A large black tattoo on the upper arm, shoulder, upper torso reached 50% fading after 4 sessions at Removery over 2 years. Total cost: $2,200.
Before (session 0) and after (session 4) at Removery.
The tattoo
A large black tattoo on the upper arm, shoulder, upper torso on Type I skin (very fair, always burns), less than 1 year old when treatment began.
Fitzpatrick Type I allows the highest laser energy settings with the lowest risk of pigmentation changes.
The upper arm is close to the axillary lymph nodes, which supports efficient clearance between sessions.
Fresh tattoos start at full ink density with no prior fading, so the laser encounters them at their heaviest point.
Timeline
4 sessions at 8-10 weeks intervals accounts for roughly 27 weeks of active treatment.
The total reported duration was 2 years, which means roughly 76 weeks of gaps between sessions.
That spacing is within the generally accepted 6 to 12 week range.
Cost
Removery: $2,200 across 4 sessions works out to $550 per session.
The average per-session rate in San Jose runs $167 to $357. At $550, this is above the local average, likely reflecting the large tattoo size or premium clinic pricing.
The laser
Removery treated this case with the Picoway, a picosecond platform.
For black ink, it operates at 1064 nm with a pulse duration of 240 - 450 ps.
Mike from GO describes PicoWay as a monster on black ink, and it is his personal choice for black ink removal.
Similar cases in the gallery: Black Tattoo: 25% Fading After 9 Sessions — Small Black Tattoo on the Forearm After 4 Sessions: Minimal Visible Change So Far (50% Fading)