Laser Tattoo Removal

Tattoos are designed to last forever, but life brings change and decisions once made can no longer be relevant to the future. Changes in career goals, lifestyle, and relationships are the most common drivers motivating people to seek tattoo removal options. In the past, methods for removing tattoos were extremely painful, invasive and left terrible scarring. Thankfully, things have changed with the use of laser technology. Lasers are the safest, proven and most effective way to erase your unwanted ink.

Laser tattoo removal involves using pulses of energy to break down the particles of ink pigment in the skin. The incredibly fast and powerful wavelengths of light are selectively absorbed by the colors in the ink. It does not damage the surface of the skin, the epidermis, but targets the ink under your skin, the dermis. The laser’s energy shatters the ink into tiny particles that your body’s immune system eliminates safely and naturally.

The lasers that are the most effective in removing tattoos are Q-switched lasers, a way of producing very high powered, rapidly pulsed energy bursts. Lasers are designated as nanosecond – meaning they fire at a billionth of a second or as picosecond, meaning they fire at a trillionth of a second! The more powerful the laser, the smaller the pieces of ink particles and the faster the body can eliminate them.

We have both picosecond and nanosecond lasers: The Lutronic PicoPlus® (PICO+NANO) and the Lutronic SPECTRA™ (NANO). Both are Q-Switched Nd:YAG lasers, which is the only type of laser proven effective in removing tattoos from all skin types. Our PicoPlus laser is the world’s most powerful multi-wavelength tattoo removal laser and Inkfree, MD is the first tattoo removal clinic in the United States to begin commercial operations with this internationally proven device.

The PicoPlus offers more than twice the peak power than leading competitive picosecond devices such as the PicoSure, PicoWay and Enlighten. Peak power is essential in being able to break down ink particles into tiny pieces while causing minimal damage to the skin. Bottom line, we offer the best of both picosecond and nanosecond technologies.

Our lasers can remove all ink colors. Some colors are very easily removed (black, red, dark blue), while others are more stubborn (green, yellow, light blue) and will require more treatments. Quality of the ink used in the tattoo is also a factor, with homemade tattoos being the easiest and lower quality ink with high amounts of heavy metals being the most challenging.

Yes. But that’s where both technology and experience matter. We specialize in safely treating all skin types, particularly darker skin types. Our physician designed and guided treatment protocols minimize the risks often associated with treating dark skin types and ensure excellent results.

The majority of our patients are able to tolerate treatments without significant discomfort. We offer multiple techniques for pain management (ice packs, Zimmer Cryo, numbing cream). However, patients experience significantly less pain with our picosecond laser.

Because the PicoPlus is so powerful, the energy needed to deliver an effective pulse is much lower. This causes less pain because less heat is generated. Less heat also means a lower incidence of adverse reactions such as hypopigmentation and scarring. Redness, scabbing and blistering are common and expected side effects of laser tattoo removal. However, if our aftercare instructions are followed, your skin should heal within 5-7 days.

The number of treatments required to achieve your goals will be assessed and estimated during your FREE consultation. This number is determined by many factors such as ink color, location on the body etc. Our estimation process for nanosecond tattoo removal treatments is extremely accurate and proven. We utilize an estimation method based on the Kirby-Desai Scale and apply additional parameters based on our extensive experience. We offer tattoo removal guarantee pricing for our SPECTRA laser. For our picosecond treatments using the PicoPlus laser, we offer tattoo removal guarantees on a case by case basis.

Laser tattoo removal is a process – there is no quick fix. Treatments are typically spaced 4-6 weeks apart and there is healing time involved. You can expect to see results after 4-6 weeks. PicoPlus patients often see results much faster since the ink particles are eliminated from the body much faster. We are typically able to remove tattoos in 50% fewer treatments with our PicoPlus laser.

Absolutely. We help young men and women to achieve their career goals every day. Some are seeking civilian employment, but many need our assistance to join the various branches of US military service. We are a trusted tattoo removal clinic for military recruiters throughout the Houston region (Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, National Guard, Coast Guard, Police).

We offer accelerated tattoo removal using our PicoPlus picosecond laser. Our laser requires up to 50% fewer treatments than with traditional lasers and causes less disruption to the skin. This results in faster recovery times and the potential for shortening the time between treatments. Our picosecond laser removes the need to use older nanosecond techniques designed to speed up tattoo removal such as the very aggressive R20 Method. Each case is carefully assessed during your free consultation and a treatment plan developed in line with your goals.

We also provide any necessary written documentation required by your recruiter. This is often essential to the recruitment process and provided free of charge. For many recruiters, simply knowing that you are our patient and have begun treatments is enough to allow things to move forward.

The cost of tattoo removal treatment is determined by the size of the tattoo multiplied by the number of treatments. Our business has been built around offering simple, affordable and transparent pricing. Our per treatment pricing starts at $59 for the smallest size (nano) and increases from there. See the pricing table below.

A detailed pricing estimate will be developed during your FREE consultation. Package discounts of up to 20% are available. We also offer in-house payment plans and a 6-month no-interest financing option via:  CareCredit.

The following photos are real and unadulterated examples of the outstanding results we’ve provided our laser tattoo removal patients at our Houston clinic.

In addition to the typical before and after photos, we’ve included various examples of in-progress treatments. These illustrate the rapid removal results we are able to achieve with our unique two-laser approach. Many customers come to Inkfree, MD after lengthy and unsuccessful treatments with competitors.