Tattoo Removal

Tattoo removal is something we hope we’ll never have to consider. After all most of us would like to think that a tattoo is forever – that’s why we get them in the first place! But what if it turns out to be a mistake? That’s a thought that goes through everyone’s mind at some point, and the fact is, some tattoos do end up being a source of regret. Bodies change as we get older – as do our tastes! That’s why today’s improved tattoo removal techniques are good news for many people.

That having been said, tattoo removal is still not quick, easy or cheap. In fact, it may turn out to be substantially more expensive and painful than it was to get the tattoo in the first place, so no one should make the decision to get a tattoo with the idea that it can be removed later on if you change your mind! The good news, though, is that the end result of tattoo removal is quite good these days. Tattoos can successfully be removed, though it takes a bit of research and effort.

Tattoo Removal Creams

The difficulty inherent in removing tattoos is related to tattooing technique. When you get a tattoo, the ink is deposited in the dermis, the lower layer of skin. That’s why it can’t be rubbed off, and why the ink-laden skin is not shed and renewed. In case of tattoo removal that deep layer of skin needs to be accessed. This is why you shouldn’t trust the so-called tattoo removal cream that sometimes comes on the market – tattoo removal creams are very unlikely to be effective.

Chemical Peel

Other, more ‘drastic’ tattoo removal methods do work. One proven method is tattoo removal by chemical peel, which progressively removes layers of skin and, eventually, the tattoo design. Sometimes acid is used in that process – this is known as trichloroacetic acid tattoo removal.

A process call microdermabrasion, which essentially ‘sands’ the skin, is also used to remove tattoos. In the past small tattoos were sometimes removed surgically. The problem with all of these methods is that they tend to cause scarring. For people really determined to get rid of a tattoo, this might be acceptable – but for many, it was a catch-22. If the object is unblemished skin, a scar really isn’t any better than a tattoo.

Laser Tattoo Removal

Luckily, some new methods for tattoo removal were developed in the late 1980s, and have been used with increasing success ever since. One of these is infrared coagulation tattoo removal, and the other – the most popular modern method, in fact – is laser tattoo removal. This highly effective and relatively painless method is very successful, and doesn’t leave a scar. It is expensive, though – while getting a tattoo generally cost $100 - $200, depending on the intricacy of the tattoo, removal of that same tattoo might cost you up to ten times that amount!