People have expressed themselves for thousands of years via tattoos. Since technologies for body art have evolved, tattoo parlors are busy places. Nevertheless, many people who have been inked would like to have their designs removed, but they don’t know how to go about it. The following options can make it easier to decide on a removal process.

Cryosurgery

You can remove tattoos by freezing the skin with liquid nitrogen and sanding the skin layers off. This procedure uses local anesthesia because it’s particularly painful. It also damages surrounding areas and can leave scars. Other side effects include blistering, infection, swelling and scabbing. People who have sensitive skin should not undergo cryosurgery.

Excision

The surgical removal of body art is called excision. It involves cutting the tattoo out with a scalpel. Since the procedure is highly invasive and involves stitches, it’s best for smaller tattoos. Risks and side effects include skin discolorations, infection and scarring. It also might not remove all of the pigment.

Salabrasion

Salabrasion involves saltwater and abrasive tools. You apply the water and use a wooden block that is covered in gauze to vigorously rub the skin. The wound gets dressed with antibiotic ointment.

Every three days, you repeat the procedure until the tattoo fades. Since this involves pain, the use of anesthetics is strongly recommended. The side effects include bleeding, bruising, burning, discoloration, infection, itching, scabbing and permanent scarring.

Laser Tattoo Removal

While it’s considered a new method, laser tattoo removal has been around for a few decades. While this involves some pain, the application of topical anesthetics will take care of that. The use of cool air during the procedure will make this even more comfortable.

This method uses a laser that breaks down the tattoo pigments into tiny bits. Since it uses specific frequencies, it ensures that the skin next to the tattoo remains mostly unaffected. From all the accessible treatments, this procedure yields the best results.

The immune system removes the tiny bits of ink fragments because it sees them as foreign substances. Since the immune system tries to remove tattoos from the body anyway, this explains why they fade over time. The laser treatment makes this job easier.

How Many Sessions Does it Take?

It depends on each case how long it will take to remove a tattoo. Bigger designs and those with more details take longer. Lighter colors also take longer while black and blue disappear quicker. If the tattoo was applied by a skilled professional, it will also react better to a removal process. Since fresh and sharp tattoos are more difficult to remove, older ones come away easier.

You should protect the area from UV rays while undergoing laser treatments. Still, they come with milder side effects that only last for a couple of days. This makes this process one of the best for removing tattoos.