Tattoos can be a beautiful reminder of a memorable time in your life, but for some they're an unwelcome stain that reminds you of a past you'd rather forget, or perhaps an ex. They say the best way to ensure a relationship won't last is to get your partner's name tattooed on you, which makes us wonder about Jon Gosselin's new tattoo. If you have a tattoo, and wish you didn't, laser tattoo removal may be the savior you've wished for.
Tattoos are more painful and costly to remove than they are to put on however, which is a factor you should bear in mind, hopefully before getting the tattoo. The pain is manageable however, especially with special creams to numb the skin. "Yes, it probably hurts a lot more to take it off than put it on. But with numbing creams, topical lidocaine anesthetics and even with local injections and maybe sedation in some cases, it's doable most people put up with it they're motivated they want that tattoo off," says Boca Raton dermatologist and laser tattoo removal expert Dr. Janee Steinberg.
Laser Tattoo Removal Results of Dr. Janee Steinberg
"I would say [laser tattoo removal is] much more expensive that putting a tattoo on because people come in and I ask them how much they paid to have that tattoo put on ? $75.00, $100.00 maybe $300.00 for multiple sessions on an entire arm and in order to remove tattoos adequately it takes 3 ? 5, sometimes 10 or 12 treatments and depending on the size it may cost anywhere from $150.00 at the low end to around $1,000 treatment at the high end just depending and the pieces of equipment that the doctor has to purchase in order to perform this procedure are in the $70,000 ? $10,000 price range so you have to price it right in order to be able to pay off the machine."
Multiple treatment sessions are needed in order to protect the skin from scarring. Being too aggressive can cause damage to the skin, as Dr. Steinberg describes, "The key to this is doing repeated removal without being too aggressive each removal so that you don't leave scarring behind. I believe if you take any machine and turn it up to its limit, you could probably remove a tattoo in fewer treatments but you're going to definitely scar the patient."
If you've been inked and wish you hadn't, find a laser tattoo removal specialist in your area who can help you get back to your tattoo-free self.
