New to tattoo removal? Read the full guide to Pico laser tattoo removal in Newport Beach before booking.
Tattoo removal using both picosecond and Q-switched lasers, performed personally by Dr. Amir Mortazavi, MD.
Most practices own one tattoo laser and use it on everything. Having both means the device is matched to your ink rather than your ink being matched to the device.
Pico delivers energy in picosecond pulses, shattering ink mechanically with minimal heat. Generally clears in fewer sessions and performs better on stubborn colors — blues, greens, and lighter shades.
Q-switched delivers nanosecond pulses with more thermal effect. Long-established, highly effective on dense black and dark ink, and available at different wavelengths.
Different colors absorb different wavelengths. A multicolored tattoo frequently needs more than one device to clear properly, which is the practical reason to have both.
Ink color determines almost everything.
Black and dark blue — responds best. Absorbs across the widest range of wavelengths.
Red and orange — generally responds well.
Green and turquoise — historically the most stubborn. Where Pico's advantage is most pronounced.
Light blue, purple — variable, often needs more sessions.
White, yellow, flesh tones — the most difficult. White ink in particular can oxidise and turn grey or darker on treatment, a documented reaction. It's usually manageable with continued treatment, but you should know before it happens rather than after.
Cosmetic tattoo pigment — brows, lips, liner — behaves unpredictably and carries the same darkening risk. Test-spotted first. See eyebrow pigment correction.
Other factors: professional tattoos take longer than amateur ones (more ink, placed deeper) · older tattoos clear faster than fresh ones · location matters a great deal — tattoos on the chest and back clear faster than hands, ankles, and feet, where circulation is poorer and the body clears fragmented ink more slowly · layered or cover-up work takes considerably longer, since there's more ink than the surface suggests.
How many sessions? Nobody can tell you accurately before starting.
Most tattoos need somewhere between five and fifteen sessions spaced six to eight weeks apart — longer intervals than pigment treatment, because your lymphatic system needs time to clear fragmented ink between sessions.
Anyone quoting you a fixed number before seeing the tattoo is guessing. A realistic range is given after assessment, and it's revised as your response becomes clear over the first few sessions.
Realistic outcome: most tattoos can be substantially removed. Some leave a faint shadow or textural trace, particularly heavily saturated or previously covered work. If your goal is fading for a cover-up rather than full removal, that requires fewer sessions — tell Dr. Mortazavi at consultation, since it changes the plan.
What to expect: each session takes minutes depending on size. It's uncomfortable — commonly described as worse than getting the tattoo, though brief. Numbing is available.
Expect immediate frosting, then blistering and scabbing over the following week. Don't pick. Keep it clean, covered, and out of the sun.
Sun exposure between sessions is the main cause of pigment complications. Keep the area covered throughout the course, not just after each visit.
New to tattoo removal? Read the full guide to Pico laser tattoo removal in Newport Beach before booking.
Tattoo removal using both picosecond and Q-switched lasers, performed personally by Dr. Amir Mortazavi, MD.
Most practices own one tattoo laser and use it on everything. Having both means the device is matched to your ink rather than your ink being matched to the device.
Pico delivers energy in picosecond pulses, shattering ink mechanically with minimal heat. Generally clears in fewer sessions and performs better on stubborn colors — blues, greens, and lighter shades.
Q-switched delivers nanosecond pulses with more thermal effect. Long-established, highly effective on dense black and dark ink, and available at different wavelengths.
Different colors absorb different wavelengths. A multicolored tattoo frequently needs more than one device to clear properly, which is the practical reason to have both.
Ink color determines almost everything.
Black and dark blue — responds best. Absorbs across the widest range of wavelengths.
Red and orange — generally responds well.
Green and turquoise — historically the most stubborn. Where Pico's advantage is most pronounced.
Light blue, purple — variable, often needs more sessions.
White, yellow, flesh tones — the most difficult. White ink in particular can oxidise and turn grey or darker on treatment, a documented reaction. It's usually manageable with continued treatment, but you should know before it happens rather than after.
Cosmetic tattoo pigment — brows, lips, liner — behaves unpredictably and carries the same darkening risk. Test-spotted first. See eyebrow pigment correction.
Other factors: professional tattoos take longer than amateur ones (more ink, placed deeper) · older tattoos clear faster than fresh ones · location matters a great deal — tattoos on the chest and back clear faster than hands, ankles, and feet, where circulation is poorer and the body clears fragmented ink more slowly · layered or cover-up work takes considerably longer, since there's more ink than the surface suggests.
How many sessions? Nobody can tell you accurately before starting.
Most tattoos need somewhere between five and fifteen sessions spaced six to eight weeks apart — longer intervals than pigment treatment, because your lymphatic system needs time to clear fragmented ink between sessions.
Anyone quoting you a fixed number before seeing the tattoo is guessing. A realistic range is given after assessment, and it's revised as your response becomes clear over the first few sessions.
Realistic outcome: most tattoos can be substantially removed. Some leave a faint shadow or textural trace, particularly heavily saturated or previously covered work. If your goal is fading for a cover-up rather than full removal, that requires fewer sessions — tell Dr. Mortazavi at consultation, since it changes the plan.
What to expect: each session takes minutes depending on size. It's uncomfortable — commonly described as worse than getting the tattoo, though brief. Numbing is available.
Expect immediate frosting, then blistering and scabbing over the following week. Don't pick. Keep it clean, covered, and out of the sun.
Sun exposure between sessions is the main cause of pigment complications. Keep the area covered throughout the course, not just after each visit.
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