There are many reasons a person may want to get their tattoo removed. It may represent a former love interest. It may represent a affiliation with a gang or association. It may be holding you back from getting the job of your dreams. When you want to get a tattoo removed you have a few different options.
Laser Removal
Lasers are the most common method of removing tattoos. The work by targeting the ink in the tattoo with pulses of highly concentrated light. The highly concentrated light breaks up the ink into tiny pieces that are then flushed away by the body’s immune system. This can’t be done in one treatment session. In fact, the more treatment sessions you have the ore the laser can penetrate the tattoo to eradicate the ink. However, the more laser sessions you have the more damage you do to your skin. This can cause painful blisters and scabs that can lead to scarring.
Laser tattoo removal isn’t just painful, it is also expensive and time consuming. Depending on your tattoo size it can take between 1 and 10 sessions to remove a tattoo. Each session can cost between $250 and $850. So, a large professional tattoo with a lot of color could cost thousands to remove and the effectiveness of the removal is not guaranteed.
Intense Pulsed Light Therapy
IPL, or intense pulsed light therapy is a dermal enhancer that is being used in some spas. Instead of laser light, it uses high intensity light in the same way. During a treatment a gel is applied to the skin and a wand is used to emit pulses of light on to the tattooed skin. This type of tattoo removal is considered to be less painful than laser removal. It is also considered to be more effective.
IPL, is more costly than laser tattoo removal. It costs roughly $10 per pulse of light. Depending on how many pulses you need per session, this can really add up.
Do-It-Yourself Creams
There are creams you can use at home that promise to fade your tattoos. These creams may work if you use them consistently, but it takes a long time to see any results.
Excision
In this method the tattoo is surgically removed. Essentially the tattoo is cut out of the skin and the skin is sewn back together. This leaves a big scar behind, so it is not considered to be a favorable removal method.
Abrasive Friction
This method uses friction to sand away the top layer of skin. This method can leave a big scar. It can also be very painful. This method is known as salabrasion or dermabrasion. It takes several differnet sessions to entirely remove the tattoo.