Removing a Tattoo

Tens of thousands of people each year decide to have their tattoo removed after they regret getting a tattoo to begin with.   People sometimes get the wrong tattoo, a persons name they are no longer with, or it being done by a bad artist, or some shops use cheap ink that bleeds after a few years. After the initial excitement and thrill, some people realize that they have made a mistake and want the tattoo removed for various reasons. Tattoo removal has now become a huge business so lets look at the different ways to get a tattoo removed.
 

A tattoo removal cream is the most inexpensive way to remove a tattoo and you can do it yourself. The market is flooded with several creams such as Tattoo-off and TatBGone, to name a few.  These products claim to be effective in fading tattoos over time. There are claims that these creams may fade a tattoo after a continuous use of several months but their success at removing a tattoo altogether is highly unlikely.  The ink or pigment is deep under the skin and any cream that would effectively remove this pigment would have to be based in some kind of peeling chemical.

Saline Tattooing

Saline Tattooing is implemented by a tattoo artist.  It fades a tattoo by tattooing lidocaine and saline solution into the unwanted tattoo. This is highly beneficial especially for older faded tattoos. This process lightens the existing tattoo greatly but doesn’t really get rid of it.  It is harmless and cheaper than other methods. Most tattoo artists do not perform this technique so you may be hard pressed to find one to do it for you.

Excision (Surgery)

Anesthetic is used for this procedure and the tattoo is literally cut out of the skin using a scalpel. The surrounding skin is sewn closed after the tattoo has been removed. This “surgery” is ideal for smaller tattoos only. Large tattoos can also be removed but then skin grafts are often required due to the scale of the skin surface that was removed. People who undergo this technique can be extremely prone to infection and scarring. As you can see this is a surgery, the pigment isn’t removed, the skin is…

Cover-Ups

Can’t get rid of it, why not cover it up?  In this method, an old tattoo is replaced with a new one. Some people prefer covering-up of their tattoo rather than removing tattoos completely as covering-up tattoo is much less painful, it’s inexpensive, and usually doesn’t take several repeated treatments. Most skilled tattoo artists even specialize in cover-ups and when done you will not be able to tell that the new tattoo wasn’t the original tattoo. There are limited options in cover-ups though. The biggest disadvantage of this method is that cover-up tattoos can be done only one time.
 

Salabrasion is a very old technique of removal. Anesthetic is used to numb the area to be treated. A salt-water solution is applied onto the tattoo. The area of the tattoo is then abraded with a tool similar to what is used in the dermabrasion procedure. The method is effective only in the case of superficial tattoos.  This technique also requires multiple treatments. This technique is useful only in the fading of the tattoo, it does not completely remove the tattoo from under the skin.
 

The area where the tattoo is literally frozen and then the skin where the tattoo is located is scratched or rubbed with a rotary brush that is abrasive or a diamond fraise is used. This removes the top few layers of skin.  Finally the tattoo is removed.  This is basically a sanding technique that goes deep into the skin. The procedure is very painful and can be ineffective.  It also can cause the skin to bleed and many times may leave a scar. There is always the risk of infection in this type of procedure as well.

Laser Removal

Laser removal is considered the best method among all of these I have mentioned and the most well known to get rid of unwanted tattoos. Although it is costly and requires multiple sessions it is the best way to completely rid yourself of the tattoo and fortunately it isn’t that painful. With laser removal the targeted tattoo is exposed to the intense pulses of laser light that is delivered by a high powered laser. The laser removal results in destruction of the ink pigment while ensuring minimum damage to the surrounding skin. Healing usually takes place within a few weeks after the procedure.  The popularity of laser tattoo removal has really taken off and a lot of people are turning to this reliable method of tattoo removal.