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Tattoo Removal FactsAhh, what is a more rebellious act of youth than disfiguring your body by permanently injecting ink below the surface of your skin? We're talking about tattoos, which have become so common now it is almost more rebellious NOT to have any piercings or tattoos. For many, getting a tattoo is almost a rite of passage, a nearly spiritual event with deep significance and meaning. For others, a long night of drinking is all it takes, along with a 24 hour tattoo parlor, and they are inked for life. Sometimes it is the name of a lover, words or pictures or symbols that are meaningful to you. But unfortunately, it is not always easy to predict our lifestyles, tastes, and interests a few years out, much less a few decades. The result -- hundreds of thousands of people with tattoos they wish they never got, trying to find out the best way to get rid of tattoos, 10 years later.
How can you get rid of a tattoo?Maybe its on your ankle, the small of your back, your wrist, your shoulder. Somewhere, sometime, someone talked you into getting a tattoo, and now you want to get rid of it. If you like tattoos in general and just want to get rid of something small, one option is to tattoo something else over it or around it to disguise it - this happens all the time with people putting their "love a lifetime's" name on a tattoo, only to find themselves broken up a year later. So you can tattoo over the name in solid color, or turn it into another shape or object. If you really want to permanently remove a tattoo though, you need something else. For small tattoos, you can sometimes do a surgical removal of the tattoo, where a surgeon will cut out the tattoo and underlying skin, they suture together the edges over the wound - think of it as a minor tummy tuck, or "tat-tuck"! One technique involves inserting a small inflatable balloon under the skin, slowly stretching the skin in the tattoo area. This gives you extra skin to work with once the tattoo is cut out, and less scarring. Skin grafting is also sometimes used, taking skin from somewhere else on the body to cover the removed area.Laser Tattoo RemovalUsing lasers seems to be the latest, hottest thing in the medical profession. Lasers are being used for acne, hair removal, cleaning up spider veins, and much more. Laser tattoo removal has also become increasingly popular. How much does laser tattoo removal cost? More than you paid for your tattoo, let's put it that way. Some people report paying $5000 or more to remove a decent size tattoo. The main expense involves the time and number of procedures it takes - this is not a one time treatment, but more like a 15 or 20 visit process, spread out over the course of a year or more. And it is not an exact science. Successfully removing a tattoo via laser depends on how much ink was used, what type, color of ink, how deep the tattoo is, how old it is, color of your skin, and many other factors. During a session, your doctor or technician will clean the area and then apply the appropriate bursts of concentrated laser light to break up the inks in the tattoo, allowing your body to naturally remove some of the pigment over time. Does laser tattoo removal hurt? Yes, sort of. Some people say it is like snapping a rubber band on the skin. Your doctor can use surface anesthesia or cooling gels to help reduce discomfort. A normal session might last 15 or 20 minutes, and again, keep in mind that you will need to come back over and over. You should also be warned that the final product will not be clean, clear, blemish free skin -- that's what you had before the tattoo, but you can't get that back. In the best case, you will end up with a faded scarred area with some minor discoloration. In most cases, you will have remnants and small blotches of lightly colored, left-over ink colors dispersed among scar tissues, giving you kind of a mottled area of skin. It won't be perfect, but it won't look much like the old tattoo either. Bright, fluorescent colors tend to be the hardest to remove, and newer tattoos are tougher to get rid of than older ones.What to expectYou should spend time talking to your doctor before undergoing any procedure. You'll want to see before and after pictures of many of their clients so you will know what to expect. Request pictures of similarly colored tattoos to yours - that will be one of the biggest factors determining what it will look like when complete. Find out what the cost per session will be for your size tattoo. If you are doing more than one, ask about a discount for doing multiple tattoos in each visit. Ask how many treatments will be needed for your type of tattoo, and how long you will need to wait between treatments (usually 6 weeks or so, minimum). Ask the doctor how long they have been doing laser tattoo removal, and what kind of anesthesia options they offer.Tattoo Removal CreamsYou may also see some website and ads for cream treatment and other things for tattoo removal. Tat B Gone is one of these (TatBGone.com). They claim their product will fade tattoos over a course of 3-9 months, when applied daily. Two creams penetrate the skin and breakdown the tattoo ink, allowing the body to absorb and remove the pigment particles. You can get a 6 month supply for about $300. They claim 95% of users achieve "satisfying results", but there is no money back guarantee. We suggest you find a friend or reliable acquaintance who has used product before buying it - this is true for any medical or cosmetic products making claims to make you thinner, grow more hair, etc.If you are looking to temporarily hide a tattoo, you can find cover up creams like TattooCamo.com. This makeup product covers all colors of tattoos and won't come off in the pool or shower. Maybe you have a job interview or are going to some other event where you don't want to "show-off" your tattoos - this gives you an easy way to look clean and presentable for a few hours or the entire day. It costs around $40.
Do you have a quality site or product that belongs in this guide? We are always happy to evaluate or review new products and websites. Feel free to contact us at the email address below and let us know about you. If you have a demo product you'd like us to look at, please contact us before sending anything. Thank you.
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