Careful When Fading Your Tattoo!
The word “tattoo” originates from the Tahitian word “tattau” which translates; to mark. Mummified Egyptians and 2000 year old remains have been discovered bearing many tattoos. There are now over 40 million people who have at least one tattoo according to a National Geographic News poll in April 2005. A high number for the United States alone.
As more people of all shapes and sizes decide to get a tattoo, more and more request to have their tattoo faded or removed. The American Society of Dermatological Surgery concluded that one in two people with a tattoo eventually regret receiving it . They then search for a way to fade their tattoo or remove it altogether.
Tattoos are a permanent marking, therefore fading or removing them was no easy task until recently. However, due to recent technology advancements, the method preferred for removing tattoos is laser surgery.
For most tattoos the first method preferred is the Q-switched Ruby laser, or the Nd: YAG laser if the tattoo contains red ink. The procedure is more painful for a complete removal, so fading the tattoo is preferred as this is not so painful and a little more affordable.
Laser tattoo removal procedure:
The epidermis is blasted with short but intense pulses of light which the tattoo pigment absorbs. The ink pigments are broken down into tiny particles by the lasers energy. The body’s immune system will easily remove these particles a few weeks or months after the laser treatment.
Several factors will determine the number of treatments and the amount of time required to remove the tattoo which includes:
• Ink color is a major factor in determining the amount of laser treatments you require. Tattoos which contain black and blue pigments are easily removed whereas tattoos containing yellow and green pigments are the hardest to remove.
• Because of the quality that professional tattooists use in their inks and equipment, the tattoo is a lot harder to remove or fade as compared to a street tattoo applied by an amateur.
• The density of pigment in a newer tattoo is likely to be harder to remove than a tattoo which is older
• Tattoo size
• The depth of ink when injected
• Tattoo location
• Individuals recovery time
If you’ve decided to remove or fade your tattoo by way of laser procedures, please remember to research and ask questions.
Before you go in for treatment you must have the answers to these questions:
How much will treatment cost?
The larger the tattoo is, the higher the price. The size of the tattoo and ink type used will determine the price of laser removal. Make an appointment with the dermatologist or removal practitioner and get an estimate.
How painful will it be?
Laser removal or the fading of a tattoo is relatively painless. Although the level of pain you will feel depends on the tattoo itself, treatment level and the level of pain you can tolerate. People are different, so some will feel more pain compared to others. Until you try it, you will not know how painful it will be
Are there side-effects?
After the treatment your skin will blister and this is normal. Within 4-6 weeks the skin will return to its normal state. Side-effects are possible and may include infection, hypo-pigmentation, hyper-pigmentation, and scarring. Before going in for the treatment have all your doubts cleared.
How many treatments?
Do not think that you will go into the clinic one day and then come out the very same day without your tattoo. Be prepared to sit through 1-10 treatments depending on the tattoo. Depth, color and ink type will determine the number of treatments you will need. And even then, effectiveness isn’t guaranteed.
Breastfeeding mothers and tattoo removal
It appears that breastfeeding is not affected by tattoo removal and there is no evidence to support this. Ink particles are filtered through the body via white blood cells. If the mothers follow the recommended after care procedures they are unlikely to face any problems. If there are any concerns the mother should consult with her physician for expert advice or raise her queries with the dermatologist.
How To Care For Your Tattoo
After receiving your tattoo you must leave the bandage or dressing on for at least four hours. Leave the bandage or dressing on overnight if you received the tattoo late in the day. Use warm soapy water to hand wash your tattoo making sure not to use sponges or cloths. If any part of the bandage or dressing sticks to the tattoo the warm water should remove it. There is no need to re-bandage the tattoo. While the tattoo is healing wash at least twice daily letting the tattoo fully dry out before applying skin/hand conditioning lotion. You may lightly massage ointment into the tattoo such as A&D.
We do not recommend using Bacitracin, Triple antibiotic or any other ointment which may contain it. These ointments are known to cause allergies in some people. Application of Vaseline or other petroleum based products may cause suffocation to the tattoo causing a rash, therefore we do not recommend using these products as well. Your tattoo will need to breath. Do not soak your tattoo in the shower or bath tub for a long period of time while in the healing process.
Wash you tattoo regularly if:
• You work near oil and grease
• You work near chemicals
• You work near dirt
• Your tattoo is near your buttocks, genitals or armpit.
If you have to wear tight fitting clothing or work under dirty conditions, your tattoo can be protected using a dry paper towel taped to the area of the tattoo. In all other conditions wear loose fitting clothing as much as possible. While your tattoo is healing tiny pieces of skin (colored) may flake off, this is normal but don’t make it worse by forcing it. Smack your tattoo if it itches too much.
You want to give your tattoo the best chance so DO NOT:
• Pick, scratch or rub your tattoo
• Expose the tattoo to alcohol
• Expose the tattoo to salt water
• Expose the tattoo to chlorine
• Expose the tattoo to the sun for at least 10 days
Be careful using lotions which may contain excessive amounts of alcohol. Long periods of exposure to the fading effects of the suns radiation will ruin your tattoo. You will have to wait until the tattoo is fully healed and applied with a strong sunscreen before being exposed to the sun for long periods of time. It will take 7-10 days for your tattoo to heal.
