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Tattoo Removal: Modern Medical Options
Tattoo removal is a far cry from the olden days, where tattoos were generally either burned or cut off. The intent wasn't so much to make it look like the drawing was never there, but more to conceal what it was. I've seen plenty of scars from old-school tattoo removal that, in my opinion, had to look worse than the actual original tattoo itself.
Luckily, times have changed, and medical technology has changed with it. Tattoo removal is much more discrete than it used to be, and much more successful as well. Scars are no longer gigantic eyesores. In many cases, they're barely noticeable to anyone except the person who had the tattoo removed in the first place. And the procedures are very specific and comfortable as well.
One method that has come a long ways in recent years is the process called dermabrasion. This is, essentially, the removal of the pigment from your skin by the use of an abrasive material. You can equate it so sanding down a piece of wood, if you like, because that is basically what it is. Now, it's much more precise and surgical than that, but in the end, all the surgeon is doing is scuffing up the outer layers of skin until the pigment comes out and then allowing it to heal in as a controlled environment as possible.
Current practice also takes into account the tattoo-shaped scarring that used to occur, and performs a very light dermabrasion on the surrounding skin as well. Studies have shown that not only does this decrease the visual prominence of the primary scaring, but it also actually decreases the level of scaring all over the affected area. It isn't specifically understood why this happens, but some theories suggest it has to do with the conditions that the deeper abrasions have to heal in.
Another very popular method of tattoo removal is laser resurfacing of the affected area. This treatment takes advantage of the fact that tattoo pigments are susceptible to light and break down with time. This can be seen in any old tattoo that has been exposed to light consistently over many years.
They slowly fade away as the pigment breaks down. This process is sped up by the use of a high powered laser that focuses light at different wavelengths to target different pigments. And while this treatment can take several visits over several months, it is generally lower-impact than dermabrasion, and will leave less scarring in most situations.
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