CHAPTER 8 Removal

One problem that commonly develops among wearers of body art is the desire to remove body art. To me, the best way to get rid of an unwanted tattoo is to cover it up with a more desirable one. It also seems like this is a good place to state that the best way to avoid having to remove a tattoo is by not getting one you’ll regret later. But there do exist several ways to remove a tattoo. Although I don’t recommend any of them, we will proceed to discuss them. 

However, some people resort to camouflaging a tattoo. This entails the injection of new pigments to cover a tattoo with skin-toned pigments. The injected pigments suck. Simply put, they lack the skin’s natural translucence and hue. 

The most common process is called Dermabrasion. This involves shredding layers of skin with a wire brush or various types of sanding discs. This process usually leaves scars. Another quite diabolical method consists in removing the tattoo with an acid solution and creating a scar in its place. If you like that, you’ll love Salabrasion, pouring salt into one’s wounds. It’s a tattoo removal method in which acidic chemicals melt the piece away from the skin. It’s sometimes used in conjunction with Dermabrasion. 

Then we have surgical removal. This sometimes involves using tissue expanders such as a balloon inserted under the skin that, when inflated, spaces the ink out for disposal. The piece is cut away in this process, and less scarring results. The best part is that it takes several sessions to see results. Keep this in mind. Complete removal without scarring may be impossible, and hypo-pigmentation is likely to occur. This is a lightening of the skin’s natural coloring. Laser treatments also can cause some pigments to change to a less desirable shade.

But let’s get into the root causes of what makes people remove tattoos, to begin with. According to Kelley Colihan over at WebMD  Health News, most people lost self-esteem, got embarrassed,  found a new career path, or experienced stigmas. Who’s to blame, though- The artist or the client? In truth, if you suck, don’t tattoo for money until you’re good and exercise discipline on who, when, where, and what you tattoo. If you have a  young, uneducated man in front of you ready to pay top dollar for a forearm tattoo for the first piece, you might want to tell him you’ll do it, just in a more concealed location. Or the 20-something who wants her ears cropped like an elf. I can understand if your career is already solid in a field that’s liberal to body art or, better yet, you own your own business; if that’s the case, then nothing out of bounds. Although we’re all about spreading our culture,  the last thing you’d want to do is inhibit people’s future jobs or relationship status because of how we altered their bodies. If you’re the kind of person that would do that to someone for a fast buck, all I can do is reconsider these practices. 

Because each tattoo is unique, removal techniques must be tailored to suit each case. The work of more skilled professionals can be removed far easier than art done by a  scratcher. Regardless of who does the job, it appears blues and blacks won’t leave quickly, and some of these newer brands don’t want to go. Also, consider that a  tattoo that has been on the skin for a long time is more challenging. Often patchy areas result from amateur work –several sessions spaced out over long periods usually clear it up. Removal can be very tricky if one encounters these types of things- especially if it’s done by laser. 

You want to find a reputable dermatologic surgeon, or don’t bother trying to get it removed. Sometimes, the scars left behind are worse than the removed piece. Don’t think that all tattoo removal services are the same either; some of these outfits took a mandatory weekend course to buy their expensive machine. More recently, they came out with these Q-Switched lasers that remove artwork with light energy. As we continue to experience this rapid acceleration of technological progress, we will develop painless and instant methods of both the procedure and removal; until then, let’s make the best of what we have.