Thinking About Getting a Tattoo? Read About Tattoo Removal

Tattoos have experienced a great increase in popularity in many parts of the world. For many people their tattoo can be beautiful and inspiring work of art, often a reminder of something or someone special, but it can also become a mistake. Many people make the decision about getting a tattoo on the spur of the moment, without thinking about consequences of such action. Later on they often decide they don't like it any more and want it removed. It is estimated that close to 10% of Americans have some sort of tattoo, and up to 50% of them say they've considered having their tattoo removed.

While tattoos are meant to be permanent, it is possible to remove them with treatments, fully or partially. The expense and pain of removing tattoos, however, will typically be greater than the expense and pain of applying them.

So what are the available tattoo removal options?

Popular methods of tattoo removal include skin dermabrasion (removing the top layers of the skin by abrasion), cryosurgery (application of extreme cold to the tattooed area of the skin), chemical peels (a chemical solution and sometimes acid is used to scrape away the outer skin layers until the dermal layer with tattoo pigmentation is reached), and surgical removal (excision) of the skin that holds the tattoo pigments. Excision involves a local anesthetic to numb the tattoo area. For large tattoos, several excision treatments are usually required together with a skin graft to cover up the skin. This method leaves a scar behind. The body will replace the injured skin surface with new and healthy cells.

While these methods are still used, laser tattoo removal is quickly becoming the most popular procedure for removing tattoos.

Laser tattoo removal involves exposing the ink to a bright laser light, which breaks up the particles of ink. At the same time, the light of the laser stimulates blood flow in the skin, therefore creating new skin tissue to replace the old tissue. Removing a tattoo by laser can be uncomfortable and can feel a lot like getting a tattoo. Although laser surgery is one of the most effective tattoo removal options and causes least damage to the skin, multiple sessions are usually necessary to get rid of unwanted tattoos. The entire process usually takes several months.

The healing process is much shorter than with other methods; however, multiple sessions are necessary - up to 8 or more. At $150-$500 per session, this makes the laser treatment very costly - it can run up to $10,000. The number of sessions and spacing between treatments depend on various factors, including the area of the body treated and skin color. The procedure is not covered by insurance, so a tattoo that may have only cost a couple hundred dollars to get, may cost much more to remove.

Regardless of which type of tattoo removal method you think is best for you, you should ultimately consult your doctor before making a final decision. Each of methods has pros and cons and requires consideration. A free consultation allows the patient and the provider to meet without obligation or fee. And sometimes, after looking at all of the options, some people decide to keep the body art, or even add to it, in order to change whatever they didn't like about it in the first place.