Tattoos are the coolest fashion statement amongst youngsters. Getting a permanent tattoo on your body can provide you with ample reasons to flaunt it among friends and foes. However, when the same tattoo somehow becomes less loved and unwanted, can you just get it off your skin? The answer is YES.
Lasers can easily erase a permanent tattoo from your skin as though it never existed!
With advancement in technology and arrival of Laser treatments, “permanent” tattoos are no longer as permanent as they once used to be. With minimum to no pain and scar free results, laser treatment is the best option you have to get rid of that annoying tattoo on your skin.
Are you kind of worried about the money involved in tattoo removal? You don’t have to worry. Laser treatments are very reasonable in terms of expenses(More on that later).
It is always advisable that a person should take informed heath care decisions. Doing your homework before opting for any medical procedure is vital.
And therefore in our efforts to help readers take wise health care decisions, we present to you this post that has everything you want to know and perhaps something more about laser tattoo removal.
What makes tattoos permanent?
- The pigment used for permanent tattoos, penetrates deep within the internal layers of skin and not on the surface. Therefore, their removal involves removing them from deep within the skin.
- The ink used in permanent tattoos contains a number of metal compounds; such as, iron, manganese, copper etc.
- As soon as the pigment reaches internal skin layers, white blood cells sense the metal compounds as intruders and therefore fight back to remove them from body
- Some of the metal compounds are destroyed by the WBCs and are excreted from the body
- However, most of the metal compounds are too large in size as compared to white blood cells and therefore cannot be destroyed. Thus, they are retained in the body as permanent pigment tattoos.
- This brings us to a situation where certain external energy is required to break down the mental compounds to smaller sizes, so that they can be removed by white blood cells. Thus the need for Lasers.
Lasers – How do they work?
As already mentioned, lasers aim at breaking down metal compounds present in ink to smaller sizes that can be eventually removed by White Blood Cells. For this purpose, high beam lasers penetrate through skin and break these compounds.
As different tattoos vary in terms of pigment, shape, size and location; their removal procedures also differ. In general, laser tattoo removal procedure may require 4 – 5 sessions; however, depending on the type of tattoo to be removed, you may require around 15 sessions as well.
In addition, there are various other factors that determine the removal procedure to be followed or the time it may consume. These have been discussed in the following section of this post.
The procedure is not exceptionally difficult. However still, a numbing cream can also be used to make the procedure totally comfortable.
Laser Tattoo Removal – Influencing Factors:
There are a chain of factors that together make the procedure either simple or arduous a task to perform.
- Lighter skin tones can achieve a tattoo free look easily as compared to darker complexions
- Darker ink color is easy to remove;thus, making black the easiest color to get rid off
- The quality of ink and its compositions also influence the removal procedure greatly. It is said that, inks with beryllium traces are the hardest to remove. So before you get that tattoo, try finding out if the ink contains beryllium; in case you would like to get it removed some day!
- The location of the tattoo also plays an important role. Areas of skin with high blood flow and lymph nodes are more suitable regions for removal. To be precise, face, neck or the upper body shows better response as compared to lower body.
- Old tattoos are easier to remove as compared to the newly done ones
Possible complications:
Although, advanced technology makes Laser Removal procedure extremely safe and effective, it is still not a flawless solution. Some side effects still linger around and thus need our consideration:
Some laser tattoo removal side effects include:
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Hypopigmentation:
A condition where the skin area that underwent laser procedure appears to be very pale or lighter in tone as compared to the surrounding area
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Hyperpigmentation:
Here the skin tone of the treated area is much darker than rest of the body
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Infection:
Any form of infection may arise, if the procedure was not conducted effectively. One may suffer from extreme discomfort due to formation of blisters, skin rashes and bleeding. In the worst case, you may be left with a permanent scare on the body.
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Swelling:
Some sort of swelling will persist for a day or two after the procedure. However, swelling lasting more than expected period may be a signal of some complications and thus, immediate doctor advice is mandatory.
Finally, laser procedures can be termed as a safe option for tattoo removal. The aforementioned side effects are seen in rarest cases. And even when they occur, they are quite treatable. A procedure done in reputed cosmetic clinics is mostly successful.
So, there’s no point in living with a tattoo that no longer makes you happy. Get it removed with laser treatments and enjoy a natural looking skin; free from tattoos!