Tattoos are a very personal expression of who we are and how we see ourselves. Getting a tattoo often marks an important point in our lives and the design we chose may represent special people or memories we don’t want to forget. But sometimes we change and what was “cool” or “awesome” when we were twenty isn’t so great when we are older. That is part of life; we grow, stuff happens and we have to change with it. “Tattoo regret” is a very common phenomenon. According to recent polls almost 50% of people who have ink have thought about getting it removed and a recent survey of 163 men and women with ink showed a full one third regretted getting ink done.  Look no further than the following celebrities:

Angeline Jolie – after her divorce from Billy Bob, she removed the dragon tat and his name from her shoulder (left image), replacing it with a list of latitudes and longitudes of where her children were born (right image).

Eva Longoria – after her divorce from Tony Parker she had his “number nine” tat removed and his initials were also removed from some “undisclosed” part of her anatomy.

Megan Fox is removing the Marilyn Monroe tat on her right forearm.

Britney Spears and Pamela Anderson are two other celebrities who have had success in removing tattoos they no longer wanted.

Johnny Depp has over a dozen tattoos. His most famous was the “Wynona Forever” tat on his right bicep. When they split up he had it changed to, “Wino Forever”!

Other famous people who have successfully moved beyond tattoos they no longer wanted include 50 Cent, Billy Idol, Eminem, Charlie Sheen and Kobe Bryant. Mark Wahlberg decided he would teach his kids a lesson and brought in two of his four children, Ella Rae, eight and Michael, five, to watch more than 20 of his painful laser treatments. His tats are gone and his kids are scared straight! As he says,

“I don’t want my kids getting tattoos. If I fail as a father, then it’s all been for nothing. That’s by far, the most important role that I’ll ever play in my life….being a parent and a husband.”

One-third of people in theUKunder the age of 44 have at least one tattoo. The Brits are the most tattooed people inEurope– even the wife of the Prime Minister has one!

The good news is tattoos are now no longer “permanent.” Tattoos often mark a phase in ones life but they shouldn’t become an obstacle to happiness. You don’t have to live with a choice you made years ago that now makes you unhappy. You can free yourself and this blog will show you the many ways today it is possible to safely remove or fade unwanted tattoos from your skin.

Laser treatment for tattoo removal is the fastest growing area of dermatology with clinics sprouting up all across the country. Those clinics provide a service yes, but they are there to make money and they can’t make money unless they sell you that service.

What about the various creams on the market? Some work and some don’t and some are downright dangerous. Each marketer will give you a song and dance about why their cream is the “only way to go.” Again, their motivation is to sell you their cream.

What about surgery, or “tattoo excision”? After talking to a surgeon you may walk away (after paying several hundred dollars for a consultation fee) thinking surgery is the “only way to go.” Remember, that nice surgeon needs patients like you, he has a mortgage and car payments too.

I am not directly criticizing the many different hard working service providers and product marketers in the business of tattoo removal but it is a business. It is hard, if not almost impossible, to get the full picture of unbiased advice which is why I am putting together this blog. Read on and get the information you need to make the right choice for you.

Pete Peterson

Image credit: alteredidentity.com/Marty Katz photography

Everybody complains about work but the reality is to survive you pretty much need a job. That means most of us fall into one of two groups: those currently without a job that want one and those with a job that want a better one. In today’s economy and hypercompetitive job market you need every edge you can get. One thing you don’t want holding you back is ink.

Your Boss Hates Your Tattoo

In all surveys one message comes out loud and clear: employers hate tats! You may love your tattoo, I mean, you chose to get it done and you chose the design so, yeah, that makes sense. But that doesn’t mean your boss feels the same way. This is especially true of tattoos in highly visible places, like your forearm, hands, ankles or neck. God forbid you have any tats higher than your neck. You can forget about meaningful employment in most cases if you do.

So you want a job, or you want a better job but you’ve got ink that’s holding you back. What do you do? That is the main question. You need to “Do” something about it. Here are your two choices: cover it up with clothing or get it removed permanently. To do nothing is an expensive choice. Think about all the money you aren’t making right now because you are being held back. Add that up over a lifetime and you could go buy a house somewhere. The sooner you take action the better off you will feel and the better off you will be financially too.

Covering It Up

Tatjacket is one idea that works for people who love their ink but need to cover it up during work hours. These are acylic sleeves that sell for 20 bucks a pair that you wear over your arm or lower leg. You can buy them off the company website: www.tatjacket.com

Taking It Off

If you make the decision to have your tat removed then this website is for you. Here you will find a ton, maybe two tons, of free information on all the available choices for tattoo removal. It isn’t just about laser, although that is the most expensive option. There are many products, some of which work and some of which don’t, as well as other procedures and methods for you to look into or think about.

As I put this site together feel free to shoot me some questions and I’ll see if I can help.

Good luck.

Pete Peterson

Norman Vincent Peale

1)         Broken Relationship: Cursive names of a past boyfriend or girlfriend are one of the most commonly removed tattoos. Many see the old flame’s name branded on their body as unfair to the new partner.

2)         Job: Employers hate all tattoos! If you want a better, higher paying job it can help to lose the tat. Both Police and the military have severe restrictions on tattoos. A tattoo cannot be visible during a military salute.

3)         Change in Lifestyle: What interested us years ago feels a little foolish now. Band names are a good example of common tattoo removal requests here. Frankie Goes to Hollywood, anyone?

4)         Bad Artwork: Let’s face it, nothing is worse than a bad tattoo. Did you know David Beckham has his wife’s name misspelled in Hindi tattooed on his left arm?

5)         Wedding: Many women feel unmarked skin looks best in a white wedding dress.

6)         Fashion Issues: This is for women in particular, choosing clothes to hide or flaunt the tattoo on a daily basis becomes a pain.

7)         Role Model: Once they have children many people regret having tattoos and don’t want their children to do the same.

8)         Leaving a Criminal Past: Visible gang tats shout to everyone you are a gang member whether it is no longer true or not.

9)         Being Judged: Being judged by others every day gets tiring.

10)       New Religion: Some religions permit tattoos and others expressly forbid them.

Image credit: Wikipedia

Lyle Tuttle

Lyle Tuttle is known by many as the “father of the American tattoo.” He is from the Bay area and got his first tattoo (illegally) when he was just 14. He was fascinated by tattoos ever since. Lyle was and is very active in the tattoo community and became famous after he tattooed the flower on Janis Joplin’s wrist. Back in the ’60s it was very rare for a woman to get a tat and Janis broke down a lot of barriers. Anyway, here is the Top 10 list of why people get inked. Which one are you?

1)      To Look Cool:

Self explanatory

2)      Memories:

Usually of a loved one or someone who has passed away

3)      A Tribute:

To a passion or strong interest

4)      To Rebel:

To piss off your parents

5)      Peer Pressure:

All my friends are getting them

6)      Boredom:

Why not?

7)      Identify with a Group:

Just joined a gang….

8)      Express Individuality:

I need to be me.

9)      Liked the design:

I love butterflies

10)      To make a statement:

Just had to…

Tattoos are a personal choice and the reasons for getting them are equally personal. There are probably as many “reasons” for getting tattoos as people who have them.

Image credit: Prick Magazine

Despite the name, cryosurgery isn’t really surgery at all and is also known by the term “cryotherapy.” It works by using a super cooled gas, such as liquid nitrogen, to freeze the skin above the tattoo. The procedure has been around for over 100 years but is still a relatively uncommon way of removing a tattoo.

Freezing the skin destroys the cells inside resulting in the skin peeling away. It is similar to getting frostbite. The frozen tissue below the skin where the tattoo pigment lies is also destroyed and then slowly replaced by the body’s healing process.

The procedure is not as painful as laser treatment but is also not pain free. Chances of scarring are minimal but there is a risk of damage to nearby tissue and nerve cells. Some patients have experienced pigmentation changes in the skin after treatment and healing. The risk here, as ever, will be greater for patients with darker skin tones.

This is not a DIY procedure. Cryosurgery can only be performed by a dermatologist or trained medical professional.

Several treatments will be necessary but the number and depth of treatments will depend on the size, location, age and depth of the tattoo. Cryotherapy treatment on areas of very thin skin and no fat, such as the ankle, may be very painful and not advisable.

Pete Peterson

Image credit: uchospitals.edu

Dermabrasion is the rubbing away of skin to encourage new skin growth. For tattoo removal, this is usually accomplished by a mechanical spinning brush designed to peel human skin. Yes, it is unpleasant and frequently the last ditch choice for those who have tried everything else. It will usually only work on tattoos that are not too deep.

The procedure works with your doctor, or plastic surgeon, cleaning the area to be treated and administering a local anesthetic such as lidocaine. Next, the skin is sprayed with liquid nitrogen to freeze the top layer making it stiffer and easier to work on. Then the spinning abrasion brush is brought out to grind away the epidermis and get at the dermis where the ink pigment is located. The process will take anywhere from a few minutes to two hours depending on the size of the tattoo.

Vascoconstrictors, (drugs not snakes) such as ephinidrine, are also used to control blood flow to the area. Without these you will bleed a lot. They work by causing the veins that carry blood to narrow and reduce blood flow.

Proper aftercare is critical and takes up to two months. More than one treatment is necessary. The chances of scarring are very high and this treatment should not be considered by people who are keloid prone. Permanent change in skin pigmentation of the treated area is also a risk for people with darker skin. Dermabrasion is not a DIY procedure.

If all that doesn’t turn you off then consider this; the cost is high. Each treatment session will cost several hundred dollars with repeat visits necessary. Some estimates put the average cost of dermabrasion tattoo removal at around $1,500.

Pete Peterson

Image credit: squidoo.com

Salabrasion is the oldest form of tattoo removal known to man. Looking at the word meaning will tell you all you need to know: sal (salt) + abrasion (rubbing). This can be a DIY procedure but all you will end up doing is replacing that unwanted tattoo with an unwanted scar. Here is how it works:

1) Area to be treated is shaved and cleaned.
2) A topical or local anesthetic is applied (if done by a medical professional)
3) A gritty paste of salt and water is made
4) The paste is applied to a wood block wrapped in gauze
5) The tattoo is rubbed hard for 30 to 40 minutes. Enjoy.

Intense bleeding will result. Healing time will be many weeks and the procedure almost always requires repeat treatment (ouch!) to get all the ink out. The rubbing has to be deep to get down into the dermis where the ink lies. This method may be the oldest and cheapest but it is probably the worst of all your choices. Heavy scarring is almost guaranteed and the risk of infection is high. Salabrasion should not be considered by people who are prone to keloid formation. Salabrasion is not a DIY procedure. Not recommended.

Pete Peterson

Image credit: izismile.com

Tattoo excision is the surgical removal of a tattoo by a qualified surgeon. This is the most effective way to completely remove an unwanted tattoo. This method, while invasive, is most suitable for smaller tattoos which can be removed in one session. It is also the method of choice for people whose tattoos are too deeply embedded to be removed effectively any other way. Deeply embedded tattoos can be amateur tattoos or just old tattoos where the ink pigment has sunk into the lower dermis.

After a consultation with your surgeon the procedure works like this. First the area of the tattoo to be removed is shaved and cleaned. Local anesthetics are given. This numbs that area only. You will be awake for the procedure so if you don’t like blood, especially your own, you will definitely want to look away. Actually, bleeding is reportedly very light as blood vessels are cauterized during the procedure. For a small tattoo, a “full thickness removal” occurs, which consists of removing the epidermis and the dermis. The skin on either side is then stretched to close over the wound and held together with sutures. You are given antibiotics and are usually out the door in one hour. Stitches are normally removed in a week to ten days.

For larger tattoos it is far more complicated. The center of the tattoo is removed first and the wound allowed to heal. Several visits and operations may be necessary with skin grafts – taking skin from another area of your body – being necessary to close the wound. The pain, expense and risk of infection are obviously higher the larger the tattoo to be removed.

A slight linear scar is likely to result where the skin is sutured. The size and permanence of the scar depends on the skill of the surgeon and how rigorous the aftercare is. Often these small scars fade away with time; over a 6 to 8 month period. However, Asians and other darker skinned people who are susceptible to keloid formation (heavy scarring) should carefully consider the risks with excision.

Pete Peterson

Image credit: no1footdoc.com

The risk here, again, is of infection and some scarring. Infection and scarring are more likely if you pick at the scab. It may be hard not to but picking at the scab will only cause you heartache. You just have to let it drop off by itself. Also, picking at it will not speed up the healing process. So, hands off!

Over a hundred years ago in 1888, a physician in France, one Dr. Variot G. Nouveau, discovered that tattooing over an unwanted tattoo with an acid solution was an effective removal technique. His process, the “Variot Method,”or the “French Method,” caused a large scab to form which, when it fell off, removed a lot the ink with it. Dr. Nouveau’s formula contained a mixture of tannic acid, glycerin and water. Tannic acid was found to cause cancer in the mid-20th century and is no longer used in medicine

 
Rejuvi (also known as “E-raze”) and Tattoo Erase are two products that work using the chemical extraction process. These are not DIY options; you have to go to a trained clinic or tattoo parlor to get the job done. It will take on average three to four treatments, or visits, to remove a tattoo completely. Figure on a month healing time between visits. Cost will depend on where you go and the size of your design.

Pete Peterson

Image credit: allposters.com

Intense Pulsed Light Therapy is another type of light treatment that uses filtered xenon flashlamps, not lasers. The tattoo is covered in a special anesthetic gel, a prism is placed over it and a light emitting wand is passed over. IPL is less painful than laser treatment but more expensive, costing around $10 per pulse. If you have a large tattoo you would need a lot of $10 shots which can add up very quickly.IPL is sometimes incorrectly referred to as laser treatment. It is not. However, like a Q-switching laser, IPL is light transmitted in short bursts at high intensity and is frequently used in hair removal. The debate of effectiveness of IPL vs. ND:YAG laser treatment continues with the consensus being that IPL is as effective but may require more treatments. One thing everyone can agree on is IPL is less painful than laser and the treatment is described as feeling akin to a light sunburn. Aside from hair removal, IPL is often employed in the treatment of acne, spider veins and birth mark removal.

As with laser removal, IPL works through absorption of heat energy by the ink pigment and this is wavelength dependent. Different wavelengths of IPL are also needed to target and break up different tattoo ink color.

IPL works best on people with light colored skin and has a lower success rate on dark skin. This is because it targets the dark color in the dermis and the greater the discrepancy between the tattoo ink and the surrounding skin the more effective it is. As with lasers, those with darker skin who undergo IPL treatment are at risk of “hypopigmentation.” This is localized permanent loss of skin color. The risk of this occurring is less with IPL than with lasers.

People with diabetes will need to exercise caution here as diabetes may impede the healing process.

Practitioners claim on average “amateur” tattoos will require 3 to 5 treatments while “professional” tattoos will require 5 to 8 treatments. Scarring is reported to have occurred in around 2% of patients undergoing IPL treatment. Post treatment the skin will turn red and swell a little. Blisters may form but the skin should return to normal in one to two weeks post treatment.

IPL can cost anywhere from $250 to $600 per treatment depending on all the variables discussed earlier. Packages for treatment are often available which can help lower the per treatment cost. All terms should be discussed thoroughly and fully understood before you commit to treatment.

Pete Peterson

Image credit: Daily Mail