A small black tattoo on the forearm reached complete removal after 13 sessions at Removery over 2 years. Total cost: $2,200.
After 13 sessions at Removery.
The tattoo
A small black tattoo on the forearm on Type II skin (fair, tans sometimes but often burns), more than 10 years old when treatment began.
Fitzpatrick Type II is favorable: tolerates standard energy settings with minimal pigmentation risk.
The forearm drains adequately but sits further from the major lymph nodes of the torso.
Older ink benefits from years of natural immune-driven fading: macrophages have been working on the particles throughout the tattoo's life, reducing effective density before treatment begins.
Timeline
13 sessions at 10-12 weeks intervals accounts for roughly 132 weeks of active treatment.
At 13 sessions, the treatment ran longer than the typical 8 to 12 session range for a standard tattoo, which is consistent with the case variables.
Cost
Removery: $2,200 across 13 sessions works out to $169 per session.
The average per-session rate in Chicago runs $193 to $469, so $169 sits within the local range.
The laser
Removery treated this case with the PicoSure, a picosecond platform.
For black ink, it operates at 1064 nm with a pulse duration of 550 - 750 ps.
PicoSure's black ink adapter (1064nm) is considered largely ineffective by most experienced providers; the native 755nm is its strength.
Similar cases in the gallery: Black, Blue, Green, and Yellow Tattoo: 25% Fading After 10 PicoSure Sessions — Large Multicolor Upper Arm Tattoo: 50% Fading After 5 Sessions at Removery