Getting De-Inked: The Reality Behind the Miracle of Laser Tattoo Removal

By C.D. Northup

Published on December 09, 2007

Once the distinctive mark of social rebellion and a marginalized lifestyle, tattoos are now indelibly etched into the dermis of mainstream culture. But despite the social acceptability of being “inked,” there are a number of reasons why someone who has a tattoo may not wish to have it anymore. It may be that your purple butterfly of youth is now starting to look more like a bunch of grapes and you don’t want to sit around watching them turn to raisins. Perhaps the once-love-of-your-life turned out to be not so lovely after all and you don’t want to have to limit yourself to only dating people named “Guido.” Fortunately, you are not alone, and as tattoos become more and more commonplace, the technology used to remove them is slowly becoming more advanced as well.

Laser Tattoo Removal: The “What” and “How”

Laser tattoo removal is a significant improvement over older tattoo removal methods in several ways. Most notably, it does not involve cutting or abrasion and, in most cases, does not leave noticeable scarring in place of the tattoo. However, it’s not exactly a Magic Eraser for your skin, either.

Laser tattoo removal works by passing specific beams of light into the skin, the energy from which is absorbed by the pigments in the tattoo. This causes the pigments to break down and the tattoo to begin to disintegrate and fade. The process is gradual, usually requiring several treatments spread out over a year or more. Because different pigments absorb different types of light in different amounts, colorful tattoos are harder to remove and take longer than simple black or blue ink designs.

It’s also worth noting that removing the tattoo is significantly costlier and more painful than having it put on in the first place. The sensation one experiences while undergoing laser tattoo removal has been described as similar to having rubber bands snapped against the skin, or being spattered with hot oil. It’s also relatively expensive, as each individual treatment can run between $200 and $500, depending on the size and color of the tattoo, and most people require five to ten treatments to achieve acceptable results.

An Insider’s Perspective

Curious about the motivations behind getting, not getting, and removing tattoos, I conducted an informal survey of my peers. Despite the small number of people included in my survey, I found that the percentage of respondents who reported having tattoos (36 percent) was in line with most national estimates. Among those who had never gotten a tattoo, 67 percent claimed that they had genuinely considering getting one at some point in their lives. But the response I found most interesting came from a 29-year-old male who admitted that he is currently in the process of having a tattoo removed.

“I’ve decided to remove or even cover [the tattoo] up with another piece of tattoo art. The first time I got the tattoo, there was a lack of direction and not much thought put into the process, hence the unprofessional look and decision for removal. I wish the damn laser procedure wasn’t so expensive. I’ve invested more on the treatment than the actual tattoo itself. I am still paying for the consequences. The laser is more painful when taking off a tattoo than [getting the tattoo in the first place].”

This young man describes a sense of regret about a decision made in haste, under the wrong circumstances, for the wrong reasons. He is not alone. Business is booming for practices that provide laser tattoo removal, which suggests that a fair number of people who currently have tattoos will eventually decide that it is worth the pain and price to have it removed.

When Good Technology Falls into the Wrong Hands

Unfortunately, some people’s laser tattoo removal experiences involve much more unpleasant issues than pain, expense, and regret. Botched treatments, administered by under-qualified laser technicians, can cause burns, scarring, and other types of serious skin damage. State regulations are often slow to catch up to technological advances; at present, only Kentucky currently requires a medical doctor to be present during the laser tattoo removal procedure. This leaves many patients at the mercy of laser technicians who are simply not qualified to be providing such a delicate procedure.

Getting It Right, the Second Time Around

Just as it is vital to choose your tattoo artist carefully in order to avoid infection and poor quality work, it is extremely important to choose a qualified dermatologist or other medical professional to perform your laser tattoo removal. Don’t look for bargains or discounts for this kind of treatment, because there is a very good chance that you’ll get precisely what you paid for. Take your time, do your research, and make sure that you know what you’re getting into before handing over your credit card.

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