Art of Tattoo Removal

Art of Tattoo Removal

By Christina Parrella

Diamonds, prom photos and tattoos are forever, right? Not anymore. Removing tattoos is easier than ever, but it's also time-consuming, costly, medically risky and painful. Find out more and take our celebrity tattoo challenge.

Tattoos, They Are A Changin'

As many as 45 million Americans have a tattoo -- and 17 percent of us have considered removing it, either out of remorse or to clear space to tattoo all over again.As demand has increased to some 100,000 erasures annually...

Cut It Out

...so has a growth of new technologies, physicians and commercial centers specializing in removals. Smaller tattoos can be surgically excised. But what about LeBron James-sized body art?

Image Credit: Garrett Ellwood, NBAE/Getty Images

The Big Cover Up

Remember the "Billy Bob" tattoo? Talk about regret. If you have a tattoo you just don't want anymore, you can try covering-up with a new tattoo. But there are limits: You can'tcover up dark inks with something lighter.

Image Credit: Kevin Winter/ImageDirect

Fading With Saline

You can try to fade an unwanted tattoo by "tattooing" (not injecting) saline solution into the area. This is most effective with older tattoos, and is relatively inexpensive;it's mostly done to clean the canvas for a cover-up tattoo.

Healing in a Laser

Most people opt for laser tattoo removal. Ablative lasers remove the skin. Nonablative penetrate the dermis with light pulses, which break up the ink into tiny particles thatthe body absorbs. There is minimal risk for scarring, but there are other issues.

Image Credit: Jupiterimages

No Two Alike

Laser removal can test your pain threshold. Also, results vary and you're at risk for infection or skin discoloration. Finally, you'll need multiple sessions scheduled weeks to months apart to complete, at a price of $75 up to $1,500 per treatment.

Show Me the Light

Intense Pulsed Light Therapy works similarly to laser removal, except a wand is used to emit super-charged light pulses. This method is reportedly less painful than laser therapy and more effective. The bad news is that it also carries a heftier price tag, as high as $10 per pulse.

No More Regrets

A new type of tattoo ink is available for fence-sitters. Freedom-2 Inks come in beads and will break up after one or two laser treatments. Now that "forever" isn't so permanent,what should you watch out for when getting a tattoo?

Risky Business

There are a number of mild to dangerous medical issues that result from unsafe tattoo practices, from an allergic reaction to blood-borne diseases such as Hepatitis C or HIV. All equipment should be sterilized. No excuses. Now for our celebrity guess-whose-tattoo.