Laser Tattoo Removal

Attribution: Jamison Weiser

Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching which means that we can almost smell the aromas of romance that promise a tender night with that special someone. It’s exciting, actually, to know that in just a few weeks so many people will be celebrating love for the sake of love; it’s nice to see people are eagerly anticipating an evening where they can express their affections just because they can. Some of these people might even be making enormous decisions for their future by proposing to their significant other.

But not every love-fueled decision is a great one. This might be the year where people start to lament the ill-advised tattoo that they plastered on themselves only a few years ago. They, too, may have been equally intoxicated with love when they decided to have someone’s name permanently etched into their flesh, only to realize that their affections were not as steadfast as the print that now dwells on their skin. This might be the year that tattoo owners cut their losses and just rid themselves of their ex’s inky namesake.

People like this are certainly not alone in their predicament. A reported 1 in 8 people who have tattoos admit that they regret ever having gotten one to begin with. Fortunately for these people, however, laser removal has become very effective in getting rid of a tattoo that their love lives have made obsolete. Laser tattoo removal consists of multiple treatments in which the tattoo is exposed to concentrated light waves that penetrate the skin and break down the existent ink. Once the ink has been weakened, the body naturally begins to clear the ink from the area.

Multiple sessions are required because the lasers need to be able to access deeper layers of skin to more thoroughly break down the tattoo ink. However, the number of sessions that any single patient requires is determined by what is called the “Kirby-Desai” scale. The scale accounts for the differences in skin type, placement, color, ink quantity, and scarring that have resulted from the tattoo. Tattoos will always vary from person to person (the reason that the person got one in the first place because they wanted something unique) so the Kirby-Desai scale acknowledges these differences and translates them into a suggested amount of laser treatments.

Patients should be warned that subsequent treatments can make the skin more sensitive, and physicians often advise patients to take a painkiller before treatment. The treatments are still non-invasive, and although they might not start off painful the focused wavelengths of the laser can begin to irritate the skin region after several treatments. It is therefore advised that the patient have about 7-8 weeks recovery time between every treatment so as not to be over-exposed to the laser, but to still optimize the rate of ink-absorption.

Many people look to “covering up” old tattoos by having an artist add to the original design in a manner that conceals the old tattoo. This type of correction has a few adverse variables to consider: the artist may not necessarily be as artistically adept as you would hope, and you may end up with another tattoo that you will want to get rid of in the future. Covering up a tattoo is a risky endeavor that could potentially leave you in a worse situation than you were in to begin with. Tattoo removal eliminates the possibility of a botched ink-job and instead clears the entire area, giving you the option to get a different tattoo later on.

If you’re embarrassed about the tattoo of a past relationship and don’t want future relationships to be affected by it, laser tattoo removal might be a wise decision. Consult a cosmetic physician in your area who practices tattoo removal and see if he or she can help you renew the skin lying under that awful reminder of a past love life.