It was a terrific thought at the time.  You thought you’d always love Adam and tattooing his name on your neck seemed like a great way to stay connected forever.  Then you met Hank and suddenly your old lover’s tattoo feels more like a ball and chain around your backrather than a few letters and the sooner that tattoo is gone, the better.

You are not the only one who feels that way.Recent estimates suggest that more than 10 millions people have at least 1 tattoo and a busy physician who specializes in tattoo removal says that about 50% of those who get a tattoo later regret doing so. humiliation, poor self-image or potential loss of a career are just a few of the reasons people opt for tattoo removal.

No matter the reason, anyone can get their tattoo removed, if they are willing to pay the price, both in dollars, pain and less than optimum results.

Laser Tattoo Removal:  This is the most frequently chosen method of tattoo removal today.  It works by focusing on the ink with pulses of highly concentrated laser light that breaks the ink into tiny pieces which are then cleared away by the body’s immune system. It often requires several treatments depending on the size, color of inks used and whether or not the tattoo has been covered up with another at some point.

Light Therapy through Intense Pulses or ILP:  This process of tattoo removal uses high intensity light in a way that is comparable to the way laser light is used but with less trauma to the skin.  It is less painful than laser treatments and may be more effective with fewer treatments.  Unfortunately, it is also more expensive.

Dermabrasion: For this tattoo removal process, a small portion of the tattoo is sprayed with a solution that freezes the area and then the skin is actually sanded to remove the surface as well as the middle layers.  

Excision: This is a surgical tattoo removal method where the tattoo is cut out from the body.  A local anesthetic to numb the area is injected into the skin and the tattoo is then surgically removed.

Tattoo Removal Cream: This is massaged into the tattooed area numerous times before it is absorbed by the skin to the layer where the tattoo ink has been injected.  The cream creates a chemical reaction that basically destroys the chemical bond the ink has formed with your skin.  The reaction causes the ink to be busted into small particles – foreign bodies – which stimulates the immune system to remove them.

Expected Results: Tattoo removal is a viable option today.  No one who chooses tattoo removal ends up with skin that looks like it did prior to receiving the tattoo.  Some scarring or variations of the skin will occur regardless of the method chosen to remove the tattoo.  The success of the process is dependent upon a variety of factors such as age of tattoo, colors of ink used, depth of the tattoo and health of the individual getting it removed.  
There is no hard and fast rule as to how long the healing process will take.  Several factors come into play with that, like they did with the success of the tattoo removal.  It all depends on the size of the tattoo, the depth that it was injected, the procedure the artist used and the health of the individual.