Probably a lot of serious tattoo folks will laugh at the idea of tattoo laser removal but there are actually several pretty good reasons for having a tattoo removed–even if you love tattoos. Now for everyone else who perhaps went through a wild period and doesn’t want to carry the reminder forever, laser tattoo removal may be a good option for you. And on the subject of tattoo removal, I recall a comedian’s act about a tattoo of a butterfly on a ladies breast turning into a condor after her boobs began sagging.
Why Tattoo Laser Removal
There are probably tons of reasons to have a tattoo removed. Maybe you’re entering the professional job market and you’re worried that job hunting might be a little bit hard with “love” and “hate” tattooed across your knuckles. The Japanese, because of the association of tattoos with the Yakuza, are even more strict, going as far as banning people with tattoos from entering pachinko parlors and public bath houses. Former gang members will have very obvious reasons for wanting to remove theirs. I would guess though, that most people wanting to remove a tattoo are probably having “buyer’s remorse.” However, one group, the tattoo-loving crowd, often get tattoos removed to open up precious real estate, currently occupied by a less meaningful or skillfully done tattoo.
A Little Bit About How Tattoo Laser Removal Works.
The way tattoo laser removal works is by using a laser”big surprise right? Well during a removal session, the laser beam is pulsed at the tattoo in short bursts. Normally, your body is able to naturally get rid of anything small and foreign that gets into the skin but with tattoos, the pigment is to big and thats what makes it permanent. What the laser does is break up the tattoo pigments that are in the skin, making them small enough for the body to expel on its own. Im sure that everyone is familiar with the fact that lasers come in a lot of different colors. For example the laser at the checkout stand at the grocery store is red. I think for hobbyists, green lasers are fun to play with. Well the point here is that because the lasers themselves come in different colors, they are only effective on different colors of tattoo pigments. For example, a green laser is most effective on red ink.
What You Can Expect During a Tattoo Removal Session.
So now that the facts are out of the way, what can you expect, if you decide to have a laser tattoo removal? Well for one thing, it takes a lot longer to have a tattoo removed and can cost a lot more than it does to get a tattoo. Some smaller tattoos can usually be done in one sitting lasting a few hours. Well itll take at the very least three sittings and as many as twelve to have have a tattoo removed. And while I’m talking about sessions, you can expect the price to run from anywhere between $150 to $300 a treatment.Laser tattoo removal is painful. Youre probably thinking yeah so what, so was getting the tattoo. Well its painful enough, that very few people go through with the procedure, without some kind of pain control cream. Some find it painful enough to get an injection, much like when going to the dentist. Of course one downside to getting an injection is that it can make it more difficult to remove the tattoo and thus require more sessions.
Tattoo Care During Laser Removal
If you do decide to have your tattoos removed, here is what you can expect to go through after the procedure. Just like when you got the tattoo, there may be some bleeding and swelling as well as some redness. Similarly, the tattoo may crust over. Youll also need to keep a topical antibiotic ointment on your tattoo. And Im not giving medical advice here, but my experience and talking with doctors, being fastidious with the ointment can go along towards preventing scarring. Thats not medical advice, just passing along what I was told.
I’m Thinking about Getting a Tattoo Removed, is there Anything Bad that can Happen?
Although unlikely, like any medical procedure, there can be unwanted complications of getting a tattoo removed. Like I mentioned earlier, the procedure can cause scarring. And because of the lasers, it can burn your skin. The lasers that are used for targeting darker colors may work just as well on melanin which is the pigment that see in those with freckles but is also more highly expressed in black people. What this means is that it you’re a black person, having tattoo laser removal may lighten you’re skin at the site where the tattoo was.
The Final Word
In February of 2008 a Harris Poll reported that 84% of those polled expressed no remorse regarding their tattoos. For the sixteen percent that did feel remorse, the most listed reason was, “too young when they got the tattoo.” If you’re anything like the sixteen percent who now hate their tattoos, although it may be painful, cost a lot and take up a lot of time, tattoo laser removal may be worth it for you.
Arthur Takeda first became interested in cosmetic surgery after his wife had breast implants. Turning this interest on himself, he decided to have laser tattoo removal.
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