Tattoo Removal Guide

Everyone’s body will react differently to the removal of a tattoo, and you should discuss this with your tattoo removal clinician/surgeon. There are many factors which will affect your result including the size of the tattoo, the quality of the tattoo and where exactly the tattoo is. You will find that these will affect the final desired result as well as the scarring left behind by the tattoo removal. As there are numerous methods performed for tattoo removal, the method you choose will also affect your desired result. It is worth acknowledging however that the majority of clinicians who work in this area will explain to you that it is not 100% likely that your entire tattoo will be removed and you may be left with slight marking or scarring. However even with this scarring the area in which your tattoo originally was will look much more discreet and may not be easily noticeable. It will often work to your advantage if your tattoo is relatively old, the ink is therefore expected to be at a much more faded quality than a newer tattoo, and you may gain a better result if your tattoo is older rather than newer.

You should attend a consultation with you chosen clinician and ask as many questions as possible so that you get a clear realistic idea as to how effective your removal session/s will be.


What type of results should I expect?

Your results will of course depend on the age, size and many other factors of your tattoo; they will also be affected by the method of tattoo removal you go for. You should consider all types of tattoo removal and consider which one is appropriate for you.

Results of surgical tattoo removal

Often the surgical method will be used for smaller tattoos however it is also an acceptable method for larger tattoos. However it can cause a certain amount of scarring and with smaller tattoos obviously the scarring will be much less than a larger tattoo. This method requires the surgeon to cut out the tattoo from the skin and then stitch together the skin. For smaller tattoos the removal will take a shorter amount of time, however if this method is adopted for the removal of larger tattoos it may take quite a while. Your surgeon will remove small sections at a time, and will wait for each section to heal before moving onto the next section. You may also require a skin graft from elsewhere on the body if the tattoo is exceptionally large.

Results of laser results tattoo removal

Depending on the types of inks used in the initial tattoo your results will vary if the laser method is used. As coloured ink is much harder to erase sometimes you may be left with some marks from these colourings. The lasers work through small impulses of lasers fading away the colour within the area, usually you will have to attend a number of sessions to get the most effective result. Certain colours may also require several more sessions, however you will be advised on the number of sessions you might need at your initial consultation.

Results of cream tattoo removal

If the laser method or surgical method is not something that appeals to you, you may want to consider trying out a tattoo removal cream. This can often be confusing as there are many on the market and you might not be able to choose which one to use. Often the results vary depending on the type of tattoo you have both size wise and what colour ink has been used. Some colours are harder to fade than others and this could potentially cause a problem when using removal cream. One of the most popular tattoo removal creams is wrecking balm and it has even received 10 out of 10 on some of the review sites. You should be aware however that if you opt for a cream removal the results may take longer to show.