Tattoo Forum with Gallery: ask your tattoo questions, upload your own tattoo pictures or rate and comment other member’s tattoos!

TattooAdmirer · Tattoo lover Joined: 29 Jul 2006 Posts: 8

I have heard that tattoo removal hurts a lot more than getting the tattoo did in the first place. Does anyone have any experience with having their tattoos removed? If so, could you tell me if this statement is in fact true or not? Thank you!

dizzle · Tattoo lover Joined: 29 Jul 2006 Posts: 22

I have a friend that had to have a tattoo removed because of her new job and she said that it was 100 times more painful than getting the original tattoo done. She was not happy about having to do it but it was that or not get this high paying professional career that she now has.

tattooage · Posted: Sun Aug 06, 2006 9:28 am Post subject: Re: Removing Tattoos

[quote:5fe53c9ba6="TattooAdmirer"]I have heard that tattoo removal hurts a lot more than getting the tattoo did in the first place.[/quote:5fe53c9ba6]

I have never done a tattoo removal but I am sure that with today technique removing a tattoo shold not be very painfull...

junior72 · Posted: Wed Oct 18, 2006 4:56 am Post subject: tattoo removal pain

Actually, removing tattoos does not have to be that painful. At our clinic, we use a cold air jet blower that practically freezes the skin (a Synercool) and 30% strength numbing cream that you can put on much earlier than the removal itself. It's still not pleasant, but the pain is definitely tolerable between the 2. You can find out more about it at I wouldn't envy you if you had to get it done without any of that!

Amnesia180 · Tattoo lover Joined: 08 Jan 2007 Posts: 6

[quote="dizzle"]I have a friend that had to have a tattoo removed because of her new job and she said that it was 100 times more painful than getting the original tattoo done. She was not happy about having to do it but it was that or not get this high paying professional career that she now has.[/quote]

I take it the tattoo was probably large, visible and obscene? Otherwise it's illegal for a company to request you remove a tattoo (unless of course it's the armed forces) - anyway, that's the rule in the UK.

oh_bugger · Tattoo addict Joined: 13 Sep 2006 Posts: 457

[quote="Amnesia180"][quote="dizzle"]it's illegal for a company to request you remove a tattoo (unless of course it's the armed forces) - anyway, that's the rule in the UK.[/quote]

Not quite true, the armed forces cant force tattoo removal they can bar entrance to the forces based on certian types of tattoo, alternatively they can request cover ups or amendments made if the ink is rude or offensive.

The forces can refuse you permission to get anymore tattoos and often at training establishments there is a blanket ban due to the risk of infection whilst performing soldier like tasks.

Should a serving soldier get an offensive or insulting tattoo he should be offered the chance to cover or remove the tattoo should he refuse he can then be charged and potentially discharged.

DocJ · Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2007 2:21 pm Post subject:

It is illegal in the State of Ohio to attempt to remove a tattoo, unless you are an Physician. Lazer is the only method that i know of around here. I am interested in learning about the freeze method. While i still would not be legal to use it, i would like to offer my clients the info if I am asked.
Thanks.

Liz · Posted: Wed Mar 28, 2007 8:08 am Post subject:

i agree with one of the posts, even if you are gonna be in a professional job. I am gonna be a teacher soon (again, i'm not being a smart ass) and i am gonna have my tattoos and they can not legally tell me i can't have that job coz of that. so there you go.

DocJ · Posted: Wed Mar 28, 2007 8:28 am Post subject:

No, by law they cannot tell us we cannot have tattoo's, but they can choose someone else, simply because they can. So if you happen to be interviewed by someone who doesn't like tattoo's, you in Shhht creek if you want that job. Yeah, it sucks that people are so judgemental with a body that isn't their own, but it happens and we are all affected.

Meta24 · Tattoo lover Joined: 19 Jun 2007 Posts: 1

Hello. I am new to this forum.I seen the topic and thought i would comment on it. I am currently in the process of getting a tattoo removed on my forearm. I have been 2 times so far it has fadded a little but seems as though some work still needs to be done. And to tell if it hurts yes it does. It is much like getting your skin burned over and over, so yes the pain is alot worse than what it is to get it put on.and also not very cheap also. i pay 150 per treatment.But if you decide to ever get it done dont be to scared just go with it just like you would with the tattoo. it also helps that i have a hott RN that does my removal so that takes my mind off the pain a bit..lol. have a good one.

DocJ · Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2007 6:17 am Post subject:

I am sure you are referring to laser removal. That is very expensive and very time consuming and repetitive. It will lighten each time but may take many treatments.

What happens is, each time a small area is hit with the laser, the ink is shattered into tiny small fragments and then absorbed by the body. Depending on the ink, some types are easier to shatter.

I have had laser work done for a stretch mark removal and yes, it burns. It's good to have an ice pack handy, if they don't hand you one. It also leaves you nice and bruised up (Burned), but that is temporary. I did this three times and gave up.

In prior years and on my own skin, i have been successful using muratic acid to remove my ex husbands name off my skin. I know that this is what it's illegal to do to a client but i did it myself, on myself.

At one point it was not illegal in Texas and this is where i learned it.

I took my regular tattoo machine and went over my existing tattoo dry. (meaning never dipping the needles in anything) Then the skin that had been re-opened, i put muratic acid on it with a Q-tip. It will burn like crazy. I repeated puting the acid on it for about 3 or 4 times with in about 10 min. Then i put my topical on it and let it go. It scabbed up pretty good and i picked the scab off after it healed a little. The scab pulled out the ink in my skin and what was left was nothing but a hint of blur where the name was. I was lucky that it didn't scar bad, but it was also a very small area.

It's now illegal to do this, at least in Ohio it is.

Good luck to anyone who tries the laser method, they are improving the process every year.

ebaliart · Tattoo lover Joined: 14 Sep 2007 Posts: 7

A laser is light—very concentrated light, but light. Short pulses of this very concentrated light are positioned on a certain color in the tattoo, passing through the outer epidermis layer of the skin to be absorbed directly by the molecules of tattoo pigment in the dermis. If you've read the section in the last chapter on the damage that the sun can do, this should sound familiar. Just as with sunlight (in particular UV radiation), the molecules of pigment absorb energy which they simply can't handle, breaking their bonds, nearly vaporizing them, and reducing them to smaller-sized molecules. And, as you recall in your newly grown knowledge base, when the particles become smaller, the body's immune system can remove them (white blood cells called macrophages go on the march, scoop them up, and whisk them away). The wavelength of the laser is finely tuned to target a specific color molecule; other pigments in the tattoo or the melanin in your skin are not affected.

Check this out:
tattoobody.org/index.php?page=tattoo_removal

red_head_jesus · Tattoo lover Joined: 01 Oct 2007 Posts: 2

if you're curious about tattoo removal you should check out this book:

amazon.com/gp/product/0979962900

it's called UnInked! The Complete Guide To Tattoo Removal and it's written by the chick who runs the 'tattoo removal support' group on Yahoo! groups. i'm on that group b/c of my wife's experience (see another thread here). anyway it looks like it might have some good basic info on tattoo removal- she just posted a notice on the board about it. good luck....

marinaaxid25 · Tattoo lover Joined: 06 Oct 2007 Posts: 23 Location: NYC

[quote="Liz"]i agree with one of the posts, even if you are gonna be in a professional job. I am gonna be a teacher soon (again, i'm not being a smart ass) and i am gonna have my tattoos and they can not legally tell me i can't have that job coz of that. so there you go.[/quote]

I'm a teacher now, and I have one visible tattoo (underside of my wrist). My school is pretty liberal, so they're cool with tattoos, so long as it's not obscene or create a distraction.

But I can't say that all schools are this lenient.

storm-rider · Tattoo lover Joined: 31 Oct 2007 Posts: 2 Location: Israel

ok, so my story is a bitdifferent about how i got my tattoo "removed" (this is the place to apologize for some tiping errors. English isn't my primary language. i'm Israeli).

so i was back in 2004, about 8 months after i got out of the army and i was about to start working also for this high-paying carrer wich i'm trying to handle at the moment and they had asked me at the first interview if i would mind removing my unit's logo tatto that i have on my back. at first, i didn't wanted to remove it since it had some sentimental feeling about it (or some other cr*p like that) but after that i just decided to get the same tatto on a less visual area of my body, so i tattooed it on my left foot.

the bad part was the removal. here in Israel, you get attached to your army expierience weather you like to or not (especially in my case, where it's a special force unit). so after telling a few buddies from the unit that i'm gonna take it off, they made all this seremony and eventually, the skin was ripped off my body and i got some skin transplanted there. one of the guys from th unit did it. he is a plastic surgeon. so i was cool with it. didn't hurt at all too because most of the time, the whole place was numb thanks to local anasthesia.

i still got the piece of skin with the whole tattoo preserved at my house.

as for now, i got the unit's symbol on my foot, without any chance of anyone see it.

Johnny5 · Posted: Wed Jan 30, 2008 3:34 pm Post subject:

Has ayone eard of wreking balm? does it work? My ex-girl did a tat on my arm and I ended up in jail that same night.it got infected and lost alot of color and scared pretty bad.really cant fix it so maybe getting rid of it and getting something done around the scars. Mad

mariaryi · Tattoo lover Joined: 01 Mar 2008 Posts: 5

What Methods Are Used for Tattoo Removal?
Dermabrasion:
Where skin is "sanded" to remove the surface and middle layers;
It involves process of removing the tattooed area of skin and then stitching it closed.

Excision:
Where a surgeon removes the tattoo with a scalpel and closes the wound with stitches. In some cases involving large tattoos, a skin graft from another part of the body may be necessary.

Dermabrasion & Excision both is painful.

Lasers Remove Tattoos is better choice as it is painless when treated by expert.

Lasers work by producing short pulses of intense light that pass harmlessly through the top layers of the skin to be selectively absorbed by the tattoo pigment. This laser energy causes the tattoo pigment to fragment into smaller particles that are then easily removed by the body's immune system. The laser selectively targets the pigment of the tattoo without damaging the surrounding skin.
The Q-switched Nd: YAG is now considered the "state of the art" laser for tattoo removal because it effectively removes almost all colors of ink found in tattoos.

Check the useful link which covers queries related with tattoo removal.
rethinkyourink.ca/faq.htm

InkyVick · Tattoo lover Joined: 03 Mar 2008 Posts: 6

does anyone know of anywhere on the outskirts of london where i can get a tattoo excised? i'd like it removed surgically because i cant afford the time and money to laser removal...

mariaryi · Tattoo lover Joined: 01 Mar 2008 Posts: 5

[quote="InkyVick"]does anyone know of anywhere on the outskirts of london where i can get a tattoo excised? i'd like it removed surgically because i cant afford the time and money to laser removal...[/quote]

Tattoo excised will be painful, my suggestion is to check site(rethinkyourink.ca) and compare price there ,ask for Online Consultation or call. As i can say Laser tattoo removal will is painless. Idea

jimfurr · Posted: Wed Mar 12, 2008 1:48 am Post subject:

Please friends,

Don't do Laser or grafting or acid or any of those methods.

They are expensive, painful, if not during the process,
than certainly later on after the pain killer wears off,
and they leave scars.

However there is one method that
an Artist has (patented) that
doesn't do either one,
and it is cheap.

Jim
><>

mariaryi · Tattoo lover Joined: 01 Mar 2008 Posts: 5

[quote="jimfurr"]Please friends,

Don't do Laser or grafting or acid or any of those methods.

They are expensive, painful, if not during the process,
than certainly later on after the pain killer wears off,
and they leave scars.

However there is one method that
an Artist has (patented) that
doesn't do either one,
and it is cheap.

Jim
><>[/quote]

Well i dont agree that laser tattoo removal is painful as compared to old way like Salabrasion, Excision.

And you are talking about is: Saline Tattooing
In this procedure, tattoo artists fade a tattoo by tattooing lidocaine and saline solution over unwanted tattoo. This is beneficial for older tattoos. This process can just lighten the existing tattoo but can’t remove it altogether. This procedure is relatively harmless and cheaper. Though finding a tattoo artist to perform this task is difficult.

so here is the point.
I would suggest you to check FAQ( rethinkyourink.ca/faq.htm ), for all your query related to tattoo removal.

Here is the use

jimfurr · Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 3:30 pm Post subject:

What I am talking about is 100% tattoo removal, no scars, much cheaper than laser, won't remove hair and no more painful than putting the tattoo on was!

Send me an email with "TATTOO REMOVAL-TATTOO REMOVAL" in the subject line for details. (I get over 200 emails daily so yours needs to stand out!)

or got to the site by clicking the "www" just below this sentence.

ellie-beth

It hurts a bit, but it depends where it is and how many sessions you have had it. I think it hurts more now on my 5th session than the first few. Also it is on my ankle so there is not much flesh there. when it has only just healed from the last time you went it will be more sensitive. They turn the machine to a higher setting each time you go or it would just pour with blood if you had it on full power. With the two on my upper arms, it wasn't as bad the second time (have only had two) but i can't lye on my arms at night for a few days as it is sore. I had a little blistering a little swelling and then a greenish bruise. I also asked my boyfrind to drive as my movements were slower. although i did drive home the first time. A bit of a limp for 10 mins but the pain quickly fades. I don't worry about the pain i look forward to it. with each crackle i hear i feel a popping in the skin and i think of that ink shattering and bleeding away. I can't wait till these crappy homemade tattoo's have gone. i am getting married in September and i have (time for)two more sessions left before then. I have had two already and there is a lot of fading. if they haven't gone, they will be faded a lot by then and a lot easier to cover. Also i am having three tattoo's lasered for £160 per session. I don't think the tattoist would do it for much cheaper with this tattoing over it with this chemical thing(also i think you need repeated sessions with this also). The thing with laser is you really have to wait for the full 6 weeks before you see the full difference, although a big chunk of the filling in one of them on my arm had gone strait away when i got home after the first session. It is ideal for homemade tattoo's they are likely to be gone with three sessions if they are on your arm somewhere as the circulation there is good. It does depend how deep the ink has gone in though. if you think it has been hammered in by a mad physco then it will take more. 3 or 4 for a normal blue/black indian ink (cheap shop brought ink). Proffesional ones will take more i would say about 6 could be more depends on the colors. Good luck everyone with you tattoo removal. I hope some of you have come back to tell success stories i will read on and i will be back when mine have gone and will let you know if the're gone for the wedding or not.