Tattoo Design Ideas

There are many reasons for considering tattoo removal. Perhaps it is preventing you from getting a job or stopping you attaining set goals. It could be gang-related, or be symbolic of hate or prejudice. Maybe your tattoo is of a former lover and your new partner is unimpressed by it still being there. Whatever the reason, it is important to consider which method of removal is going to be best for you.

Lasers are now the most common way for tattoo removal. They target the ink with highly concentrated pulses of light which dissolve the ink into small fragments then cleared by the immune system. Advances in technology mean that scarring is almost non-existent now, although for larger tattoos requiring several treatments there can still be some degree of damage and pain involved. It is also very expensive and the cost can run into thousands of dollars with no guarantee of complete success.

IPL, or Intense Pulsed Light Therapy to give the method its full name, uses high intensity light instead of lasers. Gel is smeared on the skin then a wand emits light pulses onto the tattoo to be removed. This is less painful than using laser therapy, and also has a higher success rate. The cost is also much greater due to this as prices have been known to be as high as a staggering $10 per pulse.

Other removal methods do exist, but are generally either extremely painful or woefully ineffective. They include dermabrasion, where the skin is sanded away by friction, and excision, where tattoos are cut out and the skin sewn back together. Creams also can be used as a tattoo removal method, although there are wide ranging differences of opinion as to their merits.

If you are considering tattoo removal, then laser removal or Intense Pulsed Light Therapy are your best options.