Tattoo

Have you ever regretted having a permanent tattoo, or had a design which isn’t quite right?

Tattoo Removal Techniques

There are various methods of tattoo removal. The method that the physician chooses will depend upon the size of the tattoo and its location as well as the length of time it has been on the skin. In the U.S. dermatologist's estimate that 400,000 people will have their tattoos removed this year.

LASER surgery is the most commonly used method for tattoo removal. Laser stands for 'light amplification by stimulated emission and radiation'. Laser is a highly concentrated and unidirectional beam of light physicians prefer using, which when targetted on the tattoed area of the skin, breaks the ink pigment into tiny fragments. Different wavelenghts of light may be used to break pigments of different colours.

Yellow and green colour pigments are hardest to break whereas blue and black colour break easily. The lymphatic system of the body releases some scavenger cells which eat away the broken bits of the pigment, gradually clearing off the tattoo. More than one treatment session may be needed to vanish off the tattoo completely.

Besides being painful physically, laser treatment is heavy on your pocket too. Depending on the size of the tattoo you may need minimum of 2-10 treatment sessions, each session costing between the range of $250-$850.
Physicians prefer laser surgery as it offers a bloodless, low risk involving and efective treatment with minimal side effects .

Three types of specially designed lasers are available for tattoo removal, namely

• The Q-switched ruby
• The Q-switched alexanderite
• The Q-switched Nd:YAG

It is the recommended method to remove the unwanted tattoo if the dyed area is of small size. The advantage of this method is that the entire tattoo gets removed in one go and it is also quite pocket friendly.

In this method the tattoo is removed surgically and generally a local anesthesia is needed to numb the area that is to be operated. The tattoed portion is actually cut off from the skin. The edges are then brought together and sutured. Minimal bleeding is obseved which can further be controlled with electrocautery.

However if the dyed area is large enough skin grafting method may be employed. In this case the tattooed skin is replaced by a skin graft taken from any other part of the body. Excision method however leaves scars that crop up due to stiches involved in the process.

DERMABRASION

Dermabrasion is a procedure which involves manual abrasion of the skin to remove the tattoo. Either a fine grit surgical sand paper or a dremel like tool is used to peel off the tattoed area. It may be followed by dressing as bleeding is likely to occur.

Dermabrasion is done under the action of a local anesthesia or a local and oral/IV sedation. By sloughing away the pigmented layer of skin, the growth of a new layer of skin is encouraged. Scarring is a possibility in case of dermabrasion as repeated scraping of the tattooed area is employed.

It is a centuries old method used for tattoo removal. In this method a solution of ordinary tap water and table salt is used as an abrasive to peel off the tattooed portion of the skin and the underlying layers. It may be accompanied by an abrading apparatus like a wooden block wrapped in guaze to carry out vigorous rubbing.

Dressing is done when the area becomes deep red in colour. The process may cause substantial discomfort to some individuals which can be somewhat minimized by the use of a local anesthesia. Many sessions of such treatment are required and healing is also a long awaited process. Scars are again a by product.