Why Tattoos are Permanent Understanding how laser tattoo removal works help to know why it's needed in the first place. The biggest reason why tattoos are so popular is their permanency. However, this design can pose a problem if the tattoo doesn’t turn out the way you wanted or no longer matches your lifestyle down the road. So how do you remove something that’s designed to be permanent? Tattoo application embeds ink particles into the skin's deepest layer, the dermis. When a tattoo needle punctures your skin, your immune system is alerted and sends bacteria-eating cells to remove the foreign ink and heal the puncture wound. Due to the large size and strategic placement of the ink particles, the much smaller cells can only extract tiny ink fragments at a time, leaving the tattoo permanently trapped in your skin. However, your immune system continuously tries to remove the ink over a lifetime, which is why tattoos gradually fade and lose color. How Laser Tattoo Removal Works Laser tattoo removal assists your immune system and significantly speeds up natural fading. Our Astanza Duality laser directs multiple pulses of light energy onto your unwanted tattoo during a laser session. The ink particles absorb the light energy, causing them to heat up and shatter into fragmented nanoparticles that your immune system can easily remove. With multiple laser sessions, the ink is continuously broken into smaller pieces and removed from your skin until you reach your desired goal. Multiple treatments are necessary regardless of whether you're fading a tattoo for a cover-up or removing your tattoo entirely. Tattoos have numerous layers of ink, so multiple treatments are needed to target each layer and completely remove your tattoo. Fading for Cover-Ups Laser tattoo removal isn’t just a tool for removing unwanted tattoos. It’s a modifying application that can transform existing art through fading. More clients and tattoo artists are using laser tattoo removal to prepare for a cover-up. Cover-ups come with a fair share of restrictions, mainly if an existing tattoo contains a lot of dense, black ink. Laser tattoo removal can fade an existing tattoo to create a lighter canvas and lift any limitations from getting the tattoo you actually want. Not only does tattoo fading give your artist more flexibility with their cover-up art, but it also allows you to request more colors, design elements, and creativity for your new cover-up design. In addition to complete removal and tattoo modification, Black Out Tattoo Removal offers selective removal. This service is perfect for clients who wish to remove a specific part of their tattoo (such as a name) while leaving the surrounding ink intact. Call us today to schedule a free consultation and tattoo assessment!