Laser tattoo removal is an expensive and time-consuming process. According to the Arizona Laser Center, the process typically involves 10- to 30-minute laser sessions, spaced four to eight weeks apart to allow the body to remove the maximum amount of tattoo pigment. If you don't have the finances or the time that the laser tattoo removal process requires, there are as many as six alternative methods from which to choose.
Types
Dermabrasion, salabrasion, surgical removal, scarification, camouflaging and intense light pulsed treatment are common alternatives to the laser removal of an unwanted tattoo.
Features
Dermabrasion is a common and minimally invasive method of tattoo removal. Prior to the procedure, a local anesthetic or medication is administered to the patient to assist him with any pain. The following step in the dermabrasion process involves the freezing or numbing of the skin. After the tattooed area has been appropriately desensitized, a high-speed rotary instrument that has an abrasive wheel or brush is applied to the skin to "sand" away the unwanted area.
Salabrasion is a technique that is often used in conjunction with dermabrasion during the tattoo removal process. Salabrasion involves soaking the tattoo in a salt solution in efforts to reduce pigment.
Surgical removal, or excision of a tattoo, is a procedure that involves cutting out the dermis and epidermis that surround the undesired area. Once the tattoo has been removed, sutures are used to stitch the exposed area closed. In efforts to minimize scarring, the surgical removal of large tattoos may require grafting skin from one area of the patient's body to the excised area . A local anesthetic is typically used to reduce physical discomfort during the procedure.
Scarification is one of the less common alternatives to laser removal of a tattoo. Scarification is a process that involves soaking the tattoo in an acid solution. The acid then causes severe damage to the unwanted area, allowing several layers of skin to be peeled away. After the undesired site is stripped away, new skin is revealed and a scar appears where the tattoo had been.
The camouflaging method of removal requires the injection of new pigments that resemble the original skin color of the body into the unwanted tattoo. This technique is designed to conceal or make a new pattern of a previous tattoo.
Intense pulsed light treatment, or IPL, involves the use of broad-spectrum light that filters out unwanted harmful wavelengths. IPL is also commonly used to diminish the appearance of wrinkles, liver and age spots, broken capillaries and tattoos. Intense pulsed light treatment involves the exposure of high intensity light pulses to the epidermis where the tattoo is visible. The intensity of the light pulses burn away the top layers of the epidermis, allowing for new skin to grow over the tattoo.
Time Frame
The size, depth and color of an unwanted tattoo determines the number of visits that a complete removal requires. The characteristics of the tattoo will also determine the amount of time each session needs to achieve maximum results. Scarification, camouflaging and excision methods are known to yield complete tattoo removal in just one trip.
Considerations
Dermabrasion, salabrasion, excision, camouflaging, scarification and intense pulsed light treatments vary in degrees of efficacy. Dermabrasion, salabrasion, and intense pulsed light treatments yield noticeable fading of the pigments in the skin after the first treatment. However, salabrasion is most effective in reducing the appearance of superficial tattoos. Camouflaging, excising, and scarification removal techniques produce different results than those of dermabrasion, salabrasion and intense pulsed light treatments.
The camouflaging technique is designed to conceal an unwanted tattoo with new injections of flesh colored ink. However, according to Woman Junction, "injected pigments tend to not look natural, as they lack the skin's natural translucency."
The excision and scarification techniques are also effective methods of tattoo removal. However, when the tattoo is burned or cut out of the skin, scarring of the treated or grafted area may result.
Warning
Scarring, burning, pain and a lengthy recovery period are all considerable risks of any tattoo removal process. According to the Mayo Clinic, such procedures can also cause infections or skin discoloration.
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