Removing a tattoo can be difficult enough, but smoking can have an impact on your success
If you’re thinking about getting a tattoo removed, there are a lot of factors that you should know about before getting started so that you can get the best result from the process. I usually see clients for 10-12 sessions to lighten for a cover up or completely remove a tattoo. Since there are 4-5 weeks between each removal session, it takes a time commitment. Besides time, there are other factors that come into play.
The age of the tattoo, the saturation of the ink, and the colors used all can ultimately influence the end result and how easy it is for you to lighten or completely remove your tattoo. Typically these are the factors that are most talked about when someone is considering laser tattoo removal to get a tattoo cover up, or to totally remove a tattoo.
Smoking and how it affects tattoo removal
However, another factor that is less talked about is whether or not you are a smoker. To get into why this matters, it’s best to talk about how the tattoo removal process actually works first.
Laser tattoo removal works by basically blasting tattoo particles in your skin apart into tiny pieces with a laser. This means that as those particles are broken up into smaller and smaller pieces, they are then sent into your bloodstream to be flushed out by your body’s immune system. After all, that old ink has to go somewhere, right? But because a smoker’s immune system is not in optimal condition, it can be much harder for a smoker’s body to flush out and remove the ink particles. This means that laser tattoo removal results may be harder to get in the same period of time for someone that is a smoker compared to a nonsmoker.
It’s been known for a long time that smoking negatively affects your body’s health and it’s ability to heal wounds. Toxins in cigarettes like carbon monoxide and nicotine depress your body’s immune system, which is what supports your immune function and ability to recover from wounds or illnesses. Nicotine reduces the amount of red blood cells your body makes, lowering your body’s ability to heal wounds. Carbon monoxide reduces the amount of oxygen in your system, negatively affecting how your immune system functions. Whether you smoke cigarettes or something else, any kind of smoking will negatively affect your immune system.
Surprising facts about smoking
According to a study published by the American Medical Association’s Archives of Dermatology, smoking can reduce the effectiveness of laser tattoo removal by up to 70%. This can obviously make your quest in removing a tattoo much more difficult, time consuming, costly, and potentially frustrating.
If you’re considering removing a tattoo and you’re also a smoker, I encourage you to consider your long term goals including your health and how much time you are willing to invest in an elective process that can come with a higher price tag. If the effectiveness of this process is drastically reduced because of your health, then it may take a much longer time to achieve the results you desire, or, you may not be able to remove your tattoo to the extent you want.
Consider your health
If you are extremely interested in removing a tattoo, you may want to quit smoking altogether for now and focus on your health. This includes not smoking, eating a balanced diet, staying hydrated, and getting appropriate exercise.
Knowing more information helps you make decisions for your health and your tattoo removal journey. Maybe you choose to quit smoking and focus on your health during the laser tattoo removal process. Or, maybe tattoo removal is just not a choice you can currently make. If you have questions about the process or want to talk to the actual person who removes tattoos, fill out our free consultation form or give me a call. We can chat about your concerns and options for removing a tattoo.
Cheers,
Jim