Transcending Trauma

Tattoos often come with a whole load of baggage and can act as a persistent reminder of people or events that you’d rather leave behind in your past. Becca opened her heart to us about this us, and gave us permission to share it publicly.

In 2013 whilst in a really bad relationship I got the initials of this said person tattooed on my skin. Silly move, I know. But at that time I was made to believe that this manipulative relationship was normal and I soon realised myself it was far from it and completely unhealthy. For long enough I hid what was going on from everyone around me, I wanted to protect those closest to me from the truth, I was embarrassed to admit I needed help to leave and I also had this feeling that I had got in too deep to get away from the abuse at all. I tried my hardest to keep a smile on my face and make out all was okay but cracks soon started to show and I’m so glad now that they did, my family really did come to the rescue and possibly saved my life!

My mind had been warped into something completely negative, I felt like I was just a shadow of my former self and all self-confidence had literally disappeared. If it wasn’t for my immediate family and some close friends supporting me & helping me get away from that awful situation I don’t know where I’d be today. 

For long enough afterwards, I was mentally struggling and also had this tattoo staring back at me each day as a reminder of the past. I decided to get a cover up tattoo on either side of the original two initials after my Gaga (granda) had passed away, this was fine for a while but after so long and after some counselling sessions, I wanted to completely detach and have the whole tattoo erased from my body so I no longer had any physical memories.

I am so glad and grateful that I found Aaron at Highland Laser Clinic in 2018, I can’t recommend him high enough. From my very first appointment I felt so at ease and comfortable, I fully trusted the process and knew that Aaron understood what this removal meant to me, everything was explained fully and I knew what to expect during the removal. The slight pain of the laser was like a quick stinging feeling but only for a couple of minutes and then the session was over. In my experience it definitely wasn’t as sore as I was expecting it to be. The aftercare was easy to follow and I knew I could get in touch with Aaron at any point if I had any questions between appointments. I actually would look forward to each appointment as it was a step closer to having my own bare skin back. I’m so proud that I took the first step to just go for it and now it’s in the past. 

We are pleased to report that Becca is in a much better place now with a supportive partner, lots of friends and work she loves. She has the space to be the awesome human being she deserves to be. We are honoured to have played a small part in this.

Clearly this tattoo hasn’t completely gone, but we hit it again hard just after this picture was taken and she may need another one or two treatments down the road. Becca doesn’t really care though. It doesn’t jump out at her in the mirror anymore and its toxic power has been vanquished.