Have you ever thought what makes tattoo permanent?

Actually, it is the ink which is made of compounds from heavy metals. You will get a deeper insight in this Smarter Every Day video. While some of them contain metals like copper, lead, and manganese, it is due to these which offer permanency.

But Wikipedia states,

“While tattoos were once considered permanent, it is now possible to remove them with treatments, fully or partially.”

So if you are not happy with your tattoo, due to any reason, you can get rid of them. This means you don’t need to bear the burden of having an ink design which is no more required.

How Can I Get Rid of My Unwanted Tattoo?

For those who want to clear away their tattoos, laser removal is the answer. Basically, during this procedure a highly, intense beam of light is used which targets the pigment in the tattoo. It breaks your ink into tiny pieces which is later absorbed and eliminated by the body with the passage of time. The best part is that there is a very little or zero downtime involved. Hence, even if you are someone with busy schedule and lifestyle, it is a convenient treatment. You just need to know a few more things about the process:

1. Firstly, laser removal is not just a one-time solution. In fact, you will have to undergo a series of treatment sessions, depending on the size, color, and complexity of your design. And to achieve your desired results the artist will set amount of time between each session. While smaller tattoos require fewer pulses, for the larger ones more pulses will be required. You will find that after each sitting the design will turn significantly lighter.

2. Fix a consultation in advance with your specialist. It is important to discuss your expectations and also know the details about the treatment.

3. As the laser light passes through the top layer of your skin, there are rare chances of damaging the same. But as it is of high intensity, this can be painful. It will hurt more if you are someone with a low pain threshold.

Will It Really Hurt?

When you will experience the falling of the beams on the skin, it can be quite discomforting. And as there will be multiple sessions on the go, it will definitely pain. However, you don’t need to worry too much. These days laser practitioner recommend application of a topical anesthetic cream. The application of a numbing solution like NumbSkin cream will dull the pain receptors. Hence, it causes desensitization of your skin. Just check here what Amanda Oleander, a user has to say about her experience with tattoo removal and numbing creams.

“The nurse reassured me that she has never experienced someone crying during this procedure. That was reassuring a bit but I told her that I will probably be the first. She put some numbing cream on the tattoo and walked out of the room for 30 minutes to let the cream do its work. Guess what? I did not shed a tear! It wasn't that bad at all and it certainly was not worse than getting it done and if this is worse than having children I'll have 4. It hurt, but it went away almost instantly. Once the procedure was done it felt like you got burned hours ago and it felt uncomfortable but completely bearable. That night I slept on my belly and was completely fine. The next day it was almost completely healed. No blistering or bubbling. Today is my third day and I still have it covered with aquaphor and saran wrap just to be extra safe but I know tomorrow I will take it all off.”

To conclude, you can get rid of an unwanted tattoo, and pain involved, using a numbing cream while getting laser done.