Tattoo Removal – Is it Painful and How much is the Cost?

A lot of individuals want to have their tattoos removed but do not know what to expect in terms of the pain they will undergo, the cost and how the results will likely turn out. Here will be answers to all those questions for cost, pain you can expect and how well a method will likely work.

There are two basic methods today for tattoo removal. The two methods are: use of creams or acid that you can apply in the privacy of your own home or having laser treatment done at a special clinic. There are other methods that are older technology and more extreme. But they are not used as often today. These include surgery and dermabrasion. Surgery is where the tattoo is actually cut out.

Dermabrasion is a process very similar to sanding of the pigmented skin.

The cream products seem to have pretty mixed reviews working for some but not the majority of people that try them. The benefit of the creams is that you can use them in the privacy of your home. The creams are virtually painless and they are the least expensive of all <a href="http://www.tattooremovalsolutions.com/Tattoo-Make-Up.html">tattoo removal methods</a>. They do need several applications and the cost can run a few hundred dollars over time.

The laser tattoo removal is considered today to be the most effective method for <a href="http://www.tattooremovalsolutions.com/">removing ink</a> you no longer want. The downside is that it takes several visits over a period of several months. It can be expensive. It is also very uncomfortable, bordering on downright painful for some people.

Laser tattoo removal involves the use of intense beams of laser light that are applied directly on the tattoo. The procedure takes just a few minutes and you go home to heal for several weeks. But the pain during the procedure is not fun. The pain has been described like a rubber band snapping on your skin over and over again. It has also been described as feeling like hot grease splattering on your skin. Others have described the pain like lots of tiny pin pricks.

To minimize the pain it is often suggested to take a non-aspirin product like a Tylenol an hour before having the procedure done. Many tattoo removal specialists also will apply a numbing topical gel or ointment over the tattoo area prior to the procedure if you ask for it. Some patients will even have a local anesthesia injected to really numb the area.

Following the procedure, which should take only 10-20 minutes, you will be instructed to go home and care properly for your new wound. The laser actually penetrates into the skin breaking up the ink and pigment. Over the next few weeks as your skin heals, the body will naturally remove the ink that has been broken up.

Your skin will feel sore, a lot like it has been burned for the next a few days. You will probably be instructed to maintain antibacterial ointment and dressing to the area for a few days. After that, the part will scab and when the scab obviously falls off the tattoo should appear lighter.

You will more than probably have to repeat all of this for several visits until the tattoo is removed to your satisfaction.

The cost for laser tattoo removal can vary depending on the size of the tattoo and how many visits required. But expect to pay anywhere from one to 5 thousand dollars.