Tattoo Removal Methods

One noted method for removing a tattoo is excision. This is best used if you have a tattoo that is small. The advantage of this method is that the entire tattoo can be removed. With larger tattoos it may be necessary to excise in phases or stages, starting with the center of the tattoo and removing other areas at a later time.

Excision requires a local anesthetic injection to numb the area. After that the tattoo is removed surgically. The edges are then joined and sutured. If you have a large tattoo it may require grafting skin form another part of your body.

This staged Excision does not work well on "home-made" tattoos that normally inject the ink deeper into the skin, unlike professional tattoos that do not go as deep.

Laser removal of tattoo
Laser tattoo removal is safe and effective and can be used on all body areas such as the legs, pubic areas, breasts, face, buttocks and neck. Depending on the color and type of ink used to create your tattoo will depend on the type of laser used. For example, a green light laser would be used to remove red or orange ink. Your skin color also makes a difference. Blue-black and red tattoos fade faster; green tattoos will take more treatments.

A topical anesthetic is generally used; however several treatments will be needed. This treatment costs at least $200 a treatment however there is typically less scarring.

Fade away creams
This involves using a series of creams which work by breaking down the tattoo ink. The tattoo then becomes lighter and fades away in time. This is one of the newest methods and it's also the cheapest as creams cost about $100. This is the least painful method and you won't suffer skin damage or scarring.

Dermabrasion
This should not be confused with Microdermabrasion. Dermabrasion involves abrasion of the top layers of skin until the middle layer, which contains the actual tattoo pigment, is reached and exfoliated, removing the unwanted tattoo with it.

Dermabrasion is limited in its effectiveness because tattoo ink is generally too deep in the skin layers to be removed completely with this method. The down side to Dermabrasion is that it often causes serious, permanent unsightly scarring. Dermabrasion is done through the use of chemical agents such as caustic acids, actual sandpaper or salt.