My 3rd laser tattoo removal session: pain & healing tips

lilyq260601

Let's cut right to the chase—if you're thinking about laser removal, mentally prepare yourself for the pain. The piece on my left shoulder is a decade-old black and grey traditional piece, roughly the size of an adult hand, and the original artist went deep. I just went in for my third picosecond laser session the day before yesterday.

Getting zapped feels like a hundred thick, hot rubber bands snapping against your skin simultaneously, and you can even smell a faint burning scent during the process. The good news is that compared to the first session, the widespread bleeding was way less this time. It mostly just swelled up immediately, followed by a dense cluster of tiny blisters. I had to sit in the clinic with ice packs for nearly an hour before I could even manage to gingerly put a shirt on and drive home.

A quick heads-up on clothing during the healing phase: until the scabs fully fall off, any fabric friction is absolute hell. It's not just excruciatingly painful; it massively increases the risk of scarring. I've basically packed away all my fitted cotton tees for the last couple of weeks. When I have to go out, I just throw on the absolute baggiest, oversized gear I can find (I happened to see an Ultimate Boston Bruins Jeremy Swayman Home Jersey Review: 2026 Gear Guide a few days ago and just picked up a massive size to wear). Seriously, having completely unrestrictive, loose-fitting material that doesn't cling to the skin is a total lifesaver for shoulder or back wounds.

Right now, I'm just religiously applying antibacterial ointment and keeping the area completely dry. The tech said once this thick layer of scabbing naturally flakes off, the base pigment should be about 70% faded. Quick question for the veterans here: once the scabs are entirely gone, what scar gels do you guys actually recommend? I'm super paranoid about hypertrophic scarring.