Tattoo Removal: What Are Your Options?

People have various reasons as to why they chose to get the certain tattoo that they did. They also have their reasons as to why they now want it removed from their body. Maybe it was some ones initials that they are no longer with, or just simply a botched tattoo job. Either case, there are options you can consider when it comes to fixing or getting rid of a tattoo.

One of the first and less drastic choices you can make is to either fix fix the tattoo if it is a bad job, or do a cover up on an unwanted tattoo. This will depend on if you even want a tattoo anymore and if you do, how big the cover up will have to be in order to hide the old unwanted tattoo. If these choices do not work for you, for example: the cover up would make the tattoo bigger than you would like, or you simply want no tattoo at all, there are other options.

Excision is a method of removing a tattoo by simply cutting the tattooed skin out surgically and then stitching the two sides back together. This is not very appealing to larger tattoos since it would have to go in stages and possibly leave a much larger scar. Smaller tattoos will benefit more from this because the removal area will be smaller so there will be not as much skin removed which will leave minimal scarring.

Dermabrasion is another method used to remove unwanted tattoos by placing a liquid on the tattoo and to an effect freezing the area. When this is done, a tool is used to sand down the tattoo and peel off the affected area. A chemical can also be used to put on the tattoo and peel off the skin. This will leave less of a scar than excision.

Lasers are one of the most common tattoo removal techniques today. They use highly concentrated light to target the ink pigment in the skin. This will break up the pigment in the skin and the body's scavenger cells will remove the targeted pigment cells. This is a very expensive procedure and often requires multiple visits.

Some scarring or color variation may still apply. Speak with your doctor first to decide what the best option for your particular case is. The procedure you choose will be dependent on the size and location of the tattoo on your body. Age of the tattoo may also affect the decision.