6 and a half weeks post op

i know im supposed to update this blog every week, but sometimes life just take over and u have no time for anything else!!

also, i have no pictures as my blackberry got stolen and i hadnt backed up in a month or so, as my blackberry was new, so unfortunately i dont have any pictures of the recovery from week 3 or so.

I also started to use scar away on my scar. basically scar away is a patented silicon sheet that mimics the natural function of normal, healthy skin, increasing hydration and works to soften scar tissue, reducing its development and causing it to fade away.  The pack that i ordered states that you need to use the silicone plasters for 8 - 12 weeks to see any results, however i can say ive only been using it for a week or so and my scar already has gone from looking red and raised to a more browny colour (close to my skin tone)

i will be back tomorrow or so to attach pictures of what my scar currently looks like.

1 week post op

WARNING!!! More unpleasant pictures 




I went straight home on the day of the surgery, it didn't  hurt or anything as the are was still numb, it was however stuck in an awkward position, i basically couldn't straighten my arm, bent at the elbow, which was really uncomfortable. 

HOWEVER! i woke up in the middle of the night in PAIN! ok ok i exaggerate it wasn't that much pain, but after the anesthetic wore off, there was a throbbing pain there, i also could only sleep on my side, with a pillow underneath the arm supporting it. it was really uncomfortable.

Anyway after getting all stitched up:

The Dr had told me to take off the bandage 3 days after, he however either told me or i wasn't listening but basically i was so afraid to remove it myself, i went back to him 3 days afterwards to have d bandage removed:

It looked really good!!!  

5 days post op:

Exactly 7 days after i had the surgery, i went back to have my stitches removed ( i forgot to add that i got my surgery done in london, and as i dont live in london anymore i was only in town for about 10 days, so i had to have the stitches removed in the morning as i was due to fly out at 10pm)

Removing stitches wasn't painful either but it was uncomfortable and the scar area ached a bit afterwards, the Dr put in some steri strips and told me to be careful with it as the scar could still open up if i lifted heavy stuff, so i got paranoid! and couldn't straighten my arm again, which of course meant it just ached, so my friend E, put it in a sling for me.

so there i was with my arm in a sling..... @ the airport.... feeling sorry for myself! i even thought Virgin Atlantic would be nice to me and carry my extra bag for me! the still charged me!!!! lol

Surgery Day

WARNING!!! Very unpleasant picture below!!


I wish i could say the excision was pain free, it wasnt!! lol


i remember waking up the morning of my surgery and thinking oh dear, what am i doing? but i forged ahead. my appointment was for 11am, the surgeon had told me it would take about an hour or so.


i go there at 11, and filled out all those random forms they ask you to fill out and sign to basically say the surgeom had explained all the risks and blah blah blag. and then i paid! i piad 12 times the amount it cost me to have the tattoo done in the first place! as i typed in my pin, i really felt stupid at that point for getting the tattoo in the first place. lol


anyways, so off we went to the op room, and it started!


First he gave me a few injection (local anesthetic) to numb the area, i lost count of how many times he popped the needle in to be honest. after a few minutes, he brought out the scalpel and sliced my skin, ahddddd@,mfjbdjbjsbfjbjfb!!!!!! that was what came out of my mouth! the area wasn't numb yet! so we got back to it, after a while it was numb enough to start cutting, i couldn't look so i just turned my face the other way.


i could feel the tug at my skin, best way to describe it? almost like cutting leather! it wasn't painful or anything. after a few mins i looked! oh dear Lord, i nearly passed out! he had taken the tattoo off an all i could see was a huge hole  with fat, blood and all sorts! might as well have been on Dr 90210! anyway it was all done, tattoo was off now can the time to stitch the skin back together.


now i cannot tell you how painful this was!!! the edges were not numb at all and i felt the needle go into my skin a few times, and i cant lie it hurt like hell!!


dissolvable stitches on the inside, and more stitches on the outside than i could bother to count. the stitches were so tight that i couldn't straighten my arm. so it was in this awkward position for the next few days.


anyways heres a picture of my arm all stitched up:

Excision Decision

I decided about 3 or so weeks ago, after months of research online that i was going to do an excision on my tattoo, so i started to send emails to the clinics that i knew.


Excision is basically when they cut out the tattoo and stitch your skin back together, sounds very Dr 90210 ish and i dare say it is. lol


I have to say here though, the purpose of this blog is not to dissuade anyone from getting a tattoo, far from it, it is my own personal journey and how i feel about a decision i made years ago. a friend of mine recently posted a comment on my wall on facebook saying it just goes to show that whatever decisions we make have consequences weather good or bad. i would however advise that if you do decide to get a tattoo its probably best to get it in a place where u can basically forget about it ( i.e not have to stare at it everyday) if/when u do start to get pissed off about it.


ps: From the next post, i will have more images, and i have to warn you the images are certainly not for the faint hearted!!! stay tuned!

Getting it removed

i tried Laser, which isnt so great on black skin, in my opinion, or maybe it was just my skin. but basically at  100GBP a session, it turned out to be a waste of money because after 3 or 4 treatments i was still exactly where i started.




Then i heard of TCA - it cost me $50. amazing i thought! Basically TCA  is a  non-prescription skin peeling agent commonly used by doctors, health spas and private individuals to remove fine lines, wrinkles and acne scars on the face.TCA works by creating controlled inflammation  is generated on the surface of the skin above the tattoo. This inflammation causes the pigment (ink) to naturally break apart and migrate to the surface with new skin growth. Your body actually does most of the work. Doctors agree  that generating this controlled inflammation repeatedly over time is what it takes to fade or remove a tattoo


well i was more than happy to try it, it only cost $50, and even though i knew it was a risk and it said on the website it wasn't great on black skin, i still went ahead and bought it, at that point i couldn't care less if i ended up with a scar.


After 4 or so treatments with TCA, my tattoo looked like this:

at this point it didn't look like a tattoo anymore, looked more like a burn, so i basically couldn't even wear sleeveless and if i did i had to cover it up with Dermablend, which is a  full coverage body foundation for moderate to major body skin flaws, if applied properly usually lasts for about 16 or so hours.

after coverage it would look something like this:

This isnt a very fab picture, but basically i could get away with dermablend but still it pissed me off and i started to really think what i could do to completely get rid of it....

Hating the tattoo

I cant remember exactly when i began to hate my tattoo. but i do remember one dat maybe 4 years or so later thinking what the hell did i do?


Anyway this blog will largely focus on the tattoo on my arm, as that is the one that has been removed now.


i wanted this tattoo off badly, i remember one day at the office when the air conditions had broken down, i was wearing a sleeveless dress with a matching jacket, it was hot as hell! bit i couldn't take my jacket off as i didn't want to look unprofessional displaying a tattoo in the middle of my office.


i got even more determined to remove this tattoo


i started to do some research, what would be cheap, painless, and fast
Turns out no tattoo removal method has any of those 3 desires attached. lol


Here is a picture of the tattoo:

How it all started...

in the summer of 1999, i decided to get a tattoo, i was young and it seemed like such a bright idea, plus it was summer and what a good way to show off some skin with some nice work of art on it.


my first tattoo went well, but then that was the problem! i had it on my back, and then decided i wanted a second one, this time on my arm *sigh*


so history over, i got two tattoos in one year, and felt like the coolest person on the face of the earth. had i known then what i know now.....