What should you know about full body tattoo removal?

A clinician maps each tattoo by colour, ink depth, density, location and the condition of the surrounding skin. A large treatment area may need to be divided into sessions so the skin can recover between appointments. Picosecond lasers deliver very short pulses, while Q-switched lasers use rapid energy pulses; the appropriate device depends on the ink and your skin assessment.

After treatment, the area can feel hot or tender and may become red, swollen or blistered. Pigment may fade gradually rather than immediately. Different colours and older or deeper ink can respond at different speeds, and some pigment may remain.

Choose a qualified medical provider who can examine the entire tattooed skin area. Share your medicines, tendency to scar or develop dark marks, recent tanning, active skin conditions and any previous tattoo treatments. Follow the clinic's instructions about shaving, creams and sun exposure before each visit.

Keep treated skin clean, avoid picking crusts or blisters, and use the recommended dressing or ointment. Protect the area from sunlight and wait until the skin has healed before resuming irritating products or friction-heavy activities.

Contact your treating clinician if pain, swelling, warmth, drainage or redness is worsening rather than settling, or if you develop fever. Seek prompt medical help for facial swelling with breathing difficulty, rapidly spreading redness, or a severe allergic reaction. New or changing moles within a tattooed area should also be examined rather than treated as pigment alone.

Which laser suits each ink colour and my skin tone? How will you divide the body into treatment areas? What changes should make me pause treatment? Which aftercare products and sun precautions do you recommend?