So, you didn’t listen to your mom and you wentahead and got that tattoo anyway. Now, months, years, or decades later you are regretting the decision and wishing that your mother didn’t always have to be right. Fortunately, that permanent ink doesn’t have to be as permanent as your mom had warned. There are ways to fade, cover, and even completely remove the ink that is staining your life.
The Fad Needs to Fade
One of the most popular ways to remove or at least fade out tattoos is with creams available over the counter. The products are not inexpensive by any means and there is, of course, no guarantee on how effective they will be. However, several users report successful fading after several months of use. A two month supply will likely cost you more than one hundred dollars, though, so be prepared to spend the big bucks to give it a try because it will most likely take several months to see desired results.
Many people do opt for this because, though expensive, it still comes in a lot less than laser removal. Another way to diminish the effects of an unwanted tattoo is through the use of saline. Injected in the same manner as the original tattoo ink, saline is used by tattoo artists to fade the original image. This does not work to completely erase the artwork, but can reduce its brightness and give the option of covering.
Care Enough to Cover It
Whether the saline is used to fade the old one or not the option to cover an old tattoo is highly appealing to some individuals. Rather than paying out large sums of money to have an old image removed, a tattoo artist can actually cover it with a new, more relevant image. There are of course matters that come into play when doing this. Covering over dark blues, blacks, reds, and other equally dark colors requires the use of dark inks.
That means options are slightly limited. But, talented tattoo artists will be able to offer the guidance and design help to create something that will cover well and work with your personality. When choosing an artist to perform the cover up, remember to ask for references, or at the very least photos of examples of other cover-ups done in the past. This is a difficult task and is best performed by the experienced.
Saying Goodbye Once and For All
The most expensive but most reliable form of tattoo removal is laser removal. Lasers are used to break up the ink under the skin, which is then washed away by the natural ways of the body. The cost for this service can be extravagant because it can take several sessions to fully remove the tattoo.
Aside from the cost, which can range from two hundred dollars to ten thousand dollars depending on the size of the tattoos and the number of sessions needed to get rid of it, there is also concern about permanent scarring and pain.
Many experts agree that advancements in this process have made it possible with relatively little scarring, but there is no guarantee regarding the condition of the skin after the fact. There is also some pain to bear in the process.
There is also a method called Intense Pulsed Light Therapy, which works in much the same manner. The skin is coated with a special gel, which is then treated with pulses of light emitted from a wand passed over the skin. Faster and less painful, many are turning to this process as opposed to the lasers. But, again the expense is something to consider. The cost associated with IPL is typically greater than that of laser removal.
So think twice before you ink it. Or if you are already inked the next best thing to do is to continue loving it!
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This article was contributed by Roger Ubik.
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