Dr. Shashikanth

There is nothing more exciting than getting inked. It is also one of the most dangerous things you can do to yourself. Not many people know that there is a real risk involved with tattoos – getting them as well as getting them removed.

We all know a tattoo can come with a real risk of blood-borne diseases and allergies, and a bad job by the tattoo artist. If the tattoo needle is not new and has been used on an infected person, you run a real risk of getting infected with herpes, tetanus, fungal infections, hepatitis and even HIV. The health risks of tattooing are not so well known in India but they are real.

But tattoo removal can be even more dangerous, time consuming and expensive than getting a tattoo. If you have outgrown your tattoo and want it removed, read this carefully to understand the process while keeping yourself safe.

Tattoo removal involves a process opposite to inking. It’s done using lasers. Pulses of light from the laser are directed onto the tattoo to break up the pigment which has been deposited in the dermis or deep layer of the skin during tattooing. This process breaks down the tattoo ink. Over weeks, the broken down ink gets absorbed by the body.

Different lasers are used to remove different types of tattoo ink and it’s usually the doctor doing the procedure who decides which laser to use.

1. Laser treatment differs from patient to patient based on the age, size, and type of tattoo. The colour of the patient's skin, as well as the depth of the tattoo pigment also influences the technique used for removal.

2. Lasers are not benign so your doctor must test the laser to check out the most effective energy for tattoo removal.

3. Laser consists of pulse of light. Smaller tattoo removal requires less pulse of light and bigger ones more pulses.

Sounds easy and painless, but it is not. The break down of the tattoo pigments takes weeks and repeated visits to the clinic. If the doctor removing your tattoo is not good, even the removal of a small tattoo can cause permanent scarring or discoloration of your skin. Parts of the body with thin skin (ankles, wrists, and spine) are more likely to scar than thicker- skinned areas. Other side effects are infections and hypo-pigmentation.

Even though doctors and laser practitioners claim more than 95% removal of tattoos is possible, the reality is that complete removal may never be possible.

So, if you find it impossible to live with your tattoo and a divorce is imminent, you should look for a real good dermatologist for laser removal of tattoos and not submit yourself to quacks.