Tattoo Removal

Tattoo removal is something we hope you ’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 your tattoo 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. Here are some reasons why some people consider tattoo removal:

• Your tattoo is in a visible place on your body, it could be holding you back from getting a new job.
• You have a tattoo that is connected in some way with an ex girl or boyfriend. The love is over and so is your love for the tattoo.
• You don't like what your tattoo artist did, you're not happy with the quality of the tattoo design.
• Bodies change as we get older
• Tastes change as we get older and wiser :-)

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 for Tattoo Removals

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!

Intense Pulsed Light Therapy for Tattoo Removals
Intense Pulsed Light Therapy, or IPL, is the newest and greatest dermal enhancer currently being used. Instead of laser light, it uses high intensity light in pretty much the same manner. A gel is applied to the skin and then a wand is used to emit pulses of light onto the skin area being treated. This method is said to be less painful than laser therapy, and more effective, resulting in less total treatment sessions. The bad news is that it also carries a heftier price tag – one clinic offering a price of $10 per pulse. Depending on how many pulses per session your tattoo requires, this could add up to a significant amount of money.

Other Medical Tattoo Removals Methods
There are other methods of tattoo removal, but most of them are so painful and ineffective that laser removal replaced them as soon as it became available. These other methods include dermabrasion, which would actually “sand” away the top layer of skin through abrasive friction. Another method is excision, where the tattoo would be cut away and the skin sewn back together. These methods have proved to cause much damage to the skin and result in severe scarring, and are only used today in extreme cases where laser surgery is not an option.

Do-It-Yourself Cream Tattoo Removals
I have not personally tested any of the at-home cream removal methods I have seen advertised – even the ones that appear right here on this website. Honestly, I would not expect a whole lot from them. However, the Tattoo Removal Institute (which I am suspicious of being connected with Tat B Gone, but I can’t prove it yet) states that they have tested a few of these products, and found a couple of them to live up to their claims. According to their research, both TatBGone and Tattoo-OFF did show significant fading of the tattoos without any pain or damage to the skin. Another website,Remove that tattoo!, also hails tattoo removal cream systems as “The only proven way to remove tattoos without surgery”. I am still very skeptical, but if you really need a tattoo removed and don’t have the money for surgery, I guess it wouldn’t hurt to try one or both of these products. It’s not chump change, though – a 2 month supply of Tat B Gone is $125, and it takes several months to get the desired results, according to the Tattoo Removal Institute. A 2 month supply of Tattoo-OFF is $116.95. So, it isn’t inexpensive by any means, but certainly a lot more affordable than laser surgery. But before you shell out any money for these products, you might want to read some of the comments that have been sent in by people who have tried them.