Lillian's loved collecting tattoos since she was 16. Now an adult, she’s outgrown many of her first designs. Thankfully with NAAMA, she’s able to clear multiple at the same time. This is her story.
I’m Lillian and I’m a personal assistant in central London. I really like tattoos; I’ve been getting them for a long time now. I’ve lost count how many. Getting one has become a regular occurrence. I have severe ADHD so I often get rather impulsive tattoos without really thinking it through. I was quite grateful to have found NAAMA.
As a collector of tattoos for many years, you’re getting quite a few removed. Can you tell us a bit about each and why you no longer want them?
I’m getting four tattoos removed all around the same time. One is my first ever tattoo. I was nearly 16 years old when I got it and I just thought, “I’ll get a tattoo and it’ll be really cool.” It was of a bird. I didn’t give the artist much description. It kind of looks like a pigeon. Now I take my tattoos much more seriously and know what kind of style I like. I wanted to free up the room on my back for a better design there. So it’s time to get rid of the pigeon.
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Another is the writing down my spine, that was another impulsive one. I knew when I was in the middle of getting it that the tattoo artist wasn’t able to do it. It came out completely illegible. To this day, no one has been able to guess more than two words out of the whole sentence. It’s also on my back and I wanted to free up that area for better designs too.
The third one on my hip was done by an ex-boyfriend in a hostel in Australia. He didn’t really know what he was doing at the time. He did it really deep into the skin, much deeper than if I had gone to a professional tattoo artist. He’s since gone on to become a proper tattoo artist, which is quite irritating as this tattoo was so bad.
The last one is one of my early tattoos - I think I must have been 18 - a small rose. It was in a spot that could have had better things there instead. It was pretty much gone after six sessions. You wouldn’t be able to tell anything was there before.
Sounds like you’ve been meaning to remove quite a few for a while. How did you find NAAMA? Was it worth the wait?
I found NAAMA through a tattoo artist I go to. She posted about NAAMA on her social media and I’ve gone to her a lot. She was getting removal done and recommended it, so I thought I’d try it out. I definitely would not go anywhere else.
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"It was pretty much gone after six sessions."
What keeps you coming back?
I’ve been able to come back for treatment every three weeks, and I know other people have had to wait over six weeks at other places. They’ve also ended up with awful scarring. I remember in my first session the consultant had just had a tattoo removed from her hand and you’d never be able to tell she had a tattoo in the first place. I knew very quickly this was a better place - with better technology.
The payment package was also a game-changer. I don’t have to fork out everything in one go, I can spread it out and save which is very handy. Every time I come in, the team is lovely. They make you feel so comfortable, have a nice little chat with you, and no one rushes you. A really nice environment and local to me.
How have you found your treatments? Do you find them painful?
The small one on my front and hip have been absolutely fine. The one on my spine is a little sore, but it’s my spine and right on the bone. In all fairness, it’s so quick that with a few deep breaths it’s all over. The consultants don’t rush, but they’re precise, and they cool the area down before to help. So it’s only been the spine really, the rest are absolutely fine.
There is another tattoo on my arm that I’ve had since starting up at NAAMA that I want to remove too. It went wrong because the communication between myself and the artist was terrible. She didn’t really follow along with the plan and it didn’t come out how I expected. As soon as I got it, I came straight to NAAMA and they said they could sort it out easily. I know that one won’t be painful.
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"I knew very quickly this was a better place - with better technology."
How does it feel to see your tattoos disappear?
The "pigeon" has haunted me. People would prod me, asking why I have a pigeon tattoo. I would tell them I’m from London and it’s our national bird just so they’d drop the question. To see that one disappear and free up space for some really gorgeous tattoos I can make plans for is exciting. I’m really enjoying it.
That’s so great. Do you use any of the NAAMA aftercare in between your treatments?
I do. I use it a lot because you’re itchy after your treatment, which is to be expected, and it cools it down instantly. It works really well to put on before bed so my skin doesn’t become irritated while I sleep. When it’s been really hot this summer, I’ve been putting it on after the medical dressing comes off to help protect the skin. I think it’s really helped the tattoo on my front disappear without any scarring.
How do you feel having the choice to remove your tattoos?
It’s that classic thing of your parents telling you not to get a tattoo because you’ll regret it and you can’t change your mind. Now I can change my mind. I was so cut up about how the tattoo on my arm turned out. To know I can come to NAAMA and it will be gone soon and I can get something I actually want instead is a very nice feeling.
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I would 100% tell any of my mates thinking about removal to come here for the service and the results. The results you see are better than anywhere else. I’m moving to Manchester soon and I’ll keep coming back to London to visit NAAMA. I even have a friend I recommended to NAAMA that started removal somewhere else. He said the first place was horrible. NAAMA in comparison has been great for him.
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