Various Ways of Removing Tattoos

Thousands of individuals each year undergo tattoo removal procedures after eventually regret having them. After the initial excitement and thrill, a large number of people realize that they have committed a blunder and want the tattoo removed. Tattoo removal has now become a million dollar business. There are various ways to get rid of tattoo. Some of the tattoo removal techniques are:

Dermabrasion

The area to be treated is frozen and then the skin where the tattoo is located is rubbed or scratched with a rotary abrasive brush or diamond fraise. It removes the top few layers of skin and finally tattoo is removed as the sanding goes deeper into the skin. The procedure is very painful and often turns out to be ineffective as it causes the skin to bleed and may leave a scar. There is always the risk of infection.

Salabrasion

Salabrasion is a centuries-old technique. Anesthetic is used to numb the area to be treated. Then salt-water solution is applied onto the tattoo. The area 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 and requires multiple treatments. This technique is successful only in fading the tattoo and not completely removing it.

Excision

Anesthetic is injected, and the tattoo is cut out of the skin using a scalpel. Thereafter the surrounding skin is sewn back together. The procedure is ideal for smaller tattoos only. Though large tattoos can also be removed but then skin grafts are often required for large tattoo removal. People who undergo this procedure are extremely prone to infection and scarring.

Cover-Ups

In this method, old tattoo is replaced by a new tattoo. Some people prefer covering-up of their tattoo rather than removing tattoos completely as covering-up tattoo is comparatively less painful, inexpensive and doesn't take several months to treat. Some skilled tattoo artists even specialize in cover-ups and provide excellent results. However you have limited options in cover-ups. The biggest disadvantage of this method is that cover-up tattoos can be done only once.

Tattoo Removal Creams

A tattoo removal cream is the most inexpensive way to remove a tattoo yourself. Market is flooded with several creams such as TatBGone and Tattoo-off that claim to be effective in fading tattoos. 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.

Saline Tattooing

In this procedure, tattoo artists fade a tattoo by tattooing lidocaine and saline solution over unwanted tattoo. This is beneficial for older tattoos. This process can just lighten the existing tattoo but can't remove it altogether. This procedure is relatively harmless and cheaper. Though finding a tattoo artist to perform this task is difficult.

Laser Tattoo Removal

Laser tattoo removal is considered as the best method among all to get rid of unwanted tattoos. Although it is costly and requires multiple sessions, but at the end of the day it ensures that the process is relatively painless and bloodless. In this procedure, targeted tattoo is exposed to the intense pulses of light delivered by laser. This laser energy results in destruction of the ink pigment while ensuring minimum damage to the surrounding skin.