Jan 26, 2015

Tattoos have been in existence since around 12,000 BC? Although our reasons for tattoing have changed over the years, the art of tattoo still remains pretty special. Although tattoos where originally used to represent culture and life, they are now used to express individuality, or even just to follow current fashion trends.

An increase in tattoos has led to an interesy in tattoo removal. There are a lot of reasons for possibly wanting a tattoo removed. Perhaps your tattoo is something you seriously regret. Or maybe your tattoo is holding you back from getting a job you want or keeps you from attaining goals you have set for yourself.  If this the case, a little pain and scarring may be worth it to you. In some cases, you can have have a tattoo successfully covered up with a new design. According to a survey of 500 people between the ages of 18 and 50 in 2004, 24% of people reported having a tattoo. In 2014, that figure nearly doubled!  Although tattoo removal is a big decision, it does mean that tattoos are no longer as permanent as they once were. There are various different options you can chose to have a tattoo removed, but it may chosing the correct method can seem like a minefield. In this blog, wehave a look at the various different options available to you:

1.  Tattoo Cover-up the tattoo.

As we mentioned before, in some instances it may be possible to cover up an unwanted tattoo, or change it into a more desirable design. This may depend on the size, colour and location of the original tattoo, and how talented your tattoo artist is.
2. Dermabrasion

Dermabrasion is a method of tattoo removal that literal works by rubbing off the tattoo physically using sand-like coarse surface. Alternatively there is Salabrasion,  tattoo removal involving using a mixture of water and glandular salt particles which are used to rub the tattoo to the point of bleeding and softening the surface of the tattoo. These kind of treatments will need to be repreated over a long period of time. Both of these non-surgical tattoo removal techniques can be very painful and will need a local anaesthetic before their application. Neither of thee techniques have ever prove to be particularly effective and both can run the risks of side effects including infection and scar formation.
3. Laser Removal

Laser tattoo removal is one of the commonly used methods available today.  The laser breaks down and burns some of the ink and other parts of the ink will be absorbed and exposed by the body.  The colour of the tattoo and the nature and wavelength of the laser machine are important factors in the laser ability to remove the tattoo.  Black, dark and blue tattoo colours have a higher success rate when treated by laser compared with other colours treated by the same technique. It is necessary for laser tattoo removal to be repeated under several sessions; the most commonly used laser machine is Q-Switched Laser but like other similar methods, has been attributed to scar formation because laser only destroys and burns the ink of the tattoo, therefore, leaving a permanent outline of the tattoo with scar formation. In comparison, surgical removal of tattoos in skilled hands most probably leaves less scarring with a speedy recovery time.

In some cases, where patients have tried laser removal they can find it unsuccessful or partially successful.  If this is the case, the next proceedure to consider is surgical excision.

4. Surgical Excision of tattoos.

If the tattoo is small it can usually be excised in one stage but if it is large it may have to be excised in more than one stage (serial excision). This means multiple operations three months apart until the whole tattoo is removed.
Occasionally a very large tattoo that distresses the patient will have to be excised and the area resurfaced with a skin graft. This, however, leaves the patient with a donor site scar or a scar from where the skin graft has been taken from. The patient may however prefer this to that of a tattoo. If the tattoo is small it can usually be excised in one stage but if it is large it may have to be excised in more than one stage (serial excision). This means multiple operations three months apart until the whole tattoo is removed. Occasionally a very large tattoo that distresses the patient will have to be excised and the area resurfaced with a skin graft. This, however, leaves the patient with a donor site scar or a scar from where the skin graft has been taken from. The patient may however prefer this to that of a tattoo.Surgical excision is a permanent removal of the tattoo by using a surgical knife under local anaesthetic agents. Surgical removal of tattoos has been practiced since tattooing began in ancient times. The reason for tattoo removal are different, the main reason is cosmetic but some are worried about the prospect of their employment or they have become fed-up with the sight of their tattoos, many simply regret their youth decision.  Surgical removal can deal with variable sizes of tattoos regardless of their colour, site and even size, provided that enough skin can be utilised to compensate for the area from which the tattoo has been removed.

This method offers complete removal of the tattoo.