Three things before you book a treatment
Establish the goal before you choose the method. Full removal, lightening for a new design and reduction of a single section are three different plans, with different lengths and different costs.
If there is a mole within the tattoo, or itching and raised skin persist, the first port of call is a dermatologist. These are not aesthetic matters, and they take priority over everything else.
Plan the process in months, not weeks. Sessions require intervals, and shortening them does not speed anything up.
On this page
Four paths, not one
The decision about a tattoo that no longer feels right is often put off for years. It is worth knowing that it does not come down to a choice between "leave it" and "remove it". There are four options, and three of them do not require a laser.
Leave it
A tattoo as a record of a particular moment, including one you would rather not revisit. After talking it through, some people find that it is not the design itself that bothers them, but its visibility in particular situations.
Requires nothing. Worth considering before you start counting the costs and the months.
Cover it
A new design placed over the old one, in other words a cover-up. The limitation is the density and colour of the old pigment: a dark tattoo narrows down what can be placed over it and forces a darker design.
Carried out by a tattoo artist. With dense pigment, it is usually preceded by laser lightening.
Rework it
Changing the existing design: adding to it, changing the proportions, working it into a larger composition. This works well for tattoos where a section is the problem, not the whole thing.
Carried out by a tattoo artist. Sometimes it requires reducing a single element, not the whole tattoo.
Remove it
Reduction of the pigment with a series of laser treatments, either to full removal or to a lightening that allows a new design. The only path that leads to tattoo-free skin.
A process measured in months, with intervals between sessions. The result depends on the pigment and the skin.
We do not offer every one of these paths. Covering and reworking belong to the tattoo artist; our part begins where the pigment has to be reduced. We cover all of them here because the choice between them comes before the choice of practice.
Lighten or remove: two different goals
This distinction is practically the most important thing on this page, and also the one most often overlooked. The treatment looks the same, but the end state you are working towards is different, so the plan is too.
Full removal
The goal is skin that shows no sign anything was ever there. It requires the longest series, and with some pigments it stops at a clear lightening that cannot be taken any further.
The patient's decision; feasibility is assessed by the doctor after the first sessions.
Lightening for a cover-up
The goal is to reduce the density of the pigment enough for the tattoo artist to place a new design. It is not about removing everything, so noticeably fewer sessions are needed.
The required degree of lightening is decided by the design of the new tattoo, in other words by the tattoo artist.
If the goal is a cover-up, the order is as follows: first a conversation with the tattoo artist about the new design, then a consultation with information on how much lightening is needed. The reverse order usually ends with a series of sessions that turns out, only afterwards, to have been too long or too short.
What decides feasibility
At the consultation, no one will give you an exact number of sessions, because it cannot be established before seeing how the pigment responds. What can be said, though, is what shifts the treatment towards being shorter or longer.
Colour of the pigment
Dark pigments absorb light broadly and respond best. Light, yellow and white pigments remain the most difficult regardless of the method used.
Density and depth
A studio tattoo is usually denser and placed deeper than an amateur one, which means more pigment to remove, but also a more predictable response.
Age of the tattoo
An older tattoo has already been partly broken down by the body and usually responds faster than a fresh one, which holds the most pigment.
Location
Areas with good blood supply and closer to the torso clear more efficiently. Hands, feet and lower legs, with weaker circulation and drainage, usually need more time.
Skin phototype
With darker skin, melanin in the epidermis competes with the pigment for energy, so the work goes more carefully and slowly, to limit the risk of pigmentation.
Previous removal attempts
A tattoo previously removed by another method, including a home remedy, behaves differently. Mention this at the consultation, as it changes the assessment and the risk.
How these factors translate into the choice of wavelength and the course of the session is described on the tattoo removal page. It also includes a section on the test patch carried out at the start of the first treatment.
What can be under a tattoo
The pigment covers the skin, and as it fades, what was underneath becomes visible. Some patients find this a surprise, which is why we mention it in advance.
Scars after tattooing
Formed during tattooing, especially in amateur work or work done too deep, they can be completely masked by the pigment. As the pigment fades, they become visible. They are not caused by the treatment, but they emerge during it, which is why we mention this before starting.
Pigmented lesions
Moles and naevi located within the tattoo can be invisible to the naked eye, and the pigment also makes them harder to assess under dermoscopy. Such areas are not treated with the laser. We avoid and protect them, and the lesion itself is referred for a dermatological assessment.
Difference in skin colour
For years, the skin under the tattoo has not been exposed to the sun in the same way as the surrounding area. After the pigment is removed, it can be slightly lighter, and evening out this difference takes time. The effect is more common with large tattoos in exposed areas.
When this is not an aesthetic matter
See a dermatologist first
A mole or naevus within the tattoo, especially one that is growing, changing shape or colour, itching or bleeding. Assessment comes before any aesthetic plans.
Itching, raised skin or nodules persisting within the tattoo, most often described with red pigments. They can also appear years after the tattoo was done.
Oozing, erosion or ulceration in the area of the tattoo, regardless of how much time has passed since it was done.
Enlarged lymph nodes in the area corresponding to the location of the tattoo.
The reason is the same in both cases: the laser pulse breaks up the pigment and releases it into the tissue. With hypersensitivity to the pigment, this can intensify the reaction, and with a pigmented lesion, treatment blurs the picture needed for diagnosis.
We do not carry out dermatological diagnostics. If the assessment indicates a need for this, we say so at the consultation and refer you onward before starting any laser work.
What the treatment will not do
It does not guarantee complete removal. Some pigments stop at lightening, and the composition of the ink can be unknown even to the studio that applied it.
It will not remove scars hidden under the pigment. It reveals them, and they are managed separately, using other methods.
It does not work the same way on all colours. Light, yellow and white pigments remain the most difficult.
It cannot be shortened by scheduling sessions closer together. Lightening is the work of the lymphatic system, which needs weeks between treatments.
It does not replace a dermatological assessment for a pigmented lesion within the tattoo or a reaction to the pigment.
This list is not meant to discourage you. It is here so the decision is made with realistic expectations, because disappointment after a course of treatments almost always comes from a promise made at the start, not from the treatment itself.
What this looks like at our practice
Observation from the practice
We ask about the goal at the start of the conversation, before assessing the tattoo. The answer "I want to get rid of it" sometimes turns out, after further questions, to be "I want something else in this spot", which is a completely different plan and usually a shorter one.
We examine the area with a dermatoscope before qualification. Pigmented lesions located within the tattoo can be invisible to the naked eye, and they must not be treated with the laser.
This is the practice's own approach, not data from the literature. We mark it separately so that it does not get mixed up with what comes from publications.
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NL Clinic, Katowice
How the content is created
Last updated
15 August 2026
This material is informational in nature and does not replace a consultation or qualification.
The questions we are asked most often
Can every tattoo be completely removed?
There is no basis for promising this before starting. Some tattoos reach a state where you cannot tell anything was there; some stop at clear lightening, especially with light, yellow and white pigments and inks of an unusual composition. The composition of the pigment can be unknown even to the studio that did the tattoo, and it cannot be read from its appearance. The real scope only becomes clear from the response to the first sessions.
How does lightening for a cover-up differ from complete removal?
The aim is a different end state, so the course is different too. With a cover-up, the point is to reduce the density of the pigment enough for the tattoo artist to place a new design, not to remove everything. This needs clearly fewer sessions than complete removal. It is worth establishing this at the start, also because the required degree of lightening is decided by the design of the new tattoo, so by the tattoo artist.
Can there be scars under a tattoo?
Yes, and this is one of the more common surprises. Scars formed during tattooing, especially after amateur work or after the needle was inserted too deep, can be completely masked by the pigment. As the pigment fades, they become visible. They are not caused by the treatment, but the treatment reveals them, which is why we mention this before starting, not after.
I have a mole within my tattoo, what should I do about it?
Naevi located within a tattoo are not treated with the laser. The pigment makes them harder to assess, including under dermoscopy, which delays the recognition of changes that need treatment. We avoid and protect such an area, and the naevus itself should be assessed by a dermatologist. If a lesion within the tattoo is growing, changing shape or colour, itching or bleeding, the assessment is urgent and comes before any aesthetic plans.
My tattoo is itching and raised where the red ink is, is that normal?
No, and this is not an aesthetic matter. Hypersensitivity reactions to pigments, most often described with red pigments, can also occur years after the tattoo was done. The laser pulse breaks up the pigment and releases it into the tissue, which in the case of an allergy can intensify the reaction, including spreading it beyond the area of the tattoo. Management starts with a dermatological assessment.
Is an amateur tattoo easier to remove than a studio one?
Usually yes, because the pigment is distributed unevenly and often more shallow, and there is sometimes less of it. This is not a rule, though: an amateur tattoo is more often linked with scars under the pigment and with an unknown ink composition, which can be harder to deal with than the pigment itself. A studio tattoo is denser and deeper, but more predictable in its response.
Do you have to remove the whole tattoo to improve it?
Not always. Sometimes it is enough to reduce a fragment: a piece of text, a date, a name or an element spoiling the composition, and leave the rest. This kind of work is shorter and cheaper than complete removal, but it does need agreeing beforehand with the tattoo artist on what should stay. It is worth coming with this decision already made, or arranging the order: first a conversation with the tattoo artist, then the consultation.
How long does the whole process take?
It is counted in months, not weeks, because an interval is needed between sessions for the lymphatic system to clear the broken down pigment. Shortening the intervals does not speed up the outcome. If the therapy needs to finish before a specific date, a wedding, photos, a trip, this should be mentioned at the consultation, because it is sometimes more sensible to delay the start than to rush.
Can a tattoo be removed in summer?
Yes, but the area must be untanned and stay protected from the sun for the whole course of the therapy, including between sessions. A suntan in the treatment field increases the risk of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation and usually forces the treatment to be postponed. With tattoos on the forearms, calves and the back of the neck this can be difficult in practice, which is why some patients plan to start in autumn.
Where to start?
From deciding whether the goal is removal, lightening for a new design, or improving a fragment, because the whole plan depends on this. Then a consultation with an assessment of the skin, the tattoo and what lies beneath it. If there is a naevus within the tattoo or a skin reaction persists, the first address is a dermatologist, not a laser practice.
The content is for information. It does not replace a consultation, an examination or an individual assessment.