It is very tempting in your late teens/early twenties to get a tattoo,
especially if there is peer pressure from your friends. So many female
celebrities appear in public now sporting one or more tattoos and many
girls want to be like them.
But what happens when they reach maturity and regret their rash actions
when they were younger. Permanent tattoos are done with a needle and
long-lasting inks designed not to fade and to withstand all weathers.
Removing tattoos can be a costly process as it may involve several
visits to completely obliterate them. It can also be a very painful
process and they do not always entirely disappear. Tattoos done in black
ink or darker colors like deep purple and navy blue tend to become
invisible more quickly, but bright colors and large tattoos often leave a
trace of the original design. There is also the risk of scarring and
removing tattoos does change the pigment of the skin which is not
permanent but can last for up to a year.
Prior to the 1990s removing tattoos was done in a number of very
painful ways, the first method was to freeze the skin and then scrape
off the upper layers with a special tool that rotated as the treatment
was carried out.
Another method was excruciatingly painful as the skin was burnt with
acid but there was a very real danger using this method as too much acid
would leave a scar for life and it had to be carried out by a
fully-trained specialist in this type of removing tattoos.
As a last resort, which usually occurred if the tattoo became infected
or if it was very large a surgeon would operate and cut the tattoo out
either under a local or general anaesthetic depending where the tattoo
was on the body.
The current method is removing tattoos by laser and these are
Q-switched lasers which have been available since the early 1990s.
Lasers break down the inks in the tattoos and disperses them that way.
It is more uncomfortable than painful as the pain is like having hot oil
on the skin which a number of women have experienced when they have
their eyebrows and legs waxed. There is a risk of scarring and a number
of sessions are needed especially if the tattoo is large and it can take
a minimum of six months for the tattoo to fade after the treatment,
there is no instant removal.
A new cream called Rejuvi originated in the United States of America.
This cream removes tattoos by injecting the cream into the skin. It is
supposed to be less expensive than laser treatment and less likely to
scar.
But in the long run this cream treatment can turn out to be just as
costly as you have to go for an initial consultation, then have a patch
test. Once the treatment starts deep-set or large tattoos can take two
or more sessions to obliterate the tattoos completely.
Trying to remove your tattoo at home is not to be recommended. There is
a report of a woman who removed hers with her curling tongs, the tattoo
disappeared but she was left with an ugly scar in its place. If you
have a special occasion and want to hide your tattoo you can temporarily
cover it up with liquid latex or heavy make-up.
