i would like to have one but im scared i'll soon get tired of it and might want to get rid of it
2007-03-21 21:23:00 · 8 answers · asked by Anonymous in Beauty & Style ➔ Other - Beauty & Style
It is technically possible, but no method of tattoo removal that currently exists is remotely comfortable. The most common methods for tattoo removal are:
1. Laser removal. Whoever performs the procedure literally burns out the ink; you'll get raised blisters for awhile and scarring is inevitable because the doctor is purposely applying a second degree burn to break down the ink. Most of the time some visible pigment still remains. You go in for as many sessions as are required; usually it's at least three but the tattoo still won't be completely removed. The process is MUCH more painful and expensive than getting the tattoo in the first place.
2. Skin removal. There are a few options for this; sometimes the practicioner will cut around the outline of the tattoo and literally peel the inked skin off the underlying flesh, leaving an exposed wound. This is the cheapest but also probably the worst method. The chance for infection is huge, and the scarring/deformity in the area is usually significant. Sometimes dermabrasion is used, but don't be fooled; it's not like women going to the spa. The skin bearing the tattoo is literally sanded away, lending similar results as when the design is cut out. Other times the skin is frozen before removal, like how doctors remove warts.
3. Excision. This isn't very different from option 2; it's usually performed by a dermatologic surgeon [one should hope the procedures in option 2 would be also, but we don't live in a perfect world and people often go for cutrate work]. The tattoo can be cut out, and then the wound is closed by either just stitching the outlying skin together or with skin grafts if the area is too large. For larger designs, sometimes the doctor will implant something similar to a balloon under the skin first. It works similarly to a breast implant. They will gradually fill the balloon with a saline solution over time so the skin above the tattoo stretches out. When the design is cut away, there will be enough of the stretched dermal layer to cover the open wound.
All of these options are expensive and painful. They will all leave scars; even with appropriate care to minimize this it will be fairly obvious. If you have doubts about whether you'll still want your tattoo in a few years, just don't get one. There are businesses that sell custom temporary tattoos; if you want to assert your individuality, buy those or get a henna tattoo instead.
In regards to some of the new inks on the market: a company offers an ink that is easily broken down with only one laser treatment session, and is coming out with another that will dissipate on its own after a set amount of time. If you want to go for this, it's your own prerogative but personally I don't understand. Part of the relevance of a tattoo in my mind is the permanence. Not to mention, why would you want to pay the money, go through the pain of application and healing, and spend so much time on something that won't last? Also, what if you fall in love with it but then it fades away? Would you reapply it every few years? Any time you tattoo over the same healed area, the artist is going over scar tissue; it's increasingly difficult to tattoo precisely over such an area, and depending on the nature of your skin and how well you took care of it previously, it might not hold ink properly.
2007-03-21 21:53:51 · answer #1 · answered by melis 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They actually have this new ink now that will allow you to safely remove the tattoo in the future, but if you have an old one, then you will have a scar. Then of course, there are the two week wonders that you can have put on that will wear off.
2007-03-21 21:27:54 · answer #2 · answered by Curious_Yank_back_in_South_Korea 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you're scare, don't! Tattoo can be removed buy would be slightly more painful than putting it on and the costs is very expensive.
2007-03-21 21:29:00 · answer #3 · answered by SGElite 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Permanently removed. No
2007-03-21 21:26:32 · answer #4 · answered by Bright 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Yes, but the process of removing it may leave a scar (they remove it with laser stuff)
2007-03-21 21:33:21 · answer #5 · answered by Am 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well if you don't want to have something inked in your skin for your entire life, don't get a permanent tattoo.
2007-03-21 21:25:23 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
i have a tattoo that i know i'll never want to remove. you can get it removed with a costly and painful lazor (yeah, yeah, i misspelled that) treatment
2007-03-21 21:27:09 · answer #7 · answered by chris 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
yes..ask angelina
2007-03-21 21:32:02 · answer #8 · answered by slins 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋