Tattoo Removal

Tattoo is in-trend these days, more so because it has become a form of expression of love, hatred or a way to show the world what one thinks about life. Tattoos are often held as symbolic to one’s life, projecting one’s personality and school of thought. However, some still consider it more of a craze than anything else.

Once marked, people accept it as a part of their individuality. However, there are still others who believe that it is unnecessary and is not worth all the “pain”. Indeed, making a tattoo needs a lot of conceptualization and idea, but what goes into removing it permanently takes a lot of technology. Laser technology is the most opted-for technology among youngsters.

However, there are a few health factors that need to be considered before making or removing a tattoo. A healthy person takes less time to heal because the body is able to flush out the ink quickly. Also, if there are any existing scars, the healing might take some time. Age is another factor, which affects the healing process. If you have had any previous tattoo cover-ups, the healing might take longer time.

While the above-mentioned are some of the facts about tattoo removal, there are a number of misconceptions surrounding it too. So, here’s what you wrongly knew about them:

1. Laser treatments are extremely painful and leave scars: They are a little bit painful and do not leave any scars. The q-switched tattoo lasers are being used, they only touch the middle layer of the skin and do not cause scarring.
2. Laser tattoo removal is instant: Absolutely not. Although more effective than the other alternatives like tattoo removing creams, laser treatments do not act immediately. It takes months and even years for the tattoo to remove permanently.After the first session, an instant frosting takes place, which makes it appear as though the tattoo is gone, but this reaction is actually the ink being penetrated by the laser. This frosting, however, goes away in a few minutes after the laser removal session. It must be remembered that every session will shatter more ink, making it easier for the body to remove the ink. If the tattoo is new, it will take more time to be removed. The body has already reacted to the incision made by the ink. So, one must wait for 6 more weeks before starting a laser treatment because that can make the body react in an adverse manner.
3. Laser treatment is fine to be done anywhere: Beware of that! Since tattoo making and tattoo removal both need experts. Imagine if a nerve got affected or your skin got damaged, the compensation for the same could be much higher. Therefore, it is to be safe than being sorry. Ensure that the tattoo removal process is conducted by a dermatologist and not a random spa or a salon.
4. Removal is safe for everyone: Tattoo removal, especially laser tattoo removal depends on a lot of things. Experts believe that removal is far more difficult in patients with darker skin tone. The laser targets the darker pigment in your body, which should ideally be the ink. But, it can in all possibilities also target the melanin in your body. So, people should darker skin tone should brace themselves with hyperpigmentation in darker skin tones.
5. Colored ink is the hardest to remove: It is actually otherwise since laser treatments use different wavelengths to remove the color on the tattoo. For black, it will have to use only one wavelength, via different wavelengths that need to be used for different colors in a dense tattoo. However, it also depends where the tattoo is made and who made it. If the tattoo is made by a professional artist, the ink would be deep into the dermis, but if it is made by an amateur artist, it would be rather superficial, making it easy to clean.
6. Fresh tattoos are easier to remove: Tattoo making involves making a permanent mark on the skin, which means the skin needs to adopt the incision as one of its own. Trying to remove a tattoo before it has started settling on the skin becomes even harder because of this very reason. A tattoo removal treatment would require the entire area to be healed first from the pricking before anything else can be done.
7. Creams are as effective as Lasers: That could be an easy and comfortable short-cut for many, but not a permanent solution. In fact, these creams only use bleach to mask the tattoo and do nothing to eliminate it. In fact, when tattoo creams have finally settled into deep skin, these creams will not be able to target the ink.
8. The laser treatment happens in one sitting: It might actually take several sittings before the treatment is actually complete. A number of factors are involved in the same, which include the type of the ink that is used, the amount of the ink in the tattoo, the depth of the ink, the immunity of the patient, the blood circulation in the area where the treatment has to be done, the skin type, and age of the patient.

Another reason why laser treatment is the most-opted for tattoo removal procedure is it does not cause bleeding. It can cause pinpoint bleeding, even though it is rare and is generally inside the epidermis. However, if you still have issues (which is rare), get the help of your doctor.