Back in the day, tattoos used to be forever. That’s why we’re still warned to think twice about getting tattoos today. But nowadays, tattoo removal exists, and experts say that removing standard black tattoos has up to 90% success rate. About 70-90% of colored tattoos are removed successfully, and the same goes for 95% of small tattoos.
Every bit of the removal journey can feel like a small win, and where better to share your progress than on a subreddit dedicated just for that? Whether it’s a bad tattoo job, an ex’s name, or something that brings back bad memories, tattoo removal experts have helped these folks to get rid of it.
We’ve gathered the most impressive and successful examples of tattoo removal and present them to you here. Turns out, sometimes you can erase your mistakes.
To know more about how the tattoo removal process works, Bored Panda reached out to a professional – Sydney-based tattoo removal specialist Jamie Tomlinson from Goodbye Tattoos. “Tattoo removal is like peeling back an onion skin,” she tells us. Yet there’s also so much more to it.
Read on to find out whether removing a tattoo is more painful than getting one, what the most annoying misconceptions about tattoo removal are, and why new technology is making it more and more effective!
More info: Goodbye Tattoos | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | TikTok
#1 Successful Self Harm Tattoo Removal
To punish myself in a breakdown a few years ago I tattooed my face. With pico laser I got it removed it took about 4 sessions.. now I need to stay sober and try to remove the rest of the tattoos on my body and to preserve my original beauty I destroyed…
Image source: No_Resolution9384
#2 Almost Gone!!! April 2025 Will Be 3 Years Since I’ve Started Removal. 2-3 Months Apart
Image source: seanceforavampire
#3 8 Sessions Over A Three Year Period. Professional, Amateur, And Prison Made Ink. Nanosecond Laser
Image source: johnnylaser007
#4 Mission Accomplished!
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#5 3 Sessions. First Two Sessions Six Months Apart In 2018. Third Session Done June 2020. After Photo Taken Today January 2025. Q Switch Nanosecond Laser. Not Removery. Not Picoway
Image source: johnnylaser007
#6 6 Session Progress
Image source: Fragrant-Dust-4598
#7 Seven Sessions First Session January 2019. Q Switch Nanosecond Laser
Image source: johnnylaser007
#8 Big A** Black Tattoo That’d Been Reworked Twice Before Biting The Removal Bullet. 2 Years And 10 Or So Sessions Later, She’s Gone
Image source: BishSaidWut
#9 7 Sessions. 16-20 Weeks Apart. Q Switch Nanosecond Laser
Image source: johnnylaser007
#10 5 Sessions In! Feeling Like I’m In The Home Stretch
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#11 Tattoo Removal
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#12 All Gone (:
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#13 10 Sessions Over 3.5 Years
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#14 Update On My Tattoo Removal
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#15 | 10 Months | 4 Sessions | Q Switch Ndyag |
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#16 Bringing You Guys Hope
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#17 Five Sessions Over A 4 Year Period. Q Switch Nanosecond Laser. Not Picoway. Not Removery
Image source: johnnylaser007
#18 Ok Guys Please Don’t Judge🤦🏻♀️ I Just Wanted To Show You The Benefits Of Leaving A Huge Gap In Between Sessions, So This Is Only 4 Sessions Of Removal With Pico Laser, 1 Each 12 Months, It Just Kept Continuing To Fade On It’s Own , Stoked With The Results !!!
Image source: shyladream
#19 8 Sessions In 4 Years, Dark Skin Tattoo Removal
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#20 Before And After Progress
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#21 Almost Done With Removal 2+ Years
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#22 2.5 Years Of Blackout Removal Progress
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#23 Finally Done After 2 Years & 8 Sessions
The after pic was taken 6/25/2025.
Two things I did religiously that I think helped were using the massage gun on it a few times a week, and covering it sports tape any time it was going to be exposed to the sun. Yes, it did look a bit silly when I was wearing a dress or in a bathing suit but it helps to keep it covered.
Laser :Picoway Price : $1,700
Image source: Necessary-Object1243
#24 7 Sesions, 1 Year And A Half In A Cover Up
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#25 3 Sessions In
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#26 Full Removal. 8 Sessions Over 11 Months. May 2021-April 2022. Picosure
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#27 Low Density 3 Sessions 🦾
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#28 6 Treatments In
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#29 I’ve Had Six Treatments In Two Years. I’m Very Happy With The Progress!
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#30 4/5 Treatments In
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#31 Four Years Later On Jet-Black Tattoo.. I Feel So Much Happier And Lighter. It’s Unbelievable
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#32 Completed Tattoo Removal – 6 Years/~18 Sessions
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#33 This Is Where We’re At Now
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#34 Update On Large, Dark Tattoo Removal. 7 Sessions Over 5 Years
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#35 Update; 7 Months After Session Nr. 3
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#36 Guys!! Don’t Lose Hope
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#37 6th Session Snake Tattoo Update 🐍
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#38 That’s A Wrap
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#39 I’m Gonna Call This A W
Started in Dec 2020, I’ve had 10+ sessions, stopped keeping track so it’s probably more! My last session was over 6 months ago. Might get one more for good measure but I’m fine with just letting time do it’s thing 🙂
Image source: sn00pd0g123
#40 16 Sessions Over 4.5 Years
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#41 11 Sessions. First Session April 2019. Q Switch Nanosecond Laser. Not Picoway. Not Removery
Image source: johnnylaser007
#42 Update 2 Yrs Later
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#43 One Single Session. Five Years Ago Yesterday . Second Session Today. When You Wonder Why You Aren’t Seeing Progress After Your Third / Fifth / Ninth Session, Its Because You Aren’t Giving Yourself Enough Time Between Sessions
Image source: johnnylaser007
#44 Before And After: 3 Picosure Sessions Over 18-24 Months
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#45 My Process / Progress
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#46 1 Session, 6 Months Ago
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#47 Update – Getting There! 3 Months After My 12th Session, Seeing The Light At The End Of The Tunnel!
Image source: celineandbarnes
#48 After 10-13 Treatments. Skin Type 4. All Q-Switched
Image source: JHB_TattooRemoval
#49 2 Years!!
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#50 Don’t Give Up!
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#51 It’s Possible!
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#52 8 Sessions
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#53 One I’ve Been Working On A Few Years –
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#54 Nine Sessions Over 3 Years. Nanosecond Laser
Image source: johnnylaser007
#55 5 Sessions With Two Months Of Spacing
Image source: No-Awareness3288
#56 Getting Close To The Finish Line
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#57 Removal Update. 12 Sessions And Over 2 Years Later I’m Finally Done And Ready To Commit To A Coverup
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#58 Just Wanted To Share This With You Guys … After 2 Years It Finnaly Happened
Image source: FryingDan
#59 Before – August 2024 – August 2025
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#60 4 Years – 6 Sessions
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#61 6 Sessions In 9 Months With Cutera Enlighten
Image source: Familiar_Milk_1037
#62 I Treated This Tattoo 6 Times On One Of My Pico Laser
Image source: jamie_0007
#63 Many Sessions Later
Image source: Rude_Literature7886
#64 5 Sessions 12-24 Weeks Apart. Last Session Two Years Ago. Before Photo June 2019. After Photo Taken Today. Qswitch Nanosecond Laser
Image source: johnnylaser007
#65 Left Was Before Any Sessions, Right Is After About 8 Sessions. So Worth It
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#66 16 Sessions Over Five Years. Nanosecond Laser
Image source: johnnylaser007
#67 Two Years Of Progress
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#68 2 Sessions. Six Years Ago. After Photo Taken Today. Q Switch Nanosecond Laser
Image source: johnnylaser007
#69 2 Sessions. That’s Right. Two Sessions Spaced Six Months Apart In 2018. Q Switch Nanosecond Laser. Not Pico. This Person Returned Today After Visiting Us In 2018 To Start On A New Tattoo
Image source: johnnylaser007
#70 Almost Gone….(Please Be Nice)
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#71 5 Years Of Sessions On The Heaviest Tattoo Ever. So Close To Total Removal!
Image source: ninefortysix
#72 10 Sessions Over Three Years. Nanosecond Q Switch Laser
Image source: johnnylaser007
#73 Updates. Removery Tattoo. 14 Sessions
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#74 Black & Grey Sleeve Progress
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#75 2 Sessions! 6 Months Wait In Between
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#76 Haven’t Done A Session In Over A Year But It’s Still Releasing Ink
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#77 5 Sessions Over Three Years. Q Switch Nanosecond Laser
Image source: johnnylaser007
#78 ~2.5 Years, 8 Grueling Removal Sessions With Medlite C6, And One Less Shoddy Tattoo Later
Image source: stanislavovna
#79 Progress After 1.5 Years. Haven’t Had A Removal Session In 6 Months. Waiting Longer Between Sessions Is The Best For Results
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#80 My Completed Removal 🥳 Don’t Lose Hope!
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