From time to time we like to write about us and the world of laser tattoo removal.

Providing safe treatments to all our clients

As a professional business we have strict procedures which we follow for every client, to ensure safety is always at the top of our agenda. 

All new clients will have a consultation with their laser technician to assess their tattoo, discuss the treatments and have any questions answered. 

If our client is happy to proceed, they will be asked to complete a consultation form. This form asks about the client’s medical history, allergies, medications being taken and skin type. 

Some medical conditions may rule out laser treatment

Unfortunately, some medical conditions can be a contraindication to laser tattoo removal so the treatments will not be able to go ahead. 

Other medical conditions may need permission from the client's doctor or consultant to go ahead. 

The same goes for medications, some medications can cause adverse reactions to laser tattoo removal so a discussion with the client's doctor may be needed. 

We'll talk you through any other info we may need about the medications you are taking.

The client will also be asked to complete a skin typing form, this asks questions such as natural skin colour, how the skin reacts to the sun and the last time the treatment area was exposed to the sun. 

This form allows us to determine the client's skin type and ensure it is suitable for our lasers. 

As medical history is so important when it comes to laser tattoo removal, our clients all sign a consent form before every treatment to confirm that nothing has changed medically. If anything has changed between treatments, this will be assessed and treatment will only go ahead if there are no new contraindications.  

If you'd like to know more why not give us a call on 07539 279 355 or email us at ask@the-missing-ink.co.uk

Health conditions and laser treatment

Why is laser treatment such a slow process?

We wish the process of having a tattoo removed was quicker than it is, but for laser treatment to be carried out safely, and to get the best results for you we need to leave a minimum of six weeks between sessions. 

We leave this time to allow your skin to heal from the treatment, but also for your immune system to have enough time to flush out the ink from your previous session. 

The laser shatters the ink particles and your own body then processes these particles to remove them – this is how the tattoo gradually fades. 

Longer gaps between sessions gives better results

Leaving your tattoo six weeks or longer does not affect the results you will achieve, in fact clients are surprised that their tattoo continues to fade even after leaving a long break between sessions. 

Some companies will advise clients to have laser treatment every 4 weeks. We do not agree with this and would strongly advise against having laser treatment so frequently - due to the increased risk of scarring and lasering over skin that has not completely healed.

We will assess your tattoo before each treatment and will advise you how many weeks we should leave until your next session. Some clients may need longer if their skin takes longer to heal or if their tattoo is very nearly faded and the power used on the laser has been increased. 

Why do you have to wait so long between laser sessions?

Deciding to get a tattoo removed or faded down for a cover-up, is a big commitment. 

You will be spending a significant amount of time and money having laser treatment and looking after your fading tattoo between sessions.

Unfortunately, laser treatment is not a "quick fix" - it requires patience and absolute trust in your laser technician.

We urge everyone considering tattoo removal to really do their research into who they are going to trust their skin and money to. 

A Google search of "tattoo removal near me" will bring up loads of companies offering fast, cheap, pain-free laser treatment.

Look a little deeper into the companies that are listed:

Have they paid to come at the top of the results?

Do they specialise in laser treatment or do they offer many other services?

What are clients saying about the service?

Have they got lots of examples of their lasering work or are they using stock/Photoshopped images?

Unfortunately there are many local businesses out there who have not had the relevant training required to treat tattoos, which will means they'll probably not be insured to laser you. 

They basically just want your money and are not focused on getting you the results you want from your treatment. 

You may read about the machine a company is using, and they could pretty much sell you the machine as the best thing since sliced bread, but the technicians using the machine are equally as important. 

Technicians who perform numerous other aesthetic treatments and maybe only laser tattoos once or twice a week, cannot develop the experience of working on hundreds of tattoos. 

We are proud to say that we specialise in laser tattoo removal - we do not offer any other treatments, this is what we do day in day out. 


Remember that it's your skin and your money that you're trusting a company with.

Get in contact with a few companies and ask lots of questions about the tattoo removal process:

Do you offer free, no-obligation consultations?

If I want to go ahead, do you perform test patches? (this is so important - if you're not offered a test patch steer clear!)

Getting answers to these sorts of questions should give you a feel for the company and help you decide where to go. 

We understand that when we are reading information about laser treatment, watching videos and seeing photos it is easy for us to spot red flags, as we are qualified and this is our profession. 

However, it is easy to fall for a sales pitch if you do not completely understand how tattoo removal works. 

We are more than happy to explain the process to potential clients and answer any questions they may have - there is no such thing as a silly question! 

In fact, we love it when clients fire loads of questions at us - we could bore you stupid with what we know about tattoo removal!

The importance of client confidentiality and confidence in our service

During your consultation with us, we ask if you give us permission to use photographs of your tattoos on our website and social media. 

We never share any photos without permission and we only share photos of the tattoos, not the clients, and we will never tag our clients in any posts. 

We completely respect confidentiality and understand that not everyone is comfortable having photos of their tattoo on our business accounts. 

We believe that sharing realistic photos and videos of our work is the best way to represent what we do. 

You may see videos online that look really impressive and the treatments look extremely fast. Most of these videos are enhanced and sped up! 

The same goes for before and after photos. We never edit our photos - we want to show the true results of our work as we are very proud of what we do! 

All of our followers, likes and reviews are genuine - we never pay for adverts so that we come top on Google, or purchase thousands of fake followers on our Instagram.

We pride ourselves on being completely upfront and honest with every client we speak to - if we don’t feel that we can get you the results you are after, we will tell you and advise you on a different route you may need to take. We also work continuously behind the scenes updating our website and social media accounts to keep everything fresh and up to date to give everyone doing their research an accurate representation of our work.

The importance of researching where you have laser treatment

We would be lying if we said laser tattoo removal was completely pain free – we wish it was! 

Other companies promote "pain-free" laser treatments, but if you consider that the laser is shattering the ink particles in your tattoo - there's is always going to be some level of pain. Cooling machines and ice packs do take the edge off the sensation, but unless you have a general anaesthetic you will feel the treatment.

Both of us have had laser treatment on our tattoos, so we understand exactly what you are going through. We try our best to make the treatment as comfortable as possible. We can use cool packs, we can chat to you to take your mind off it, and we have plenty of stressballs and squishies for you to squeeze.  Many of our clients find that sucking on a lolly or chewing gum helps as well.

Does numbing cream really work for laser treatments?

To be honest, the jury's out on the use of numbing cream.

Some clients swear by it, and won't have a laser session if they've forgotten to put it on, others don't think it makes any difference.

Numbing cream does not affect the treatment or the healing process, but it can make it more comfortable for you.  

If you find your laser sessions very painful, have a chat with us and we can tell you about which numbing cream that our clients have found to be most effective.

It's really important that the numbing cream is applied correctly - otherwise you will have wasted your money.

Put the numbing cream on at least 60-90 minutes before your laser session

Make sure the whole tattoo is covered with the cream (especially the edges)

Wrap the area loosely in clingfilm and tape it to stop it moving around

Keep the numbing cream on until you get to the studio - we'll take it off for you just before your treatment

What does laser treatment actually feel like?

We have heard lots of different descriptions of what the treatment feels like to our clients. 

Elastic bands snapping against the skin 

Most of our clients have never had laser treatment before, so have no idea what to expect when they sit in our chairs for the first time.

The first shot with the laser always makes people jump - because it's a completely different sensation than they have ever felt before. 

Almost every single client tells us that it's not as bad as they thought it was going to be!

The treatment itself is a lot quicker than when you had the tattoo originally put on and the discomfort stops almost immediately after the laser hits the ink. Let's admit it - tattoos are very uncomfortable to have, so if you can sit through that process you will have no problems with laser treatment.  

Does laser tattoo removal treatment hurt?

It is important that clients take care of their tattoo throughout the whole process. Luckily, we don’t ask you to buy any fancy creams or lotions to do this – it's actually very simple to look after your tattoo. 

Everyone reacts differently to laser treatment, some people may develop blisters or scabs, some people may bruise, some people may just get itchy and dry skin. 

We advise that you use Vaseline on the area for the first two days after treatment, and then switch to E45 daily until your next treatment. 

Your skin may become dry and slightly itchy – just like when you got the tattoo – and may feel like mild sunburn for the first few days. It is very important to not pick any scabs or blisters as this can cause scarring. 

We ask that you protect your treatment area from sunlight by covering it or using SPF50/sunblock when it is exposed to sunlight. This helps us to achieve the best results for you. 

We understand that it can be daunting for clients at first, as they do not really know what to expect the healing process to be like after their first session, so we are always on hand to answer any questions you may have. 

Looking after your tattoo following laser treatment

A lot of our clients are intrigued as to how the laser actually fades their tattoo. Without getting too technical and scientific, we would like to explain how the process works. 

When a tattoo is put into the skin by a tattoo artist, the ink particles are large enough for your body to protect them – hence the fact that tattoos are supposed to be there for life. 

Our laser is able to break up the ink particles which your body then recognises as something it needs to flush out. Your scavenger cells will be sent to the treatment site and begin clearing the broken ink particles. 

Over the next six weeks or so, they will be flushed out of your body and the tattoo will fade. 

Multiple treatments are needed to slowly break down the ink which is deeper in the skin, this is why the tattoo fades gradually.

If a tattoo has lots of shading, the shading will fade first as the ink is not as deep as line work.  

Overview of how laser tattoo removal works 

At the start of your laser session we will have a look at your tattoo and see how it has healed/faded from your test patches or previous session. 

You will be asked to read a consent form and sign that you are happy to proceed with the treatment. 

While we are setting up for treatment, we can apply a cool pack to the area if you wish and you can grab a stressball to squeeze during the treatment if this helps you. 

You and your laser technician will put on safety glasses and you are ready to start. We understand that some people find the treatments uncomfortable and everyone reacts differently to this, so we will work with you to make you as comfortable as possible. If you want to talk we will chat to you, if you prefer to stay quiet and zone out, we're happy for you to do this. 

You can ask for a short break if you need to – Hollie has lots of short breaks when she has her treatment to her shoulder, so completely understands that this is necessary for some people. 

Once the treatment is finished, we will take a photo of the treatment area, (for insurance purposes) and then we will apply cream and a dressing for you. You do not need to worry about dressing your tattoo yourself whilst it is healing, we just dress it immediately after treatment to protect the area for a short while whilst it is still fresh. 

We are always happy to answer any questions you may have, even if you forget to ask whilst in the studio with us. We have clients texting us with any queries and we will respond personally as soon as we can to help – all part of the personal service you get from a small family business! 

What to expect during a laser session with us

We're a family business of Mother and daughter.

Sarah and Hollie are both qualified to the highest level in laser treatments, fully insured and with over 14 years lasering experience between them. 

We are not against tattoos in any way – we both have tattoos ourselves, and love the different styles and meaning behind all tattoos. We just know that some people can fall out of love with their tattoos, or they bring back bad memories, so we want to help solve this for everyone. 

We are both passionate about what we do and love nothing more than building a relationship with our clients and being a big part of making them feel better about themselves. 

We aim to deliver our treatments to the highest standard and want our clients to be 100% satisfied. 

This is why we are honest and open about everything relating to the treatments. 

If we do not feel like a client’s tattoo will respond well to treatment for any reason, we will advise of this straightaway, as we would rather have a client grateful of our professional advice, than a client who has been falsely led into a treatment which could damage their skin or be a waste of money for them.  

Your laser tattoo removal technicians

We have two beautiful purpose-built studios in Hazel Grove, Stockport. When moving to our new premises in 2020, we had a completely empty shell to work with, so we were able to build our studios exactly how we wanted them. We wanted our clients to be treated in a welcoming, comfortable and professional environment, and we think we have achieved that with our studios. 

We are located very near to transport links with a bus stop just a few metres away and a train station a 10 minute walk away. We also have street parking and a car park to the rear of our building. 

We understand that some clients may be nervous about their treatments or may not want others to know they are having treatment, for this reason we have a discreet rear entrance as well as the entrance from the main road. 

We share our building with an award winning barber shop ‘Mister Barber’,  but we are separate businesses – we like people to be aware that laser treatment is what we specialise in and this is the only treatment we offer.  

Our laser studios

We thought it might be interesting to give you a bit of background about our business and how it came about, back in 2014. 

As with many other small businesses, The Missing Ink started with a desire to make a living, and to help people feel better about themselves. 

We’d always admired the skill and creativity of exceptional tattoo artists, and appreciated how a beautiful, well thought-out inking could really make a positive difference to how people felt about themselves. 

Tattoos were for life before laser treatment became mainstream and more affordable.

 After lots of research it became clear that a significant proportion of the population had tattoos that they regretted, and wanted to get removed altogether, or faded down to make way for new tattoos. 

We started researching the industry and identified a gap in the market where we thought we could fit in. Unlike other clinics and tattooists, we wanted to just focus on lasering tattoos and become the best at what we did. It was a bit of a gamble because we were narrowing our potential market, but tattoos were growing in popularity and more tattooists were opening locally. 

A big part of our investigation recognised the negative psychological impact that a tattoo can have on mental health. Over the years we’ve treated clients who have been severely affected by their tattoos, and there is no better feeling than when a client gets to the end of treatment and they tell you that you’ve changed their life! 

That in a nutshell is why we absolutely love what we do!

How The Missing Ink laser tattoo removal started

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