Posts Tagged ‘tattoo removal cream’
It was a great idea at the time. You thought you’d always love Joe and tattooing his name on your neck seemed like a great way to stay connected forever. Then you met Hank and suddenly your previous lover’s tattoo feels more like a ball and chain around your backrather than a few letters and the sooner that tattoo is gone, the better.
If you feel that way, you are not alone.It is estimated that more than 10 million people have at least 1 tattoo and a busy physician who specializes in tattoo removal says that about 50% of those who get a tattoo later regret doing so. Embarrassment, poor self-image or potential loss of a job are just a few of the reasons people opt for tattoo removal.
Regardless of the reason, the good news is you don’t have to wear a tattoo you no longer want and you do have options for getting it removed. If you are willing to pay the price, both in dollars, pain and perhaps less than optimum results.
Laser Tattoo Removal: This is the most common process of tattoo removal today. It works by focusing on the ink with pulses of highly concentrated laser light that breaks the ink into tiny pieces which are then cleared away by the body’s immune system. It often requires several treatments depending on the size, color of inks used and whether or not the tattoo has been covered up with another at some point.
Light Therapy through Intense Pulses or ILP: This method of tattoo removal uses high intensity light in a way that is comparable to the way laser light is used but with less trauma to the skin. It is less painful than laser treatments and may be more effective with fewer treatments. Unfortunately, it is also more expensive.
Dermabrasion: For this tattoo removal process, a small portion of the tattoo is sprayed with a solution that freezes the area and then the skin is actually sanded to remove the surface as well as the middle layers.
Excision: This is a surgical tattoo removal method where the tattoo is cut out from the body. Prior to the surgical procedure, a local anesthetic is injected into the skin, around the tattoo to numb the area.
Tattoo Removal Cream: This is rubbed into the tattooed area several times before it is absorbed by the skin to the layer where the tattoo ink has been injected. The cream creates a chemical reaction that basically destroys the chemical bond the ink has formed with your skin. The reaction causes the ink to be busted into small particles – foreign bodies – which stimulates the immune system to remove them.
Expected Results: Tattoo removal is a viable option today. No one who has a tattoo removed ends up with skin that looks like it did prior to receiving the tattoo. Some scarring or variations of the skin will occur regardless of the method chosen to remove the tattoo. The success of the process is dependent upon a variety of factors such as age of tattoo, colors of ink used, depth of the tattoo and health of the individual getting it removed.
The healing time will depend upon the size and depth of the tattoo, the procedure used and the individual themselves.
TCA (trichloroacetic acid) is a non-prescription skin peeling product used for dermatology conditions to remove wrinkles, acne scars and fine lines on the face. But does it work for tattoo removal?
Like all tattoo removal solutions that are available there seems to be no shortage on the varying results. There are many different methods for the removal of tattoos today including: pulsed light, laser, fade creams, cryosurgery, salabrasion and skin peel with acids. Every single one of these claim to be the best.
It should not come as a shock, that results will vary with each person and their tattoos, because so many factors are involved. How well a tattoo fadesare affected by factors like: color and types of skin, how quickly a person’s body heals, age of the tattoo, what colors are in the tattoo, the type of ink used, depth of the ink, location of the tattoo on the body and more.
TCA however, does have two medical studies that have been published in the British Journal of Plastic Surgery and the South African Medical Journal. In both of these studies positive results were observed. Each study reported similar results that TCA as a treatment for tattoo removal was found to be safe, simple and an effective tattoo removal agent with an 85% success rate for either removing or fading the tested tattoos.
When using TCA it creates a controlled inflammation on the surface of the skin. It is applied directly on the tattoo with a q-tip. The pigments breaks apart as the TCA works its way into the skin and rise to the top. Eventually, the top layer of skin peels away. The body will naturally re-grow the skin. This process is repeated as often as it takes to get the desired removal or fade of the tattoo. Depending on how fast a person heals—it usually is repeated at .
It is advised to keep the area awayfrom the sun during the complete process. Because new skin is photo-sensitive, it is vulnerable to damage by the sun.
Surprisingly, TCA is reported to work very well on every type of ink color. Even the colors that do not work well with laser treatments seem to fade with TCA.
One final thought, some people seeking the ultimate solution for tattoo removal will use the cream products or undergo the TCA skin peel process as a first choice to fade the tattoo, and then have the laser treatment done. That way the laser procedure, which seems to be the best overall solution, is not as expensive and time consuming.