Tattoo removal information

A tattoo used to be a permanent and irreversible adornment to one's skin. However, in recent years dermasurgeons have developed safe and effective techniques to successfully remove unwanted tattoos. (Read "Do's and don'ts for tattoos and piercings")
Patients request removal of a tattoo for a variety of reasons — social, cultural or physical. Some patients develop an allergic reaction to a tattoo several years after the initial application. Because each tattoo is unique, removal techniques must be tailored to suit each individual case. For instance, professionally applied tattoos tend to penetrate the deeper layers of the skin at uniform levels. This uniformity allows dermasurgeons to use techniques that remove broader areas of inked skin at the same depth.

Homemade tattoos are often applied with an uneven hand and their removal may be more difficult. Deeper blue and black ink colors are particularly difficult to remove. Professional tattoos made with some of the newer inks and pastel colors may also be difficult to remove entirely.
REMOVING TATTOOSTattoos can be removed by a dermasurgeon on an outpatient basis with local anesthesia. The most common techniques used are:
Laser surgeryThe surgeon removes the tattoo by selectively treating the pigment colors with a high-intensity laser beam. Lasers have become the standard treatment because they offer a "bloodless," low risk, highly effective approach with minimal side effects. The type of laser used generally depends upon the pigment colors. In many cases, multiple treatments may be required.

DermabrasionThe surgeon "sands" the skin, removing the surface and middle layers of the tattoo. The combination of surgical and dressing techniques helps to raise and absorb the tattoo inks. View the dermabrasion fact sheet for more information.
Surgical excisionThe surgeon removes the tattoo with a scalpel and closes the wound with stitches. This technique proves highly effective in removing some tattoos and allows the surgeon to excise inked areas with great control.
ARE THERE SIDE EFFECTS OR COMPLICATIONS?Side effects are generally minor, but may include skin discoloration at the treatment site, infection of the tattoo site, lack of complete pigment removal, or some scarring. A raised or thickened scar may appear three to six months after the tattoo is removed.
FOR MORE INFORMATION AND REFERRALSFor more information on skin conditions and treatments, along with a list of ASDS members in your state, please visit the find a dermasurgeon section of our Web site.

The Tattoo Technique

Permanent tattoos are applied by injecting the color pigments mention above into the skin using a solid, round-tip needle attached to a motorized instrument that holds up to 14 needles attached to the pigments. The pigments are injected into the middle layer of the skin at a rate of 15 to 3,000 times per minute.In other cases, tattoo artists apply the tattoo by hand dipping a needle into pigment, without the use of an electric instrument. Depending upon the complexity of design, the process takes anywhere from fifteen minutes to several hours or sometimes months to complete.

Remember, a tattoo is forever. Some people may think that it is a way to express their individuality. Some people see it as an art form. But before you walk into a tattoo studio, you should know exactly what you want to put on your body. After you have decided, you will need to find the right artist to do the work. Choose someone with a good reputation; someone whose work you have seen on your friends or other people.State health departments in Texas, Oregon and Wisconsin monitor and inspect tattoo studios. However, tattoo studios operate in many states in the U.S. but are NOT inspected by a local health department. New York City currently has over 400 licensed tattoo artists. Tattoo studios are still illegal in several states in the US, Vermont, Massachusetts and Oklahoma being a couple at the time of this writing.

A good artist will take the time to sit down with you and create an individual work of art. A questionable artist might encourage you just to pick a design off of his wall. Check out the studio. It should be equipped with an autoclave -- a device that pressurizes the instruments and kills any viruses or bacteria. Does the artist use single-use or disposable needles? Single-use needles are a higher quality needle than a disposable.Don't get your tattoo at a "bargain" in some sleazy part of town. Remember, this will be on your body FOREVER. Yes, they can be removed with a laser. It can be a very expensive price to pay to remove an inexpensive tattoo.To keep your tattoo color from fading, protect it with a good stick or spray.

TATTOO'S

Tattooing has been around since ancient times and its presence in our mainstream society is not going to fade away anytime soon. In 3 percent of American households today, at least one of their members has one or more tattoos. At least 12 million Americans have one tattoo.

This decorative artform continues to be a growing attraction to teenagers.
Teens as young as 13 and 14 are getting their first tattoos. It isn't just males who are getting them, over the past twenty years the number of women getting tattoos has quadrupled.

The color additives used in tattooing pigments are the same as those used in cosmetics. They are monitored by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and approved for topical application only. There are more than 100 different color variations, but the most common colors are red, green, yellow, blue and white. White is used to mix colors to make color variations.

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