Tattoos are a form of expression that tell the world a story about who you are as an individual. The problem is, people change as they age and develop new identities that no longer relate to the tattoo they got on their 18th birthday. With technological advancements, tattoo removal and successful cover-ups offer new possibilities for regretful tattoos.
Laser
Laser removal is the most common tattoo removal procedure but it doesn't come cheap, quick or painless. During the procedure, the patient wears protective eye wear while the tattoo is given highly concentrated pulses of colored light that break the ink into tiny fragments without damaging skin cells around the tattoo. The tiny ink bits remaining after the procedures are removed by your immune system. A person will typically receive 10 to 30 pules of light and should expect the process to take two to four treatments scheduled four to eight weeks apart.
Excision
Excision involves surgically removing the tattoo directly from skin. Unlike laser removal, there is bleeding during this procedure, so unless your tattoo is not in direct sight, this procedure is not for the squeamish. A local anesthetic is given to numb the area and then the tattoo is cut away from the skin. A small tattoo is a simple procedure that is stitched once it is completed. However, a large tattoo will require a skin graft from another area of the body.
Dermabrasion
Dermabrasion is a high intensity exfoliating procedure that is designed to remove a layer of skin so that new skin grows. If you choose dermabrasion, you can expect a solution to be applied to the skin in order to freeze the tattooed area. Then the top layer of the skin is sanded off with a rotary tool. This is similar to the effects that happen if you fall and scrape your knee. The area will scab and when the scab heals there will be new skin. Dermabrasion often takes several treatments to remove the tattoo.
Cover-Up
It's not uncommon for old tattoos to show through the professional cover-up, so it's a good idea to lighten the existing tattoo before covering it. Lightening a tattoo would not involve the full multiple treatments of dermabrasion or laser removal, but enough so the tattoo is faded. Once the lightening treatment has healed, it's time to make an appointment with your favorite tattoo artists and choose a design that will not give you regret again down the road.
Considerations
Approximately half the people who get tattoos regret them later in life. With that in mind, if you are considering a tattoo or covering a pre-existing tattoo, ask yourself if its a design you will be happy with 30 years from now. A few tattoos you may consider avoiding are drug related, the "love of your life's" names and bands.
Most tattoos can be removed, but there are exceptions with laser treatments. Black, red, dark orange and dark blue pigments are the easiest to remove, but green, purple, brown, light orange and light blue might require require even more treatments.
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