{"id":1131,"date":"2012-05-21T14:04:02","date_gmt":"2012-05-21T14:04:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.tattoomenow.com\/tattoo-designs\/?p=1131"},"modified":"2017-10-07T12:52:20","modified_gmt":"2017-10-07T12:52:20","slug":"laser-tattoo-removal-vs-cover-up-tattoos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tattoomenow.com\/tattoo-designs\/laser-tattoo-removal-vs-cover-up-tattoos\/","title":{"rendered":"Laser Tattoo Removal vs. Cover up Tattoos – Which one to choose?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Laser Tattoo Removal
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So, you got a tattoo that you thought you would love and now you don\u2019t.\u00a0 It happens to the best of us. But we don\u2019t need to go into that, the problem at hand is what to do about it.\u00a0 The two most common\"laser<\/span> ways people handle this dilemma is to have it removed with laser treatments or get a cover up tattoo.\u00a0 There are positives and negatives to both options.<\/p>\n

Laser tattoo removal<\/strong> is not one hundred percent perfect.\u00a0 One must understand how laser removal does the job to understand what the results may be.\u00a0 Here is the simple explanation.\u00a0 All paints, dyes and inks are actually made up from crushed minerals for the most part.\u00a0 Some plants can be used to make dyes but they are not appropriate for long lasting artwork.\u00a0 Only minerals from the earth can withstand the test of time.\u00a0 This means in effect that your tattoo coloring is full of tiny and not so tiny molecular minerals that when hit with light create color.\u00a0 Each mineral has a heat tolerance point.\u00a0 When enough heat is applied the mineral molecule will break up in to smaller pieces that are then absorbed by your body as waste product.\u00a0 It takes about four weeks for your body to absorb this waste product.\u00a0 There are a couple of issues that hopefully come to mind when you consider a laser heating up mineral molecules in your skin.<\/p>\n

First some minerals need to be heated up to 300 degrees to break.\u00a0 Yes this is painful.\u00a0 However according to the literature is no more painful that getting tattooed. To keep from scarring you by burning, the process of breaking up these molecules has to be done slowly and with many visits.\u00a0 Laser technology has not yet reached a point where one device can be adjusted to address all of the different colors in your tattoo.\u00a0 Apparently darker colors are easier to break up than lighter colors of ink.\u00a0 So if you have an all black tattoo you may have better odds.<\/p>\n

However, there are a number of other variables that come into play.\u00a0 They are: age of tattoo, age of your skin, type and color of skin, size of tattoo, colors in the tattoo, your immune system, and exposure to sun and after care of each laser treatment.\u00a0 It also depends if your tattoo was inked by a professional or an amateur.\u00a0 What that really means is; how deep did they go?\u00a0 What was the quality of the ink that they used?\u00a0 It appears that no matter what, a large percentage of people take some damage to their melanin, which is responsible for putting the natural color in your skin.\u00a0 Not only does the laser break up the tattoo pigment molecules it affects the melanin in the same area.\u00a0 This will possibly cause what appears to be scarring or a lightening of the area where the tattoo was leaving a ghost like imprint of the tattoo. On the other hand the opposite could happen and you could end up with a darker area where the tattoo was removed.\u00a0 This topic you will need to discuss with your dermatologist<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Laser tattoo removal can cost a couple of thousand to many thousands of dollars depending on the tattoo and the number of times you must repeat the treatment.\u00a0 Average treatment visits are six to 10 times all divided by about six weeks in between.\u00a0 It\u2019s a lengthy process.\u00a0 Some people get perfect results and others do not. Only a dermatologist can offer a prediction of the outcome.\u00a0 The bottom line; if you decide on laser tattoo removal, question your dermatologist about the laser device(s) they use.\u00a0 Ask them questions about which laser is best for each color.\u00a0 See if they know what they\u2019re doing.\u00a0 Do some research on your own and get the best bang for your buck.<\/p>\n