21 Ways to Speed up your Tattoo Removal Journey.

Learning how to speed up tattoo removal is a process that requires commitment and dedication. But if it’s done right, it will lead to amazing results.

There is no denying that achieving successful results will take time.  Especially if you want it done the right way, without scarring.

What exactly is the right way?

There are ways to speed up the process naturally through some common sense tattoo removal tips.

We’re taking it even further.

By specializing in this procedure exclusively, we’ve learned what works best.

Below, we’ve put together the 21 best ways to boost your results between treatment sessions.

Related: Ultimate Guide to Treatment Prices

1. Speed up Results by Boosting your Immune System

Knowing how to improve laser tattoo removal is to understand that it’s almost entirely dependent upon your immune system, and how it responds to your treatments.  There are no magic ways to boost your immune system.  However, by focusing on healthy living and prevention, you’ll be surprised how well your body responds.

What we do with the laser, while important, is not what makes your ink fade and disappear.

Your immune system goes after the fragmented ink particles and removes them through your lymphatic channels and liver.  Without a strong healthy immune system, results can take much longer.

Following all the tips outlined on this page should have a positive impact on your results.

Related: 17 Safety Tips to Prevent Skin Damage

2. Drink Lots of Water

Here is yet another great reason to drink more water every day!  Water will help speed up and facilitate the drainage of your fragmented ink particles broken down by the laser.

Water is the most natural way to rid your body of toxins.  The same rule applies here.

For women, The Mayo Clinic recommends drinking 2.2 liters a day, and 3 liters for men.

3. Increase Circulation by Exercising Regularly

A great way to increase blood circulation between treatments is to exercise on a regular basis.   More specifically, daily resistance training and cardiovascular workouts.

Tattoos treated by laser will fade faster, and heal more efficiently when they receive more blood circulation.

Since regular exercise increases blood flow naturally, we recommend working out daily, or at least four times a week.

4. Keep a Balanced & Healthy Diet, Rich in Nutrients

A diet rich with antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and probiotics will kick start your body’s ability to produce results.

Which are the best foods that help tattoo removal?

Raw foods, directly from the earth.

EFA’s (essential fatty acids), omega 3’s, and fish oils are the kinds of fats you need.

Eat lots of fruits, veggies, whole grains and nuts.

Try to void sugary products, saturated fats, fast foods and processed foods.

5. Eat More Lean Protein

I know, it sounds crazy right? Lean proteins, faster results?

Here’s how it works:

Eating extra lean protein helps when your skin is injured.

Your skin is made up of protein and needs more of it to create immune cells, antibodies and to reduce inflammation.

If your diet doesn’t contain enough protein, it may delay your skin’s recovery process, which can hinder your results.

6. Reduce your Stress Load

Daily stressors can have a direct negative impact on the health of your immune system.

We all know that stress is a normal part of life.  Some activities such as yoga and meditation can be very helpful for reducing stress.

Stress can elevate your body’s cortisol levels.  Elevated cortisol can suppress your immune system.

Check out this helpful resource:

Stress, Cortisol & the Immune System

7. Enjoy Eight Hours of Sleep Every Night

Getting adequate sleep every night is an important factor.  Your body recovers, heals and rejuvenates better if you get your full eight hours.

Not only will it help facilitate your results, getting at least eight hours every night will help with your healing process and aftercare.

8. Take Steps to Avoid Infection

Prevention is key here.  Any kind of infection can slow your body’s ability to remove the ink.

Simple daily rituals can help prevent certain infections.  Here are some examples:

• Washing your hands regularly
• Cook your meats thoroughly
• Shower/bathe daily
• Brush your teeth twice a day
• Always ask your doctor to wear gloves
• Keep hand sanitizer with you at all times

9. Avoid Catching a Cold During Cold Season

Getting sick with the cold or flu can halt your body’s ability to remove the ink pretty dramatically.

If you catch a cold, or worse the flu in the middle of your treatment plan, we can’t even treat you until you get well.  It would be for your own good, because your immune system will be too busy fighting off the virus.

Eat vitamin c rich foods like oranges on a daily basis, during cold season.

10. Be Skeptical of Supplements Claiming to Boost Immune System

Stores are full of shelves pushing supplements that claim to boost your immune system.

While this may or may not be true, be skeptical nonetheless.

Supplements make it easy to avoid real foods that have real nutritional value.

11. Quit Smoking Cigarettes or Cut Back

Smoking cigarettes will hinder or slow down your body’s ability to dispose the ink.

Smoking causes vasoconstriction, a constriction of your body’s blood vessels.

This restriction makes it difficult for your immune system to pass the fragmented ink particles broken down by the laser.

If you’re a smoker, and you’re looking to get the best results, we suggest quitting or cutting back prior to, or during your laser treatment plan.

12. No New Ink Between Visits

Getting a new tattoo will trigger your immune system.  Shortly after you get it, your immune system takes over and tries to remove the new, large foreign ink particles.

If you’re in the middle of a removal plan, you’re immune system is working overtime already.  It’s trying to absorb and drain the small unwanted ink particles that the laser destroyed.

Getting inked will hinder your body’s ability to travel your unwanted ink through your lymphatic channels.

Related: Definitive Guide to Tattoo Cover-Ups

13. Avoid Excessive Alcohol Consumption

Heavy consumption of alcohol will hinder and slow down the results.

Too much alcohol will dehydrate your body and compromise your immune system.

What?  But I enjoy a beer or two a day!

1-2 drinks a day shouldn’t have any negative effects on your results.  This factor applies to clients who drink moderately high, to heavy amounts of alcohol on a regular basis.

14. Keep the Area Out of the Sun

Avoid burns or tans on or around the tattoo’d area.  The more pale your skin is, the better.

The laser makes a distinction between the tone of your skin and the color of your ink.  The more contrast there is between them, the more aggressive we can be with the laser energy.

If your skin has some color from being in the sun, we’ll need to scale back the power.  This will lead to more treatments needed.

Related: Learn How your Skin Type Affects your Treatment

15. Follow your Aftercare Instructions

Following your aftercare instructions will help facilitate a speedy healing process.

Keeping the area clean and free of any lotions will help the ink site heal faster.

Also, taking care of your blisters is one of the most critical tattoo removal tips.  Doing so will keep the focus on the fragmented ink to be flushed away more efficiently by your body’s white blood cells

16. Keep your Appointments on Schedule

This one is a no-brainer.  It involves simple math.

Full removal treatment plans take time.  They’ll take much more time if you put off, or forget your appointments.

Set a reminder at least a week before each visit.  This will give you plenty of time to plan, because life happens, right?

17. Allow at Least 6 Weeks Between Visits

A common misconception is that receiving laser treatments closer together will boost your results.

This is not true.

Treating too early can slow down the effects, and have the opposite effect we’re trying to accomplish here.

Aside from tattoos located on your neck or near your heart, you’ll get the fastest results by waiting at least 6 weeks between sessions.  Minimum is five weeks for the first couple sessions.

Waiting even longer can actually be ideal in some cases.

18. Choose a Treatment Package

If you can afford to purchase a treatment package up front, do it.

Here’s why:

The main reason is savings.  However, according to the numbers, patients who choose the package option over pay per visit tend to finish their plans faster.

You’ll be much less likely to put off your appointments, if they’re pre paid.

19. Treat Extra Large Tattoos in Sections

It makes sense to treat extra large pieces in sections, rather than all at once.

I know what you’re thinking:

Won’t that require more visits? More time? Well, yes.

But here’s the kicker:

Your immune system can only handle so much ink removal at once.  Too much, and the treatment won’t be as effective.

Take a back piece for example.  Your body will have a much easier time disposing the ink if you treat one half of your back, every six weeks, rather than the whole thing every eight weeks.

20. Rest for 48 Hours After Each Appointment

Avoid physical activity for 48 hours after each session.

Too much moving around, running or working out will make your blisters much worse, if you develop them.

If your blisters get too big, they can pop too soon.  You need to avoid inducing these types of skin related side effects, if you can.

You need to keep your immune system focused only on the fragmented ink.

Elevating the site will also help in that first 48 hours.

21. Stimulate Blood Flow with Self Massage

As we discussed earlier, one of the best tips to speed up tattoo removal is to increase blood flow to the treated area.

So anything that can naturally and safely stimulate blood flow will have a direct positive impact on your results.

Tattoos nearest your heart and lymphatic drainage points respond best, because they’re much more vascular.

The areas with the least amount of blood flow are hands, fingers, ankles, feet and toes.

To naturally increase blood flow to these areas of your body, a gentle massage after tattoo removal on and around the treatment site (once It’s healed) will help quite a bit between treatments.

This is one of the newest tattoo removal tips that we’ve been suggesting for our clients, with pretty good results so far.

Conclusion

There are no magic ways, or secrets on how to speed up the removal of tattoos.  But by following the tips & common sense daily rituals outlined on this page, your results can certainly be optimized & improved.  It’s up to you to make the most out of each treatment.  Get the most bang for your buck – Treat your body good!