Tattoo Removal Methods
Over the last couple of decades laser technology for tattoo removal has greatly advanced. Prior to laser technology, many techniques have been tried to remove tattoos, these techniques were far more invasive and usually resulted a high likelihood of scarring, methods used included: :
Mechanical Dermabrasion:
This method involves removing all of the skin and the ink of the tattoo by using a sanding instrument to litraly "sand off" the surface and middle layers of the skin. Bleeding is likely to occur. This procedure is performed under local anesthetic or local and oral/IV sedation.
Some clinics offer dermabrasion as a method of 'cleaning out' some remaining ink after a series of laser treatments.
Surgical Excision:
This involves an injection of a local anesthetic to numb the area after which the tattoo is removed surgically and the surrounding skin is sutured together. This method leaves a scar. Only a small tattoo or a small section of a tattoo can be excised at a time. A larger tattoo may require treatments in several stages and a skin graft.
Skin Grafting:
As it sounds, literally cuting the pigmented skin away, and replacing with a graft
Salabrasion:
An area of the skin is rubbed vigorously with salt water and a block wrapped in coarse gauze until the tattoo is rubbed away. A local anesthetic is used on and around the tattooed area berofe treatment. When the area becomes deep red in color, a dressing is applied.
Cryosurgery:
This method of tattoo removal surgery is by far one of the most invasive, the area is frozen with liquid nitrogen. This freezing causes a peeling action which in turn makes it possible for the top layer of skin to peel easily and deeper than usual.
Chemical Applications:
Include Acid Skin Peels, chemicals like glycolic acid or TCA is simply applied to the outer surface of your skin above the tattoo. This causes a controlled chemical burn that in turn causes a scab that will come off taking away the tattoo ink with it. Several sessions are usually needed and these sessions may be weeks or months apart
All these above methods were painful, expensive and often caused a high degree of scarring.Most patients accepted the treatments (sometimes combined) and the resulting scar was seen as a preference to the unwanted tattoo.
The advent of laser removal in recent years has made these more invasive techniques virtually obsolete. No matter what condition the tattoo is in, it is more effective, less painful, and results in less long-term skin damage, laser removal is a non invasive low risk alternative. Leading plastic surgeons and dermatologists now regard lasers as the best method for the safe removal of both amateur and professional tattoos.