Catchiest. Song. Ever.

« Previous Page: Wrecking Balm and other Tattoo Fading Creams: Do They Work?  |  Next Page: My Tattoo Removal Story: One woman's journey to becoming tattoo-free »

Tatoo Removal: What Works. What Doesn’t for removing tattoos

Tattoo Removal: What works and what doesn’t.

There must be a lot of people out there trying to remove their tattoos. I got some emails from people wanting to talk with my friend who did the tattoo removal story, to ask her what her advice would be now that it’s over. So I talked with her and did quite a bit some research on my own about removing tattoos.The bottom line is that laser tattoo removal works.  It can take 3-8 sessions, sometimes more, depending on how old the tattoo is, the kind of ink, and other factors. But laser tattoo removal does work. It breaks up the ink particles so that the immune system can carry them away.  It’s also expensive. It could cost you anywhere from $250- over $1000 to get your tattoo removed. Also, not every tattoo will definitely disappear 100%. But laser tattoo removal is definitely the strongest and most effective option.  A sister approach is  Intense Pulsed Light Therapy. It’s just a refined, and less painful (and usually more expensive) newer version of laser tattoo removal. Aside from that, some users report tattoo fading creams, like wrecking balm and Tat B Gone don’t do anything. Others report they did fade their tattoo some.  But they aren’t going to make it go away, or make it nearly invisible.  If you think you will be satisfied with some increased fading, and want to try one of these, you can. You can also get at your drug store the basic active ingredients, for less than 1/10 the price.    If you are going to buy the creams, some of them run about $200. You might be able to get at least one laser session for that. Aside from those two options, you can either use make up to cover it- start with a base lighter than your skin, then add make up matching your skin, then a bit of powder- but ONLY if your tattoo has finally healed. Or you can cover over your tattoo with another one. It’s hard for this to be really effective without fading the tattoo first, unless it’s already considerably faded, and the new design works.  

The other options seem archaic now: Intense dermabrasion, (sandblasting the hell out of your skin) and excision, which is a surgery where the skin with the tattoo is cut out and then the surrounding skin is stitched together.  These were the main options 20 years ago, but now laser surgery is preferred in more than 99% of all tattoo removal situations.

page topic: tatto removal: What works and what doesn’t for removing tatoos: laser and fading creams

« Previous Page: Wrecking Balm and other Tattoo Fading Creams: Do They Work?  |  Next Page: My Tattoo Removal Story: One woman's journey to becoming tattoo-free »

COMMENT (Not all comments are approved, including rude comments and those with strong language).

Section: Tattoo Removal