Fifty dollars spent on a bad tattoo is paid for in full when, years later, you want to have it removed and find yourself spending hundreds or thousands of dollars to do so. However, many find that money is not the issue; the primary concern is ensuring that the tattoo will be removed as completely as possible, especially when it's placed prominently on the body.

Laser tattoo removal is a popular method of eliminating unwanted tattoos. High-energy laser beams are directed at the pigmented skin, targeting the tattoo ink and causing it to break down. Once the ink breaks down, it can be absorbed by the body's immune system. Laser tattoo removal is an imprecise science that requires a qualified professional to achieve the best results. While results can sometimes be nearly perfect, other times impressions or scarring remain after the procedure is complete, or the tattoo cannot be removed.



Tattoo removal is usually accomplished in several different sessions; some tattoos take as few as two sessions to remove, while others may take eight or ten sessions before a tattoo is finally gone. These sessions may last anywhere between several minutes to a few hours, and the success of the sessions depends on many mitigating factors such as the location of the tattoo, the color of the tattoo, and how deep beneath the surface of the skin the tattoo was inked.

These contingencies can make a big impact in determining whether laser tattoo removal works. Green tattoos, for instance, are more difficult to remove than black ones. Light greens, light blues and teal/turquoise colors are the most difficult to remove.

Patients with lighter skin also have a better chance of seeing full removal of tattoos. Moreover, tattoos in fatty areas-the thighs, calves, or buttocks-are much easier to remove than tattoos applied over the wrists or feet, or on the face.

Full removal can also depend on the technique of the tattoo artist and the dermatologist doing the procedure. Deep tattoos are more difficult to remove than surface ones. Tattoos applied over the past decade or so use different types of ink and different tattooing techniques to ensure permanence, and so they can be much more difficult to remove in full.

Although some claim that laser tattoo removal has an admirable success rate (especially when reduction, and not complete removal, is the object of the procedure), others have cited problems having their tattoo removed even after a battery of treatments and a variety of procedures.

While significant changes to a tattoo's appearance are usually reported after the first or second session, complete removal is never guaranteed. After completion of the procedure, only time will tell whether removal has "worked" or not. As much as a month can pass in between sessions to allow the skin to recover, and once the process is complete, it can take months for the ink to be expelled fully and for the skin to return to normal.

More often than not, reduction and not removal occurs. For many individuals, however, even reduction represents vast improvement over a previously prominent, and perhaps embarrassing or unsightly tattoo.