Pin It

Laser Tattoo Removal: What Does It Feel Like?

HeyMister | Feb 2, 2010 |

0 Comments | Rating: 0

Having a tattoo removed via laser treatments is a process that causes a certain amount of pain and unpleasantness for the person receiving treatments. While the cost of such laser treatments is often prohibitively expensive for many people who wish to have their tattoos removed or lightened in order for a proper cover up to be done, if the cost is no concern, usually the pain associated with removal is.

But what does it actually feel like to have a tattoo removed from laser treatments? Is it any worse than the pain of getting the tattoo the first time around? Don't they give medicine to deal with the pain anyway?

These are all legitimate questions someone might have when sizing up their tattoo removal options. When it comes to laser tattoo removal, doctors and patients who have done this often describe the pain as certainly real but at the same time, definitely a level of pain that can be reasonably dealt with. It's common to point out, exactly as we have done already, that the act of receiving tattoos is of considerable pain, and removing them is not any worse for most people than the original tattoo.

But what does it feel like? The sensation is not the same for everyone, but laser tattoo removal is often described as a pinching sensation, or like a 100 pricks against the skin all in succession. Some think it's on par with what it would feel like to have a sunburn and then having someone scratch your skin. These descriptions are not pleasant sounding but they're something that most people should feel safe assuming they can deal with.

Do doctors prescribe pain medication for such treatments? Generally speaking, no. A client is not going to receive prescription level drugs to medicate the pain. Some medications and numbing agents can actually even interfere with the effectiveness of the laser treatments. This means that a client needs to get approval from the practitioner before buying any over the counter medicine to take during the laser treatments.

All in all, it's clear to see that yes, laser tattoo removal does cause pain for the user, but it's not a reason to avoid such treatments. On the other hand, laser tattoo removal cost might be something that causes psychological pain, and it's understandable to many that this ends up being a bigger reason for not having a tattoo removed.