Lasers & energy devicesTattoo Removal in Montreal with CUTERA Enlighten®
A tattoo stays because the ink particles under your skin are too large for your body to carry away. The laser hits them with a pulse lasting a fraction of a billionth of a second, which shatters each particle into fragments small enough to be cleared the way any other debris is. Your body does that clearing over the following weeks. Each session is permanent, and most tattoos need several.
- Monkland
- Consultations in French and English
- Treatment time
- 15 to 60min
- Downtime
- Minimal
- Results appear
- After each session
- Results last
- Permanent
- Price
- $900
enlighten® laser
How it worksWhat does laser tattoo removal do?
It breaks tattoo ink into pieces your body can clear.
Tattoo ink stays because the bits of ink are too big for your body to carry away. The laser sends very short pulses that shatter the ink into tiny pieces. Over the next 6 to 8 weeks, your body clears them and the tattoo gets lighter. Most tattoos need several sessions.
- 01
Ink pieces are too big to clear
- 02
The laser shatters the ink into tiny pieces
- 03
The tattoo gets lighter each session
Your results, step by step
Several visits, 6 to 8 weeks apart. The tattoo fades a little more after each one.
Your visit · 15 to 60 min
Quick pulses over the tattoo
Everyone in the room wears eye protection. The clinician moves the laser over the tattoo. Each pulse feels like a rubber band snapping on your skin.
Same day
White, then red and swollen
The tattoo turns white for a few minutes. Then the area gets red and swollen. An ointment and a dressing go on before you leave.
First week
Let it heal on its own
Redness settles over a few days. Blisters or light scabs can appear. Leave them alone so the skin heals smoothly.
6 to 8 weeks
Visibly lighter
Your body has cleared the ink from that session, and the tattoo is lighter. This is when you come back for the next session. The first one usually shows the biggest change.
Across the course
Each session takes away more ink
Progress adds up and lasts. The number of sessions depends on the ink colours, the age and depth of the tattoo, where it is and your circulation.
These photos (or videos) are published for informational purposes to illustrate the nature of the procedure. They do not constitute any guarantee of results. Results vary from person to person.
Where can a tattoo be removed?
Where this treatment is used. Your plan is confirmed at the consultation.
01Arms and shoulders
02Chest and back
03Hands, fingers and feet
04Neck and face
05Legs
Google reviews that mention this treatment
Shattering ink, or clearing pigment
Both use light to break up something dark in the skin. They are not the same problem, and the settings that clear a sun spot will not move tattoo ink.
| enlighten® laserThis treatment | Dark spot treatmentView treatment → | |
|---|---|---|
| What is being broken up | Injected ink, placed deliberately in the dermis | Your own melanin, overproduced in patches |
| Sessions | Several, six to eight weeks apart | Usually fewer, and closer together |
| Does it come back | No, cleared ink is gone | It can, with sun exposure |
| Afterwards | Redness, swelling, sometimes blistering | Darkening, then flaking away over a week |
| Treatment time | 15–60 minutes, depending on tattoo size | — |
| Downtime | Minimal (redness, swelling, or blistering for a few days) | — |
| Price | Consultation required — priced by tattoo size and number of sessions | $799 for 2 peels + 2 laser sessions |
Each treatment’s facts come from its own page. Prices and timings are confirmed at your consultation.
Assessed, passed over, and dressed
Performed by trained clinicians, after an assessment of your skin and the ink.
- First visitFirst visit
Assessment
Skin tone, the age of the tattoo, the ink colours and the site are reviewed. From those we estimate the number of sessions, honestly, including when the answer is more than you hoped.
- 5 minutes5 minutes
Eye protection and a test pulse
Everyone in the room wears protective eyewear. A test pulse confirms the setting before the area is worked.
- 15 to 60 minutes15 to 60 minutes
The pulses
The handpiece is moved across the tattoo. Each pulse feels like a rubber band snapped against the skin: not painless, but considerably less than getting the tattoo was.
- 5 minutes5 minutes
Ointment, a dressing, and the next date
A protective ointment is applied and the area is covered. You leave with written aftercare and the date of your next session, six to eight weeks out. The clearing has to finish first, and going sooner does not speed anything up.
Send a photograph first
It gets you an estimate and a realistic session count before you come in
Keep the area out of the sun for two weeks
A tan changes how the laser is absorbed and raises the risk
Do not use fake tan on it
It sits on the surface and absorbs energy meant for the ink
Keep it covered and clean for the first days
The surface is a wound until it closes
Do not pick blisters or scabs
This is the single thing that turns a clean removal into a scar
No swimming, saunas or hot baths for a week
An open surface and standing water do not belong together
Sunscreen on the area until the course is finished
Sun on treated skin causes pigment change and delays the next session
Stay active and drink water
Your circulation is what carries the ink away: this part is genuinely your job
Side effects, and who it is not for
The risk here is almost entirely about aftercare. A treated tattoo is a shallow wound for a few days, and what happens to it in that time decides whether you are left with clear skin or a mark.
- The wavelength is chosen for your ink and your skin tone
- A test pulse is done before the area is worked
- You get a session estimate from a photograph, before booking
Common and temporary
- Immediate whitening of the tattoo, lasting a few minutes
- Redness, swelling and tenderness for a few days
- Pinpoint bleeding or light scabbing over the treated ink
Less common
- Blistering, which must be left intact to heal cleanly
- Lightening or darkening of the skin where the tattoo was, usually temporary
- A permanent mark where a blister or scab was picked off early
- Some ink that does not fully clear, particularly certain greens, yellows and cosmetic pigments
Wait, or choose another option, if
- You are pregnant or breastfeeding
- The skin over the tattoo is tanned, sunburned or broken
- You have taken oral isotretinoin in the last six months
- You have a history of keloid scarring
- You have a photosensitising condition or are taking a medication that causes one
- You need it gone by a fixed date: this is a course measured in months, not weeks
Call the clinic or seek care right away if
Redness spreads outward from the treated area after the first two days, it becomes hot and increasingly painful, pus or yellow crusting appears, or you develop a fever.
Best when you are prepared for a course, not a session
Look at the tattoo and think about what you actually want from it. Which one matches?
You see
A tattoo you want gone or faded, and you can give it months rather than weeks
Areas
Arms and shoulders · Chest and back
You see
Brown spots, melasma or sun damage rather than tattoo ink
Consider instead
You see
Pitted acne scarring or rough texture you want resurfaced
You see
Unwanted hair rather than unwanted ink
Not sure which one you are looking at? A consultation settles it in a few minutes.
Frequently asked questions about laser tattoo removal
If yours is not here, ask us at your consultation, or send it to the clinic before you book.
Not painless, but considerably less than getting the tattoo was. The pulse is ultra-fast and feels like a rubber band snapped against the skin. Sessions are short, and the shorter the tattoo takes the less of it there is.
It varies more than for anything else we do. The size, the age of the tattoo, the ink colours, how deeply they were placed, the site on your body, your skin type and your own circulation all change the answer.
Send a photograph and we will give you an estimate before you book. Most tattoos need several sessions, six to eight weeks apart.
Because the laser only breaks the ink up: your body does the removing, and that takes weeks. Coming back sooner means treating fragments that have not been cleared yet, which adds irritation without adding progress.
Not from the laser itself: the pulse is short enough to break the ink without burning the skin around it. Scarring almost always comes from picking a blister or a scab during healing, which is why the aftercare matters more here than the settings do.
Three wavelengths are available, which covers the great majority of inks and all skin types. Black and dark blue clear most readily. Some greens, yellows and cosmetic pigments are stubborn and may not clear completely. We will tell you at the assessment if your tattoo has any.
Yes, and it is a common reason to come. Fading takes fewer sessions than full removal because the new design does the rest. Wait six to eight weeks after your last session before being tattooed again.
$900 for four sessions, or $2,500 for unlimited sessions on one tattoo until it is gone. The second is usually the better value for anything large or stubborn. Prices may vary for tattoos over three inches, so send a photograph for a free estimate. Taxes are added at payment.
Read more about this treatment
Longer pieces from the clinic on how this treatment works, who it suits, and what a full course looks like.
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La micropigmentation du cuir chevelu (tatouage médical sur la naissance de cheveux)
TRAITEMENT POUR LA REPOUSSE DE CHEVEUX Aux traitements
Available at Monkland
- 01
Monkland
6000 Avenue Monkland, Montreal
Book, or ask us first
Book now
Meet one of our physicians to plan the areas and the dose.
Results vary from person to person and are not guaranteed.