Just an update because it's been forever

Hello all!

I'm sorry I haven't written in a while; it's just been so busy!

Not a whole to report on my end - we're getting ready for our summer reading programs at the library and a whole lot of birthdays happen in May, and with summer around the corner we just have so much planned.  I'll keep posting photos and stuff as I get around to them, but I'll probably be a bit incognito for a while.

Oh! I do have so exciting news; I received a modeling offer - there is a local photography business in my area that is interested in doing a wedding dress shoot and they really dig my hair so they offered it to me; I'm sure it doesn't pay anything; they just hired a new photographer that they want to help get experience for, and I'm just more interested in it for fun.  I don't think I would ever pursue a modeling career, but it's nice to know that people think I could!

I'll keep you posted on that as it happens.

I took a picture of my chocolate chip and chocolate chip craisin muffins for you:

A new journey for me *Will be updated throughout the year*

Hello all,

So for those of you who know me, you know that I have a tattoo on my neck;
I've had this tattoo for almost five years now, and it's been a very big part of my life.  I chose to get it for a very special reason that I won't get into now.

Long story short, I have moved on to a point in my life where it is time to remove it. Last Thursday I went it for my very first session of Laser Removal.

Ouch.

Okay, it wasn't that bad.  Really it felt like that sensation that you get when you put your tongue on a 9 volt battery and having someone pinch you slightly all at the same time.  There were only a couple of times that it hurt, but since my tattoo is so small it only took about thirty seconds to go through the whole thing.  I was shaking when we got done, but I think it was from the shock of having my skin super heated and burned to an oblivion.

And the taste.  UGH.  I am told by my laser-person that a metallic taste is to be expected, but she neglected to tell me that metallic taste really meant the smell of an overworked Furby manifesting itself in my taste buds.  Blargh.

All in all, it was not a very bad experience at all.  My next appointment is in the beginning of January.  This is three days after my first treatment:

You can see the scabbing and it looks paler, but I'm hoping to see more fading over the next few weeks.  I'll post pictures as I see progress.













Here is another shot of my neck as it's continued to heal; you can't see too much in the way of fading yet, but when you get up close the sharpness of the tattoo has definitely gone away.

Okay, here is an update - this photo is definitely a little more icky than others, so pleased be aware.

This time the technician did two treatments back to back - the first go was with a larger laser that goes deeper into the skin to help with the pigment and then the second round was the same as my first treatment.  The second round definitely hurt way more than I assumed it would, but at least it took about half the time as the first.  The second laser treatment I didn't really feel, but I think I was just in shock from the larger laser.  It definitely packed a punch.  I didn't taste the metallic taste as much, which was definitely good.

Okay, here we go:

I'll keep you posted on its progress, but right now it's just sore and I'm just trying to leave it alone and treat it gently.





















It is now one day shy of a week after my second treatment and I wanted to post a couple of update photos.  The lighting wasn't great on these, but you can definitely see some fading which is very encouraging.  There is still some scabbing be warned.

Definitely some color breaking up; I'm not surprised at how deep the color is, my artist I don't think was the greatest, so this is probably going to be quite the little stickler.  I'll keep you posted on its progress. My next appointment isn't until the first week in Feb. so I've got a while for it to heal from this last treatment.  Luckily, the soreness went away pretty quickly this time around; the first time it was sore for three weeks or so.





We are two weeks into the healing process of my second treatment and here is the progress so far:

Much more pale than my first photo; it looks like it's going to fade overall instead of entire areas going at once, which is fine with me, so long as the sucker goes away eventually.











Alright! So we are here a day after my third treatment.  She didn't hit it with the deeper laser, just with the first laser vamped up and she went over it more multiple times.  Here are the results - and she did break the skin this time around too, so it definitely looks icky.

As you can see we have some redness and swelling, but I'm hoping that as it goes down we'll see even more in the way of fading.

I'll keep you posted!














Okidokies! I think this is about two weeks into healing and here are the results so far:

DEFINITE fading!  Woot woot! We'll get rid of the bugger yet!

I have to be honest, there was a little part inside of me that wanted it to go away all at once and knew that that was not a reasonable expectation so when I looked in the mirror today to see how it was doing I was a little down, but now that I'm looking at the picture of it before my first treatment and here after my third, I'm quite happy.







4/1/2013
Hello all!
I went in my for fourth session today - and here is the result.  *she broke the skin pretty bad, so please aware*

OUCH. She really went to town on it, but I think that she is just trying to get in deep because the guy who did really added a lot of ink.
I'll keep you updated on its healing process.


05/13/2013
Okidokies here is another update! I went in and this time the pain wasn't too bad in the center, but still pretty tender around the center of my neck:

As you can see, this one was pretty bloody - I didn't take my shower at night so it scabbed up a bit more over the course of the evening, which personally I think was a good thing.









I also took a picture of it the next day:

So as you can see it is scabbing up nicely and has faded a bit more too.  I'm starting to get comments that I need to get it touched up so that's good :)













Here is it a couple weeks from the last treatement

There is DEFINITE fading, which is really nice to see - I feel like I'm so close yet so far!  I'm going to take a break this summer to let my body rest and then I'll start back again in the fall.