Tattoo removal is always a painful, expensive, and sometimes humiliating experience. What good does it do you to get a tattoo if you can’t even enjoy it? Can you workout after tattoo removal? How many hours of planning, research, or waiting will you go through to finally take your tattoo off? It doesn’t have to be this way! In this blog post, we’ll share with you some of the most popular ways on how people remove tattoos without the traditional pain and expense.
In today’s society where everything is digitized and information is in abundance, these techniques are more accessible than before — all for free! If there’s anything that will change the way people think about tattoo removal for good then it’s knowledge about effective techniques.
1. Laser removal
Laser removal has become a very popular method for many people to get rid of their tattoos. The technique is also known as tattoo removal and laser tattoo removal, depending on where in the world you are. In fact, the first person to remove a tattoo using this method in the United States was an eye doctor named Dr. Michael Gerber in 1991.
The laser method comes with different options depending on which laser you choose.
The prices range from $1000 to $4000 depending on what you want.
It works by targeting the pigments in the tattoo ink and breaking them down, leaving them with no color. This process gives you much more of a chance for tattoo removal, compared to tattooing your skin with a new tattoo gun.
There are two different types of lasers that are popular in tattoo removal: The Q-switched laser works well for darker pigments (for example: black and dark brown) while the Nd YAG laser is best for lighter colors (like green and blue).
2. Dermabrasion
This method is a slightly more expensive option for when you have a smaller tattoo which is badly laid out. Dermabrasion is essentially when your tattoo artist lightly abrades (washes) your tattooed skin, usually with salt or some type of abrasive. This method can go from $30 to $700.
The reasons this technique isn’t used for larger tattoos include: it will take longer to remove the tattoo, it’s much more painful than other methods, and there’ll be leftover scars on your skin.
3. Cryotherapy
Cryotherapy consists of exposing your skin to very low temperatures in order to freeze the tattoo. This process is often used for black, blue, purple and green tattoos. This method might take a tad longer, but it’s much more efficient and less painful than freezing with a tattoo gun.
4. Microdermabrasion
This technique can be used on all colors of body art but works best when removing red or yellow hues. The microdermabrasion process is similar to the other methods mentioned but uses a finer mesh than the former ones.
The prices for this technique include $400 and up depending on what you have.
5. Circumcision
This method is a little more extreme than the previous methods and might not be suitable for everyone. It is definitely worth a try if your tattoo covers too much of your skin, if it’s in an awkward position, or if it’s difficult to follow the design on your skin. This method involves removing all of the surrounding skin around your tattoo until you are left with just the offending spot left over.
The price depends on what tattoo you want removed but could range from $200-$2000 depending on how big it is and which technique you choose to use.
6. Power Washing Your Skin
This is one of the most popular methods for removing tattoos. The power washing method is relatively cheap and takes less time to do than other methods.
To start with, you should wash your skin using regular soap and water before applying the tattoo removal solution. You can either mix up your own solution or purchase some in retail stores.
First, use a grit-based preparation tool or scrubbing pad to remove excess ink away from the tattooed area, before applying a surgical scrub to remove all dead skin cells, dirt and oils from your skin. Then you can use a damped-down cloth to gently wipe away excess solution as well as any light particles that aren’t removed during the scrubbing process.
You can repeat this process as long as you want to get the full tattoo off. However, it will take a few weeks before your skin is completely clean and the ink has disappeared.
NOTE: If you’ve been using the same tattoo removal solution on your skin for years and still see no progress, it’s likely that your tattoo is “intrinsically resistant” or “invisible ink” in which case you may need to do more research about your particular technique in order to remove it!
7. Neem Oil
Another method people are turning to is neem oil which also comes in powder form. The process of applying this liquid works by pulling out all pigment particles from the surface of your skin.
Using this technique, you’ll pull out all of the ink from your skin and it will fade away quickly as your skin heals. NOTE: Do not apply neem oil more than once a day as it is very drying to your skin.
8. Glycolic Acid
Glycolic acid has been shown to be a great way to remove latex evidence from documents and soon enough, tattoos! This substance is another method that must be applied several times a day for best results, but if done correctly you can go through the process of removal within days or weeks depending on how big your tattoo is.