Search
- Kersten Gruber
- 3 min read
Tattoos are one of the most creative ways of expressing ourselves available to us. You may have loved the ink when you initially got it but, for whatever reason, you want to get it removed later. With all the tattoo removal options though, it is easy for you to become overwhelmed. Which one should you choose - Do you focus on the cost of removal? How about choosing one that hurts the least? What about your fears of scarring and pigmentation? It is true that when considering tattoo removal, one has a lot to consider. This is where we come in. Keep reading to find out one of the safest methods you can use:
In this method, tattoo removal is achieved with the use of a properly manufactured saline solution and a coil or rotary tattoo machine. The technician will go over the tattoo in the same method the tattoo was applied however, this time, instead of ink, the manufactured saline solution is implanted into the skin. Because the solution is hypertonic, it pulls the pigment to the skin’s surface. As the body forms a scab post procedure, it expels the ink during the healing process. Just like laser treatments, fading and removal will be accomplished over several treatments. Usually, it doesn’t take an expert more than 30-45 min to get done (for a 2 sq inch area).
Saline removal is safe for most skin types, as opposed to alternative methods that can lead to blistered, hypo/hyper pigmented or scarred skin.
It tends to be less painful than laser removal and typically, even less painful than when the tattoo was first applied.
Saline removal is not colour specific, unlike laser, meaning you may have better success treating commonly difficult to remove colours (red, orange, yellow, pale blue and white).
Saline removal actually removes ink from the body, whereas a method such as laser removal, breaks up the ink into smaller fragments and may push pigment deeper into the skin, only to then be processed by your lymphatic system.
You can easily get another tattoo on the same place once it has healed up, which may not be possible with methods like surgical removal or if scar issue has been left behind by laser treatments.
Dermabrasion is a painful procedure where the top layer of the skin is removed during multiple treatments. The vulnerable skin can become infected and will also retain scars.
Intense Pulsed Light Therapy (IPL) involves the tattooed skin being exposed to high intensity light. It is less painful than the conventional laser removal methods. It will require multiple treatments which can be expensive over time.
Tattoo removal creams might be inexpensive but will cause more damage due to the acids or bleaching chemicals in them. The results might not be satisfactory and can result in itchy, scarred, peeling and pigmented skin.
Acid peels will dissolve several layers of skin and often result in harmful side effects, such as permanent scarring and severe chemical burns.
Surgical removal of your tattoo leaves behind scarred, discolored, and even bumpy skin. At times, the surgeon can’t go deep enough, which means tattoo will be removed partially.
Cryosurgery involves freezing off layers of the skin, as you would a wart or a mole. It has varied results and can lead to scarring and damage to surrounding healthy skin.
All of this is not to say that saline removal is not without it’s risks, however, given that it is being performed in the same manner the tattoo was originally applied, with a natural, non-toxic, non-acidic solution, the risks of damage to the skin and body are minimal in comparison to other methods.
Saline removal sounds like a safer and healthier method of tattoo removal. Do you agree? Let us know in the comments section!
