Bella adores her tattoos. But with some, she simply fell out of love. Here is her story.
I love tattoos. I love how they tell a story of your life. Every one of my tattoos has meaning, especially about my family or my life, even if it wasn’t a great time and I was going through something difficult. I still want to look back and say, “This is how far I have come.” Every tattoo represents a big moment in my life. One of my tattoos represents my struggles with self-harm but it is a symbol of victory; a powerful symbol of how I broke through the barriers. One of my favourite tattoos is in my mum’s handwriting and the quote from Nirvana's song 'Come As You Are'. My mum always told me to be myself and to be true to who I am. I also have a Foo Fighters lyric tattoo. My other tattoo shows a bat because I have always been a nocturnal person; I love the night.
“For someone to touch your body is a very personal thing, so it's really nice to have a female who understands you and knows how delicate your skin can be. It's a very nice and calming experience.”
The tattoos I’m getting rid of are on my chest, forearm and two little ones on my arm. I got them around five years ago. The two tattoos on my chest are connected to how I grew up in Italy and Switzerland; one is an edelweiss flower (a symbol of Switzerland) and a sunflower (a symbol of Italy). I actually have a few tattoos referencing my beloved Italy. I am getting rid of the flowers on my chest because they are quite bulky and not what I wanted. I requested a smaller tattoo. The size doesn't match the place on my body so I wanted to get rid of them.
The little tattoos I’m removing I did myself last year which maybe it wasn’t a great idea. The mermaid on my arm that I am getting rid of represents Cornwall. I used to go to Cornwall when I was a little girl. My dad used to go there when he was a little too. There is a cute man-made pond that we used to go to and everybody called it the mermaid pond. That's how the idea for the tattoo came. I am getting rid of it because the position of it is unfortunate. Anybody who wants to see the tattoo kind of twists my arm and it’s quite painful.
Publish Date in article
Have you found the removal painful?
I must admit the first sessions are painful. But if you use an ice patch or cold water and air, it’s not as bad. Also, the sessions are very quick. They only last a few minutes, not even, and it hurts for a two second period. It doesn't [hurt] afterwards, which I was quite surprised about. When you go home, you kind of forget.
Main thing is you see the progress. Every time you go in, you get to see less and less of the tattoos. It’s awesome to see that process happening as you do it. I decided to get them all done at the same time so that all the tattoos I’m having removed take the same amount of sessions. I was really surprised because the mermaid on my arm went away really quickly. The chest tattoos are a bit more stubborn. I think it’s because of the ink used. I'm so happy with the process so far, and there's only been like five or six sessions. I'm already more than halfway done.
How would you describe your experience with NAAMA?
My experience has been great. I like that [there’s] a female environment. For someone to touch your body is a very personal thing, so it's really nice to have a female who understands you and knows how delicate your skin can be. It's a very nice and calming experience. The atmosphere is so welcoming, [everyone’s] very kind and the removal is quick. I didn’t want to be sitting there and dreading it, but that’s certainly not the case.
After your removal is finished, would you want to get another tattoo?
Yes, I definitely would because now I got you guys [NAAMA] so all is good!
Bella's progress
Before treatment
Here’s Bella’s black ink tattoo before the start of her tattoo removal journey.
After 2 sessions
The ink particles begin to break down in the dermis.
After 3 sessions
The original form of the tattoo fades, with only the last of the black ink left.
After 6 sessions
Bella sees amazing results. She's left with beautiful, clear skin.
