At the time, having a tattoo seems to be the perfectly natural thing to do, and perhaps at the time is really was. Tattoos are meant to be permanent so they are not the easiest thing in the world to get rid of but as the years go by, many people find that their tattoo is no longer expressive and it loses all appeal. Even if the tattoo still has some meaning, many of them were done in an unprofessional manner, using inferior inks and methods and they will fade and blur until they are nothing more than an unsightly blue mark on the skin. There are ways to go about tattoo removal.
It must be said that in many cases the skin does not return to what is was prior to the tattoo, there is always the possibility that there will be a scar or skin discoloration in the area of the old tattoo, however, the method that is used has a lot to do with the ultimate outcome.
Another issue with tattoo removal is the location and size. Many people, more often women will get a small tattoo on the ankle or wrist, these can be removed and the results will be barely apparent. A huge tattoo starting at the shoulder and running to the elbow is something else again; removal of a tattoo of this magnitude may result in a darkening of the skin in the outline of the old tattoo.
There are three common methods of removing a tattoo; laser surgery; which includes pulsed light therapy, skin excision and dermabrasion. Because to effectively remove the tattoo; the ink itself must be removed, the process, regardless of the method employed can be somewhat painful and expensive.
The most common method of tattoo removal is laser surgery. The patient is subjected to pulses of light from the laser; this penetrates the skin and begins the process of breaking down the ink used when the tattoo was first applied. As the ink breaks up, the body’s own metabolism eventually flushes it from the system.
If the tattoo is quite small, it may be possible to surgically remove it but cutting it out and then gather the skin from around the wound and suture it. If the tattoo is quite large, this method will normally involve a skin graft. Regardless of the size of the tattoo, a scar will remain.
Dermabrasion is another method. To accomplish removal of the tattoo in this way, the skin is literally sanded away, taking the tattoo with it. To remove the tattoo this process must be done a number of times, the process is very painful and a scar will be the result.
