At Skin Beautiful, we take tattoo removal very seriously.
We use professional laser technology, carefully selected treatment settings and years of experience to achieve the best possible results.
But apparently, we may have been overlooking one of the most sophisticated pain-management technologies known to mankind:
Chocolate.
Yes. Chocolate. 🍫
And surprisingly, this isn’t entirely something we’ve made up.
In fact, when you combine chocolate with two established ways of making laser treatment more comfortable — cooling and appropriate topical numbing — we may have accidentally created:
🍫 + 🧴 + ❄️ = THE SKIN BEAUTIFUL TRIPLE COMFORT PROTOCOL™ ⚡
Patent pending.*
*It absolutely isn’t. 😂
🍫 Scientists actually studied chocolate and pain…
Published scientific research has investigated whether eating chocolate can affect experimentally induced pain.
Participants were given dark chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate — or no chocolate before researchers measured their response to experimentally induced muscle pain.
And the results?
Chocolate consumption was associated with changes including reduced pain intensity and duration and increased pain-pressure thresholds compared with no chocolate.
So naturally, our first thought was:
WHY HAS NOBODY TOLD THE TATTOO REMOVAL INDUSTRY?! 😂
🍫 Introducing the highly unofficial Skin Beautiful Chocolate Protocol™
Based on this extremely convenient piece of scientific research, we propose the following completely unofficial pre-treatment regime:
Step 1: Arrive for tattoo removal.
Step 2: Eat chocolate.
Step 3: Get lasered.
Step 4: Say, “Actually, that wasn’t as bad as I expected.”
Step 5: Eat more chocolate because you’ve been very brave.
Simple.
Effective?
We have absolutely no idea.
Delicious?
Undeniably.
🤔 So… does chocolate REALLY make laser tattoo removal less painful?
Here’s where we reluctantly have to become sensible.
The research didn’t specifically study laser tattoo removal.
It investigated experimentally induced pain, so we cannot claim that eating chocolate has been scientifically proven to make tattoo removal less painful.
However, the research does provide some fascinating evidence that eating chocolate may influence how we experience pain.
Scientists have investigated something known as “ingestion analgesia” — essentially the idea that consuming pleasurable foods may temporarily influence our perception and response to pain.
Pleasure, distraction, reward pathways and the body’s own pain-modulating systems may all potentially play a part.
So there genuinely is some science behind the joke.
Just not enough for us to start prescribing 200g of Dairy Milk before every appointment.
Yet.
🍫 Which chocolate works best?
After extensive additional research conducted entirely within the Skin Beautiful staff room, we have reached the following conclusions:
🍫 Dairy Milk: Strong all-round performance.
🍫 Galaxy: Exceptionally smooth delivery system.
🍫 Lindt: Premium pain-management option.
🍫 Maltesers: Excellent because eating 17 somehow still feels like you’ve only eaten four.
🍫 Toblerone: Potentially effective, although carries an unacceptable risk of injury to the roof of the mouth.
🍫 Bounty: Control group.
These findings have not been peer reviewed.
Or reviewed by anyone.
⚡ So what REALLY helps make tattoo removal more comfortable?
Chocolate jokes aside, there are genuine ways to make laser tattoo removal much more manageable.
The first thing to remember is that although tattoo removal has a reputation for being painful, the actual laser treatment is usually extremely quick.
Depending on the tattoo, the laser itself may only be firing for seconds or a few minutes.
Getting the tattoo probably took considerably longer.
And unlike getting it done, you’re unlikely to be sitting there for four hours questioning your life choices.
❄️ 1. Cooling
Cooling the skin before, during and after laser treatment can help reduce heat sensation and discomfort.
At Skin Beautiful, we use appropriate cooling techniques to help make treatments as comfortable as possible.
Some people may also benefit from carefully cooling the area beforehand, but please follow the advice we give you rather than arriving with your arm frozen solid after spending two hours with a bag of peas strapped to it. 😂
Never apply ice directly to bare skin for prolonged periods, as excessive cold itself can damage the skin.
🧴 2. Numbing cream
Appropriate topical local-anaesthetic creams can significantly reduce discomfort for some clients and topical anaesthesia has been studied specifically in laser tattoo removal.
But there is an important caveat:
More numbing cream does NOT mean more numb.
These are medicines and must be used correctly.
Applying excessive amounts, leaving products on for too long or using them over very large areas can potentially cause serious side effects.
If you’re considering using a numbing product before your tattoo-removal appointment, please speak to us first so we can advise you appropriately.
🍫 3. Chocolate
And finally…
Our most technologically advanced intervention.
Chocolate.
Does it numb your skin?
No.
Has research suggested chocolate consumption can influence experimentally measured pain?
Yes.
Does that prove a Dairy Milk will make your tattoo-removal treatment painless?
Absolutely not.
Does it provide an extremely convenient excuse to eat one beforehand?
We’ll leave that decision to you. 😂
🍫 + 🧴 + ❄️ THE TRIPLE COMFORT PROTOCOL™
So, to summarise our groundbreaking approach:
🍫 Chocolate — intriguing research, excellent morale booster and unquestionably delicious.
🧴 Appropriate numbing — a genuine option for reducing discomfort when used correctly and safely.
❄️ Cooling — an established way of helping make laser treatment more comfortable.
⚡ Professional laser treatment — generally over much quicker than most people expect.
Combine all four and you have:
THE SKIN BEAUTIFUL TRIPLE COMFORT PROTOCOL™*
Still not patented.
Still not an actual medical protocol.
But we’re becoming increasingly attached to the name. 😂
🧪 The Skin Beautiful scientific conclusion
Has science proven that eating chocolate makes laser tattoo removal less painful?
❌ No.
Has published research found evidence that chocolate consumption can influence experimentally measured pain perception?
✅ Yes.
Can cooling genuinely help with laser discomfort?
✅ Yes.
Can appropriately used topical anaesthetic help some people tolerate tattoo removal more comfortably?
✅ Yes.
Does this mean you now have a scientifically respectable excuse to eat chocolate before your appointment?
We believe further research is urgently required.
Preferably involving several thousand volunteers, a laser…
…and an industrial quantity of Dairy Milk.
🍫⚡🍫
📍 Professional Laser Tattoo Removal in Felpham, Bognor Regis
Skin Beautiful Limited
125 Felpham Way
Felpham
Bognor Regis
West Sussex
PO22 8QB
Established in 2011, Skin Beautiful provides professional laser tattoo removal from our clinic in Felpham, welcoming clients from Bognor Regis, Chichester, Littlehampton and across West Sussex.
📱 Facebook & Instagram: @skinbeautifuluk
🍫 Chocolate optional.
🧴 Numbing where appropriate.
❄️ Cooling highly recommended.
⚡ Professional laser treatment essential.
😂 Questionable chocolate-based research provided completely free of charge.
Important: This article is intended to be light-hearted and is not medical advice. Research into chocolate and pain has not specifically established that eating chocolate reduces pain during laser tattoo removal. Topical anaesthetic products are medicines and should only be used according to their instructions and appropriate professional advice. Please speak to us before using a numbing product prior to treatment.