Tommy Sands
How You Can Get Rid Of A Tattoo
Tattoos are very fashionable at the moment, but many people often feel stuck with a tattoo when their tastes change? If you’re living with tattoo regret, there are various options open for removal.
Excision
A surgeon removes the skin holding the tattoo, and sutures together the surrounding skin if the tattoo was small, or carries out a skin graft from another part of your body if it’s a mid-sized tattoo. This technique is not usually used for large tattoos as it is very likely to leave visible scarring if treating a large area.
Chemical peels
This removes the layers of skin above the tattoo with dilute acid. New skin then grows to replace the damaged area. This treatment is very hard on the skin and can cause scarring, so it has been overtaken by less damaging modern methods.
Dermabrasion
This involves rubbing away the top layers of skin covering the tattoo. It is often used as a treatment to smooth out acne scars, or the fine lines from aging. When used on tattoos, it works by removing the top and middle layers of the skin, then the tattoo is removed surgically and the skin sewn back together. As this method is relatively harsh on the skin, scarring can result. Now falling out of use as laser treatment is more effective.
Tattoo removal creams
Various bleaching creams claim they will fade a tattoo over 3-12 months with daily use. The creams are painless and you can apply them at home without supervision. But they can bleach the skin around the tattoo as well as the ink itself, and may cause allergic reactions.
Many have claimed the creams have no effect. Cream makers note that every person and tattoo is unique, so the creams work more effectively for some people than others. The FDA has claimed the creams have no benefit, so think carefully before buying enough to use for months.
Laser removal
The most common tattoo removal technique now the equipment is widespread, it uses focussed laser light to encourage the decomposition of the ink of the tattoo, which is then cleared by the body’s immune system.
Different inks are broken down by different wavelengths of laser light. The easiest to remove pigments are black, blue and brown, whereas yellow, red, green, orange and white are more difficult. Professionally applied tattoos are usually deeper in the skin and contain more colours, making them harder to remove and requiring more treatments.
Each case is different due to tattoo size, the inks used, and the reaction of your skin, but on average it takes 7-12 laser sessions to remove a tattoo. Expect to have a break of four to eight weeks between treatments to allow the skin to recover and the body to clear some of the pigment. In rare cases people have an allergic reaction to the decomposing ink so if you’re having a laser treatment, make sure you report any changes in how you feel to your doctor.
Although bloodless, the treatment is not pain free, and feels like being hit by a stretched elastic band or a mild burning, depending on your reaction. Most treatments will be done under a mild anaesthetic so they are not too painful, but the area will be sore and will need careful cleaning and covering for at least a week after each treatment.
Make sure lasers used are ‘Q-switched’, producing very short and very intense pulses of light, these are currently the best for targeting the pigment and causing the least damage to surrounding tissue. Expect each session of treatment to take up to half an hour, depending on tattoo size.
Laser has become the most popular way to remove tattoos as it is the most effective method.
Camouflage within another tattoo
An alternative to removing the tattoo is to camouflage it by overlaying another tattoo over the same area. Depending on the original tattoo, and the skill of the second tattooist, this can completely hide the original so no one will know it ever existed. The most famous example of this is Pamela Anderson having a tattoo changed after divorcing Tommy Lee, changing ‘Tommy’ on her ring finger to read ‘Mommy’ instead so she was not constantly reminded of her ex-husband.
The techniques for removing tattoos are getting better and better, although they are not quick or painless yet. You really should make sure you want and can live with a tattoo before you get it. If you’re planning a tattoo, look at getting a temporary version first, either in henna or as a transfer, which can look just as good as the real thing and last for several days. A week or two with a temporary version of the design you like may help you avoid getting something permanent that you end up wanting removed.
Tommy Sands – Teenage Crush
