You may be surprised to hear that we are not the ones who actually remove your tattoos here at Geelong Laser Tattoo Removal – you are. We do use a laser to shatter the tattoo ink pigments into small pieces, but the rest is done by you – or more specifically, your lymphatic system assisted by your immune system. Obviously the shattering of the ink pigments by our laser is an essential part of the process, but equally important is the role of your lymphatic system that moves those pieces of pigment away from the tattooed area, fading and/or eventually removing the tattoo.
“The lymphatic system is a series of vessels throughout the body that drain fluid from tissues. Bacteria and other microbes are picked up in the lymphatic fluid and trapped inside lymph nodes, where they can be attacked and destroyed by white blood cells.” (Better Health Channel). So, after laser tattoo removal treatment, your lymphatic system picks up the small, shattered pieces of tattoo ink pigment and moves them out of the area.
Ensuring that your lymphatic system is functioning optimally may assist in the process of removing your tattoo. There are various things that you can do to promote the health of your lymphatic system. Unlike the vascular system, the lymphatic system doesn’t have a muscle to pump the fluid through its vessels – it relies on muscular movement or external stimulation to get the lymph fluid moving. Exercise of any kind (but in particular bouncing up and down on a trampoline), massage and dry body brushing are all ways to get the lymphatic fluids flowing. In addition to stimulating the movement of the lymphatic fluids, the health of your lymphatic system is greatly assisted when you drink lots of water, breathe deeply and eat a clean diet which includes lots of fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds.
There are other factors that influence the removal of your tattoo that you have no control over – such as the type of ink used and how deeply the ink has been placed in your skin. But the health of your lymphatic system is in your hands – you are in complete control of this factor – and if it might help with the removal of your tattoo, why not get it working at its best? And anyway, all of the things that help your lymphatic system have an abundance of other benefits to your general health too.
In the coming months we will be exploring in more detail ways to get your lymphatic system working at its best in order to assist the removal of your tattoo but if you have any questions in the meantime, feel free to contact us.