Welcome to THE SKIN CLINIC in Odiham

Are you embarrassed about your tattoo?

Do you wish your tattoo were not permanent?

Do you want your tattoo removed safely, but you don't know where to go?

There are about 2 million tattoos being created every year in the UK. Many tattoos are brilliant and will last forever, but there are just as many cases where people lose enthusiasm after a while and wish they could change their minds.

Until recently that was an impossible wish, but now with the latest laser technology at The Skin Clinic, the ink inside your tattoos can be blown away, bit by bit, until it becomes invisible.

Tattoos are made up of particles of ink contained in layers of skin. The body sees each particle of ink as a 'foreign body' and eventually encapsulates it in a band of collagen, as the ink particles are too big to be removed by the normal body defence mechanisms.

Tattoo removal works by breaking down the collagen wall and fragmenting the ink particles. The normal body defences are then able to remove these small particles and gradually disperse the pigment over a number of treatments.

Some amateur tattoos take just 2 visits to remove, while some professional tattoos may take around 12 visits. The number of treatments will depend on several factors including:

• The amount of pigment present
• The colours of the tattoo pigments
• The density, type and age of the tattoo
• The skin's reaction to laser light
• The presence of other skin conditions.

The treatment of colours other than blue and black is more challenging and this is especially true for green ink. Also, certain new types of fluorescent tattoos do not respond to laser treatment and will be left behind after the rest of the tattoo is removed.

If a tattoo is particularly dense or brightly coloured it is likely that some residual pigment will remain after the course of treatment is complete.

The normal interval between treatments is six weeks, as this allows sufficient time for your skin to heal and for the treatment to be most effective.

During treatments, suitable eye protection is essential but laser light does not penetrate far into the skin and cannot therefore cause any harm to other parts of your body. Sometimes an anaesthetic cream is needed before treatments and a soothing cream and dressing can after each visit. Some people find treatments more painful than others.

An instant whitening of the skin occurs after treatment, but this fades relatively quickly.

During the healing process, the treated area may feel itchy. You must avoid scratching it as it may lead to infection and scarring of the treated area. Some people use a moisturising cream on the treated area between treatments.

After treatments, we will advise you to avoid bright sunlight and to cover the treatment area with a high factor, broad spectrum sun block.

Book a tattoo removal consultation before starting treatments. This gives you the chance to visit us and ask questions of our clinicians. Please note, the £50 consultation fee is wavied if you book a treatment during your consultation.

The address of our clinic is Prior’s Corner, North Warnborough, Odiham, Hampshire, RG29 1EA, Tel: 01256 703345.

Need more information?

At The Skin Clinic we are devoted to looking after all aspects of your skin and we welcome your questions if you want to think through some important issues before you decide to visit.

So please ask us your question about tattoo removal…