The tattoo that looked so trendily outre during your college days can be an embarrassment to you when you're older, restricting your ability to get hired or promoted at your place of employment. Tattoos are meant to last a lifetime, so getting rid of them is no simple task. The tattoo removal process is expensive, invasive and painful, and even with cosmetic medical treatments, it's unlikely that your skin will ever look the same again.
Tattoos: Meant to Be Permanent
The tattoo application process is designed to give lifetime results. The Mayo Clinic describes tattooing as a process in which a hand-held device operates much like a sewing machine in delivering small drops of permanent ink into the skin. Certain colors of tattoo ink are easier to remove, according to the American Academy of Dermatology, or AAD, with black and blue being the easiest and green and yellow the most difficult. The longer you have your tattoo, the harder it will be to remove.
Topical Agents
Salabrasion and chemical peeling are two medical procedures in which topical agents are applied to the skin to remove tattoos. Salabrasion involves using salt to abrade the skin, and numerous treatments are usually required, says the AAD. It can be a painful process, so a local anesthetic may be used. Chemical peeling involves applying a peeling agent to the tattooed skin which literally causes the skin to peel off. The AAD indicates that, though a chemical peel may leave behind a scar, this may be the most cost-effective way to remove a tattoo.
Physical Removal Procedures
Dermabrasion is a physician procedure used to remove tattoos. A doctor uses a hand-held device with rapidly rotating wire blades to remove the skin. Dermabrasion is often successful in removing the entire tattoo, as long as it was professionally done, states the AAD. Laser tattoo removal may use more than one type of laser to remove the tattoo, as certain laser types work more effectively on specific ink colors. Overall, laser treatment is more effective at removing black tattoo ink, says the AAD, while certain colors, specifically green, pose more difficulty. The efficacy of both dermabrasion and laser treatments depends on how deep the tattoo ink has seeped into the skin; the treatment may not be successful if it's penetrated the subcutaneous fat. Surgical excision of the entire tattoo may be the only way to remove it, according to the AAD.
What Won't Work
Internet marketers may try to sell you on tattoo removal cream. Mayo Clinic dermatologist Martin E. Gibson states that there's no evidence to prove that these work. Although you may be able to fade the tattoo slightly, you'll still be able to see it, he says. Additionally, your skin might become irritated by the cream. Don't try "do it yourself" tattoo removal, Gibson advises; ask for a doctor's help instead.
What to Expect
The most common side effects of medical tattoo removal treatments are scars and pigment that cannot fully be removed from the skin, states the AAD. It may boil down to making a choice between a more invasive procedure that leaves behind visible scars and a less invasive treatment that doesn't remove the tattoo entirely. Discuss your options with a dermatologist, a physician who specializes in disorders and treatment of the skin, to see which is best for you.
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