primary seasons older tattoos are easier to remove. Firstly, over the years, sun exposure causes them to fade. Secondly, since the body rejects foreign elements, it naturally tries to break out the ink particles. Both these factors aid in the fast removal of tattoos.
So, whether your tattoo is fresh or old, rest assured the experts at CounterPunch Laser, Brisbane’s premier tattoo removal studio, will help you take care of it. We also offer a free consultation to all our prospective clients. Click here to book your appointment with us today. You can also book an appointment via our Facebook page.