5 Things You Need to Know About Tattoo Removal

1. The Light at the End of the Tunnel

After many years of suffering through excision and dermabrasion, people looking to remove their tattoos finally have a better option: laser removal. In this procedure, dermatologists use a high-powered beam of light to break up the ink beneath your skin. Once the laser blows the ink apart, the scavenger cells in your immune system band together and carry it away. This leaves your skin clear of the tattoo and relatively free from discoloration or scarring.

2. Tattoo Removal Is a Real Pain

Despite technological advances allowing for quicker, more complete removal of tattoos, many patients still say taking their body art off hurts more than putting it on. The best removal method currently available targets the ink with a laser, and although the results are generally good, you'll have to put up with the sharp burning sensation produced by the laser throughout the procedure. If your tattoo's especially large, your doctor might treat your skin with a topical anesthetic, but this is more the exception than the rule. Needless to say, older methods like dermabrasion and excision are also quite painful--they both involve completely removing the tattooed skin.

3. Skin Takes Time to Heal

After any removal procedure you'll need to give your skin time to heal. A tattoo removed by excision is replaced by a large cut sewn up with stitches, making the healing process more akin to recovering from surgery than anything else. Laser removal is much less dramatic, but you should expect to experience some pain and soreness beneath your tattoo for a few hours after the treatment.

4. Prepare For the Long Haul

If you choose laser treatment as your method of removal, be aware that multiple sessions are almost always required to completely eliminate the tattoo. Since each of these sessions usually costs hundreds of dollars, you can end up spending thousands on the removal before it's all said and done. Also, because your cells need time to shuttle the ink away from your skin, months can pass before you see the final results.

5. Plan Ahead for Easier Tattoo Removal

A new kind of tattoo ink offers hope for people wanting tattoos. Freedom2 is an innovative ink that stores its biocompatible dye in dissolvable microcapsules. The ink's creators designed it to break up easily after only one session of laser removal therapy. Because the ingredients are all human-friendly, there's no risk of releasing carcinogenic or toxic chemicals into your body during the procedure.