Blink Tattoo Removal

I have been going to Seattle Skin & Laser, a Blink tattoo removal partner for 9 months (5^th session today) and am very, very happy with their service and results.
I have a 3“x4″ (bold, super-​thick, filled-​in) black tattoo between my shoulder blades. It is most important to me that removal doesn’t leave a scar, even if it means waiting longer between treatments or having the laser on a lower setting. The nurse I schedule every treatment with, Joanie, does a great job with my procedure every time I’m in. She adjusts each treatment to reduce the risk of scarring and remove as much ink as possible, and counsels me on how long to wait for best results before another treatment– a very personalized and effective treatment plan. I have no visible scarring to date, and my tattoo appears to have faded 50% overall, with several areas even lighter.
The procedure can be painful, but I minimize any pain with some simple steps: topical anesthetics and OTC pain relievers 1 hour beforehand, cold air during the procedure, and topical skin burn cream and ice packs after. I opted to have local anesthetic injections for the first procedure, but the pain seems to reduce with each procedure so the injections weren’t necessary after the first time. By now, I look forward to going for treatment & checking my results afterwards; I don’t think twice about any discomfort.
I recommend Joanie to my friends, and now frequent Seattle Skin & Laser for the other great skin treatments they have. Can’t wait to see my tattoo disappear!

I decided not to receive any treatments at the Seattle blink offices. I arrived on time for my consultation, but ended up waiting 45 minutes in the lobby before I decided just to leave. Because I received no word as to when I would be able to be seen. Two other patients who arrived after me got seen while I was waiting.

I’ve had about ten visits and my tattoo is slowly but surely fading. It’s very painful but the staff is awesome and friendly, and I’m always in and out of there incredibly quickly. I’ve never waited more than five minutes past my scheduled time to get back into the office and get zapped. I’d definitely recommend them.
I paid up front for 10 sessions and got the unlimited package (you can come in as many times as you need to finish the job). Since I will probably need at least 15 treatments, the economics have definitely worked well for me.
My one caveat would be on the expectation-​setting front. When I went for my initial consultation, I really believed I’d be done after 10 visits, but this was a very ambitious estimate.

The blink system costs 3x more expensive than the treatment I was getting before. Not to mention that the quote they gave me was for the smallest available I’m sure because they realized how much more it costs make sure to do your research. I was 4 treatments in and ¼ of my tattoos are gone, but now I have to find somewhere else because the clinic switched to Blink

Well, I’m still giving the 5 stars for now as it’s not really their fault that this ugly green tattoo is taking so damn long to disappear! They are very professional and do a great job, but apparently this green ink is a bitch to remove. I’m on something like treatment # 13 or something and it is just now slowly starting to fade. I’m done paying so that’s good, and they told me I could keep coming back every 6 weeks until it’s gone, without paying any more since that was the payment option I chose.
The good news is that they recently obtained a new laser machine that works much better on green inks, and I’ve had 2 or 3 treatments there (it’s at their Edmonds location, schlep!) and that’s when I started noticing a difference. So my first 10 or so treatments were with the old laser machine at their U-​District location which is why I didn’t see much difference. Now that I’m schlepping all the way up to Edmonds every 6 weeks I’m starting to see some serious fading.
I will report back as I receive more treatments!
But for red or pink colors? Fantastic! as mentioned in my previous review, that tattoo only took 3 or 4 treatments and is totally and completely gone with no scarring or any residue at all.

Went in for a consultation appointment today. Thought I was going to have to pay an arm and leg to get a tattoo removed from my neck. I was wrong. I chose the payment plan. Staff is friendly and informative. Had my first treatment today, hurt like a SOB but was quick. UPDATE: have had 3 treatments so far and Blink is still wonderful. Forgot to put numbing cream on my tat so they numbed me up, I didnt feel a thing. Tattoos are starting to fade. Cant wait until they are completely removed.

update, I am elaborating.
So I have a small tatoo, which means I only have to pay the minimum ($ 150) everytime I go. This is the standard minimum for many tattoo removals in seattle. It’s expensive but i want it off!
The first tattoo removal place i went to always made me pay the minimum, never a discount. plus they were kind of rude so i went searching for a new place.
I found blink! They had the same minimum but I thought, whatevs, maybe they wont be so rude.
AND YAY! not only were they nice and non-​judgemental that gave me a discount! The doctor estimated about 9 more sessions and I thought 9×150 = 1350. HOLY COW! SO he suggested
«lets say you’re paying for 7 and if you pay it all at once I can give you a 20% discount» so, what if it takes more than 7 sessions? and he told me since im paying for the package, I can come back as many time as i need to. WHAT THE, YAYYYYY for blink. It’s the right place to go, they understand not everyone’s a baller. :)
so lets see 7×150 = 1050… take of 20% and we’re at 840! :)
I just wished I came here sooner. I already spent 500 bucks at a place that never even gave my a payment option.
I HIGHLY HIGHLY suggest this place.
PS. tattoo removal is almost the worst pain in the world, don’t get me wrong.

FINAL UPDATE (1÷25÷14): I ended up needing 22 sessions spread out over a three year period. At the 22^nd session, the nurse told me I might as well let them fade on their own. 18 months have passed since my last treatment, and the tattoos have faded to the point where they are barely detectable — I’d say 95% gone. The two tattoos I had removed were on either ankle — apparently ankles take longer because they are so far away from the heart, and the blood has to travel further to remove the ink (don’t quote me on that). I’m very happy with the final result.
ANOTHER UPDATE (10÷26÷11): I’ve been in for 20 treatments and the tattoos are about 70% faded. Keep this in mind when deciding on what type of payment plan you’re going with. The folks at Blink originally quoted me 10 treatments to remove the tattoos, and it’s taken twice that long (and they’re not gone). I am SO GLAD I went with the «12 payments and we’ll treat you ’til they’re gone» plan, or else I would have paid over $ 5,000 by now. The staff at Blink continues to be awesome. Would still highly recommend, just know that it’s impossible to tell at an initial consultation how many treatments you’ll need.
UPDATE (12÷27÷10): I’ve now been in for 14 treatments. Tattoos are coming off slower than expected, but are fading gradually. I would highly advise going with the payment plan option (where you pay «x» number of payments up to a set amount, regardless of how many treatments it takes) or else paying the total up front as opposed to pay-​as-​you-​go because there is just no way to determine how your skin will react to the laser and how long it will take. The staff at Blink is still wonderful as always.
I’ve been in for 5 treatments. Agree with the previous poster, hurts like a SOB every single time, but Joanie is great, my appointment times are accurate, and I’m in and out in about 15 minutes. Plus, they offer 3 different payment plans to choose from. I’ve had great experiences here so far.

One complaint — this place does not take American Express. When people are financing something this big, all forms of payment should be accepted.
Other than that, I am 100% satisfied. Two treatments down, and eight more to go. Can’t wait to see my ankle in its natural state once again.

I’m in the process of getting a tattoo removed and while it’s painful as hell, the people at Blink somehow make the experience somewhat enjoyable. 2 treatments down — 11 more to go.

Just had my 2^nd treatment on my ankle tattoo yesterday! I was in and out in 20 minutes. As the other reviewer stated, it is very painful (I recall it being painful to get but don’t remember HOW painful as it was 17 years ago), but Dr. Lawlor is super fast with his Laser. To be frank, it literally is like a rubber band being snapped on your skin… but TEN FOLD! But it only takes 20 seconds and it was done! If it took longer I don’t know if I could handle it but for 5 more treatments, it’s nothing! And when I walked out I felt like I should be limping, but it didn’t hurt… it was all in my head.
Joanie, the nurse, was extra helpful and had some topical numbing cream waiting for me at the front desk to pickup the day before my appointment time. It is recommended to put on 45 mins. to 1 hour beforehand and I was running late… I called up to the office and asked if there was any possible way someone could run it down to me (fully expecting them to say no) in the parking lot since I was running late and I had both my daughters with me… and if you’re a parent… to take kids in and out of carseats… ugh! They were more than happy to and an office person was outside waiting for me and literally handed it to me through my car window and I drove off! Talk about going above and beyond!
I do plan on returning for the remainder of my treatments. I would suggest to Michelle C. to give them another try… while I agree waiting 1 hour is not acceptable and not a way to get returning patients. Their Laser is worth it from what I’ve heard from other people who have had treatments elsewhere. Blink has the highest powered Laser in the state of Washington. Plus, I’m pretty sure Blink is fairly brand new, so they
really haven’t had much time to build any kind of reputation. 20 seconds of pain is worth it for me to remove my tattoo!