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

At The Missing Ink we use Q-switch nd-YAG lasers. This type of laser has been specifically designed for lasering tattoos and has been used successfully in the industry for many years. We have a lot of people asking us if we use the "Pico" lasers. In our opinion Pico lasers have very little actual research published to back-up the marketing hype about faster removal.  Pico lasers are ridiculously expensive - which is why companies who use them charge so much per session. We think Pico lasers do have their place, but only really for removing blue or green inks. The lasers we use are perfect for the full range of black and red-coloured inks.

Some serious pre-existing medical conditions may mean that you are unsuitable for laser treatment. If your skin is very dark, our laser may not be suitable for us to treat you. Please contact us if you would like further information.

Yes. Our lasers are very accurate and we frequently fade tattoos for cover-ups, or remove specific bits of a tattoo – such as a name, or an image within the whole design.

When you have a tattoo the particles of ink are too large for the body to remove naturally. The body then recognises the ink particles as something it needs to protect, so over time the tattoo becomes surrounded with a network of collagen fibres which keep the ink in place.

The laser emits a pulse of light that is absorbed into certain colours of ink. The light enters the skin at a speed that is too fast to heat the tissue, instead it produces a “shock wave” effect and breaks up the ink particles of the tattoo into smaller pieces. 

The body then recognises these particles as something that shouldn’t be there and attacks them. The particles are then removed naturally by the body’s lymphatic system.

No. Light is measured in nano metres and there are two wavelengths of light that are emitted from the different laser tips we use at The Missing Ink – one is invisible infrared light (1064nm) and the other is visible green light (532nm). The infrared wavelength is preferably absorbed into black and darker inks, whereas the green light is absorbed by red and brown inks. We are able to treat other colours although white, yellow and bright colours can sometimes prove difficult. This is not usually a problem once darker colours or outlines have been removed by the laser because the lighter colours become much less noticeable. If you wish to cover-up an existing tattoo then the darker colours will be removed or faded, allowing you greater choice of size and colour of the cover-up design you choose.

The light from the laser will only see the colour ink it is attracted to, as different wavelengths absorb into different things, it is not possible to produce a laser that can see all colours as some wavelengths are too shallow when absorbed to affect the ink, others can absorb into other matter and damage the skin in the process. Another reason is that all ink pigments contain certain levels of heavy metals. Some pigments may have a higher concentration of these than others, and these can react with the laser light and carbonise in the skin turning the ink black. It is very difficult to remove the ink when this has happened, so if you have other colours you would like treating, we will perform a test patch for you to see if it is possible before proceeding.

Laser treatment costs between £20 and £90 per session (depending on the size and amount of ink in the tattoo). At your FREE no-obligation consultation we will be able to tell you how much each treatment session will cost.

Unfortunately due to the nature of laser tattoo removal it is impossible to predict exactly how many treatments it will take for complete results. At The Missing Ink we use the officially recognised Kirby-Desai scale to estimate the number of sessions you may need. It could take as few as 3-5 sessions for an amateur tattoo or as many as 10-14 for a professional tattoo.

The laser treatment usually starts to work after just one session, but clients should not expect to see results straightaway as it takes 2-3 weeks for the ink to start dispersing. Have a look at our Gallery to see progress photos of some of the tattoos we’re currently working on.

Your body needs time to break down the tattoo ink and remove it after each laser treatment. This is a slow process, therefore each laser treatment is a minimum of 6 weeks apart.

Your skin will most likely be red and feel like it has mild sunburn. This typically goes away after a few hours. There may also be some bruising and mild blistering. It is normal for scabs to form during the healing process. After each treatment you will be given detailed aftercare advice on how to look after the treated area while it heals.

Laser sessions are very fast and the majority of our clients say that it’s nowhere near as bad as they thought it was going to be. Some clients say that the treatment feels like a rubber band snapping quickly on your skin. In order to make each client as comfortable as possible we offer ice packs before treatment. If necessary a numbing cream can be applied by the client before coming in for treatment – but this is not usually necessary. We also have many tried and tested techniques to help clients during treatments – including lollies, squishies and stress balls!

We specialise in working with nervous clients and use a range of different tried and tested techniques to help you feel comfortable during your treatments.

Unfortunately we don't laser eyebrow tattoos. The ink that is sometimes used in cosmetic tattooing is mixed with certain metals that can react badly with the laser, causing lumps under the skin.

We see a lot of clients who have already been scarred during the tattooing process, or have had tattoo removal elsewhere and been left with scarring and remaining ink – this is due to the wrong laser being used, or too higher setting being selected. The type of lasers we use at The Missing Ink are specifically for treating tattoos. In rare cases clients with scarring disorders, (keloids), can have an increased risk of scarring, but we always pick this up during the consultation.

As long as the skin has healed properly at the treatment site, you will be able to have another tattoo applied around 2-3 months following your last session of laser treatment. Your tattooist will be able to advise you.

Some of our clients regret their new tattoo almost as soon as they’ve had it done. In these cases we recommend waiting at least 2-3 months before undergoing laser treatment, to allow the tattoo ink to settle and for the skin to completely heal.

Below are some of the questions we get asked most frequently about laser treatment. If you have a question which isn’t featured on this page please let us know.