Tattoo Removal

Welcome to New England Tattoo Removal, a service of Bentkover Facial Plastic Surgery and Laser Center. Our medical director, Dr. Stuart H. Bentkover, has over 25 years of experience with cosmetic lasers. Currently we use the Candela Tri-Vantage® Laser to remove or modify tattoos anywhere on your body. This state-of–the-art Q-switched laser offers three different wavelengths (colors of laser light) for treating most colors in tattoos, including black, blue, blue-black, green, red, orange, purple and pink. We treat many people who want their tattoos removed, modified or lightened so that can be replaced.

About the Laser

We use the most advanced laser available for tattoo removal, the Q-switched Candela TriVantage®. A Q-switched laser generates a very short pulse that shatters the pigment. This laser combines an Alexandrite laser (755 nanomaters in wavelength) for treating black, blue, brown and green with a YAG laser (532 and 1064 nanometers) for treating black, brown, red and orange.

Tattoo Removal Testimonials:

1. I got my tattoo while in college. Now that I am a professional and during presentations people often seem to be pay more attention to the tattoo on my arm than to my work. I have had a number of treatments, and it is almost gone. R


2. At 35 years of age, I decided to have the tattoo on my upper arm removed by Dr Bentkover. After just a few treatments, I have had amazing results. The tattoo has faded about 70% with virtually no scarring at all. The process is quick and safe, and the entire office staff is very caring and "super" friendly! K


3. My treatments are progressing quickly, and everyone in the office has been so nice to me. I would recommend Dr. Bentkover to any of my friends for laser tattoo removal or any other cosmetic surgery. A

Are there significant risks?

Most laser tattoo removal leaves behind normal looking skin. While scars are possible, they are unusual. That said, some areas of skin are more susceptible to healing with a scar than others. In some areas, like the small of the back, we have to go slower with the treatments to avoid scarring. If you have deeply pigmented skin, the laser may lighten the skin in the area. Dr. Bentkover is very precise in his treatments, but the spread of heat from the lasered area can sometimes lighten the skin around the tattoo. Also, the darker the tattoo, the more chance there is that the skin may heal a bit lighter (hypo-pigmented). Very dark tattoos that require many, many treatments can sometimes also leave behind skin that is a bit thinner. An incompletely removed tattoo can leave a ghost-like appearance, but sometimes this may be as good as you might expect. We have many very happy patients, but you must be realistic as you enter into treatment. At the time of your consultation, Dr. Bentkover will answer all your questions about the risks and likely outcome of laser treatments. He will tell you if he does not think the treatments will be worth the cost.

What does it cost?

Before treating your tattoo, Dr. Bentkover will see you in consultation to discuss how reasonable it may or may not be to treat your particular tattoo. The cost of the consultation is $100.

The cost of treatment varies depending on the size of the tattoo. An area about the size of a standard business card is $250 per treatment. Twice that size is $350 per treatment, and four times that size is $400 per treatment.

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Reasons for Removing Tattoo and Some Precautions

Our patients want to remove or modify their tattoos for many different reasons. Some want parts of a tattoo removed to have it "done over". Some want to forget the old boyfriend, girl friend or spouse (as does the new spouse). Some do not want their children to see the tattoo. Some who are in business or other professions realize that their tattoo is just in the wrong place. Some just do not like their tattoo anymore.

Even before you get a tattoo you need to have a realistic idea about how easy or difficult it might be to remove or modify it. Here are a few pointers to consider:

• Alcohol or drugs and a decision to have a tattoo do not mix well.
• The time to get your first tattoo is not the night of your bachelor or bachelorette party. We commonly get emergency calls after these events. It cannot be removed before your wedding two days later.
• Love is a wonderful thing, but unfortunately is not always forever. Please do not put your lover's name on your body.
• Yellow, beige, white and flesh color are almost impossible to remove. Orange, turquoise and some greens can be very difficult to remove.
• Some of the newer dyes used for tattoos can make removal of any color a challenge.
• If you have most of an arm, leg or your chest tattooed, satisfactory removal is probably not reasonable to expect.
• Ultimately the ability to remove a tattoo depends on your body. The lasers shatter the pigment. This stimulates your own white blood cells to enter the area to remove the pigment. Everyone's white blood cells respond at different rates.
• Sometimes a tattoo cannot be completely removed.
• Think twice before you have a second tattoo placed over a tattoo you do not like. If you do not like the second tattoo, it will be probably be harder to remove than the original tattoo. Placing more ink into the skin makes the tattoo harder to remove. Consider a laser tattoo removal consultation on the original tattoo before you decide to cover it up. We see many patients each year who started out with a small tattoo that could probably have been removed or modified fairly easily with a laser and now have a very large tattoo covered that really cannot be removed effectively after tattooing over it. Know your options before you make a choice.