How Many Sessions Does It Take to Remove a Tattoo or permanent make-up?

“How many sessions will I need to completely remove my tattoo?” is one of the first questions asked by most people starting laser tattoo removal.

And while we would love to give every client an exact number, in reality, it is impossible to guarantee the exact number of sessions required to completely remove the pigment.

Why?

Because the laser does not remove the pigment on its own.

The laser breaks down the pigment in the skin into smaller particles, which are then gradually eliminated by the body. This means that the entire tattoo removal process is a combination of the laser’s action and the body’s natural processes.

That is exactly why even cases that look almost identical can fade at completely different rates.

Fortunately, we can rely on statistics and our own experience:

Outline Tattoo — from 6 sessions

For heavily saturated outline tattoos, our experience shows that the removal process generally starts from around 6 sessions.

This does not mean that every tattoo will be completely invisible after the fifth session.

If the pigment is highly saturated, located deeper in the skin, or the body eliminates its particles more slowly, additional sessions may be required.

Therefore, “from 6 sessions” represents an approximate lower threshold based on our statistics, not a promise that the process will be completed after 6 visits.

Shaded Tattoo — up to 6 sessions

Shaded tattoos usually contain less pigment than heavily saturated outlines.

That is why, in our experience, they often take around 6 sessions or even fewer to remove.

However, there is still no single number of sessions that applies to every case.

Permanent Makeup of the Brows and Lips — 2–4 sessions

When it comes to permanent makeup of the brows and lips, the statistics are generally more favorable.

We most often see an average of 2–4 sessions.

However, the final number depends on the specific pigment, its saturation, depth, and any previous procedures.

That is why even within this category, some cases may require fewer or more sessions.

Permanent Eyeliner — from 1 to 10 sessions

Permanent eyeliner is the most individual case in our statistics.

Here, the range can be from 1 to as many as 10 sessions.

Why can the difference be so significant?

One of the reasons is the structure of the eyelid skin.

The skin of the eyelids is among the thinnest skin on the body. Near the eyelid margin, it can be approximately 0.3 mm thick, while other areas of the upper eyelid may be thicker.

This means that working with pigment in this area requires a completely different approach.

That is why, when it comes to permanent eyeliner, we do not give one average number of sessions. A range of 1 to 10 is a much more accurate and honest reflection of how different individual cases can be.

Why Can Two Identical Tattoos Take Different Numbers of Sessions to Remove?

Imagine two people who had exactly the same tattoo done on the same day:

• by the same tattoo artist;
• using the same pigment;
• in the same color;
• of the same size;
• with the same shape;
• in the same location;
• with the same amount of pigment.

Both people then come to us for removal.

We use the same laser and work according to an appropriately selected treatment protocol.

Will their tattoos be removed in the same number of sessions?

No.

It may turn out that the pigment fades significantly faster in one person and more slowly in the other.

Why?

Because once the laser breaks down the pigment, the individual processes taking place inside the body become extremely important.

Every body functions differently. This includes differences in immune response and in the rate at which the body eliminates pigment particles.

That is why even two highly similar cases do not necessarily go through the removal process in exactly the same way.

The Laser Starts the Process, but the Body Does the Rest

During a session, the laser delivers energy to the pigment and breaks it down into smaller particles.

However, this does not mean that all of the pigment disappears from the skin immediately during the procedure.

The laser prepares the pigment for further elimination by the body. That is why laser tattoo removal is a gradual process that takes time and almost always requires a series of sessions.