The phenomenon of “tattoo regret” has been around as long as tattoos have. This alone, if I had to venture a guess, would be a good reason that just tattoo removal options alone are numerous. Common reasons for tatto removal include the breakup of a romantic relationship (otherwise referred to as “you got dumped”), embarrassment over a design chosen at a younger age (what was cool then makes you hot under the collar every time you look at it now), and simply disliking the tattoo (you let the guy doing “$10 Tats” out of the back of his pickup truck ink you during a weekend drunken spell).

Fortunately, over the last decade or so, exciting new methods of tattoo removal have developed. The nasty side effects of yesterday what to wear with a new tattoo are no longer an issue. Understanding the skin’s relationship with tattoos will help you see the benefits of new tatto removal methods more easily.

The Epidermis and Dermis
Tattoos are created by injecting ink deeply into the skin, which is why tattoo removal is tricky. The machine needle delivers ink through the epidermis (outer layer of skin), and into the second layer of skin or dermis. This needle punctures the dermis anywhere from 50 to 3,000 times within a minute. Since the needle goes approximately a millimeter into the skin to deliver the ink, the dermis receives the majority of the ink, resulting in permanent pigmentation.

Cells in the dermis are much firmer than those in the epidermis, allowing the ink to reside in its new home with minimal fading. Since the dawn of tattoos, these results have been considered permanent. However, in the last few years the development of new techniques has made it possible to remove tattoo evidence from the skin of remorseful individuals.

Removal Methods