Tattoo removal methods and techniques

Tattoo Removal

One of the most prominent and permanent proofs of the existence of tattoos is the body of a man found near the foot of the Alp Mountains at the border of Austria and Italy who had various markings, 59 in total, on his frozen body. The age of the frozen dead body was estimated to be at least 5000 years old. Researchers always believed that the hobby of decorating or tattooing one's body was as old as the human race itself and hence were not surprised by this find. However, more and more research was done on the origin of the tradition after this find ((George, 2005; Dr. Kirby & Dr. Desai, 2005).

The origin of the word tattoo is a mix of the Tahitian word "tattau" and the Polynesian (Marquesan) word "tatu." Both these words denote "to mark" or a "marking." James Cook was the first explorer to come across this phenomenon during his trip to the South Pacific regions in 1769. However, he too knew that the tradition of tattoos was old and originated back to the years of the Stone Age i.e. 12,000-13,000 BC. The extension and expansion of the tattoo industry in the current decade has escalated enormously. To date there are approximately 4000 tattoo parlors in the United States alone, in addition to that a whopping 5-7% of the adults have a tattoo for ornamental intentions alone (Dr. Kirby & Dr. Desai, 2005).

Types of tattoos

There are of course various types of tattoos and the most common one are the decorative, traumatic and/or accidental tattoos. Of course, amongst these only the decorative or ornamental tattoos are the ones that are done intentionally by the individual (Better Health Channel, 2007). These tattoos are mainly drawn on by professionals who use needles drenched in colored ink to make the mark.

Both the traumatic and accidental tattoos are merely scars that have been graved in to the skin due to an accident like for instance slipping or falling on a road with bare skin rubbing against the surface of the road and carbon particles being grazed into the skin or when the debris of an explosion of some kind enters into the upper layer of the skin and leaves a mark (Better Health Channel, 2007).

Most tattoos are permanent and this is part of the charm that attracts many individuals towards their application. Tattoos are mainly small particles of color that are stored in the macrophage cell within the skin. The main responsibility of the macrophage cell is to fight off and protect the skin from any harmful objects like harmful microorganisms, however the particles used when tattooing freeze this cell and halt its main task of protection. This is why the tattoos remain permanent and always leave a scar when an individual tries to remove them (Better Health Channel, 2007).

Tattoo Removal

Tattoos lasting forever though attract most individuals towards them, it also makes people tiresome of them with the passage of time and hence in many cases, individuals who have tattoos regret their decision of getting them in the first place and then look for effective methods to remove them. The presence of a tattoo may put a strain on interpersonal relationships and can sometimes serve as an obstacle to meaningful employment. While most people keep their tattoo for life, it has been estimated that 50% of individuals with tattoos regret their decision to decorate their skin. Through the years, various methods of tattoo removal have been attempted (Adatto, 2004).

The removal of tattoos was more diverse in the past where the individuals interested in removing the tattoos had the options of using any of the following methods:

Skin implantations,

Dermabrasion which is basically eradicating the upper seams of skin

Acid de-tattooing,

Infra-red and Argon and carbon dioxide lasers.

Out of all the above methods used, dermabrasions were the most popular and maybe even the most important system of tattoo removal used. The method mainly revolved around pealing off the numerous seams of skin till the ink of the tattoo was visible. This was normally done with any razor-sharp or pointed item. If this method was still used, most people wouldn't bother getting tattoos. However in the 1950 and 1960 people looked for methods that could help make an entity sharper in order to remove the skin more easily.

One of the ways this was achieved was through the use of either a wire brush or a spinning wheel which used to peal off the skin that was previously frozen (frozen enough to harden). The psychological affect of the procedure was really damaging. Also, the procedure was really perilous when considering the amount of potential viruses and bacteria that could create severe infections for the individual going through the process. The enlargement of the skin pigments or cells was a very common side effect of this procedure; the pain of the procedure was unbearable and the scar left behind after procedure was far worse then the tattoo itself in most cases (Adatto, 2004).

Aetius who was a Greek physician in the Byzantine court was the first to design a kind of salabrasion procedure back in 543 AD which he described in detail in the 16th volume of the medical text that he titled "Medicae Artis Principes." Salabrasion was different in methodology from the dermabrasion even tough the aim was the same: to remove the layers of the skin. In this procedure the inner layer of the ski was pealed off by using a damp yet sharp piece of padding and salt. The salt was used and put on the tattooed part of the skin again and then that part of the skin was enclosed or cut off from any moisture or air for a maximum of 36 hours. After the enclosure was removed, the tattoo, still remained with obvious changes in both the color and the texture of the tattooed skin (Adatto, 2004; Kirby & Desai, 2005).

Other most commonly used forms of tattoo removal techniques include thermal damage through the use of fire, burning coals, and/or cigarette butts. All these methods have resulted in the problem of consequential scarring and excruciating pain during the operation of the procedure. Other methods that have been used insignificantly due to the volatility of their results are thermal cautery, electro-cautery, and infrared coagulation (George, 2005; Adatto, 2004).

Liquid nitrogen was another very common tool used to remove any and all forms of exterior skin damage that was done due to either the appliance or removal of the tattoo. This method has proven to be very successful for the removal of tattoos that have been applied digitally. The downside, and perhaps the reason why this is so rarely used, is because the side effects and aftermath of the appliance of liquid nitrogen is very unpredictable and can result in extensive or hectic colorization, scraping, skin damage, and extended remedial period (Adatto, 2004; George, 2005).

The application of tannic acid and silver nitrate through punctures in skin, first put forward by Variot G. Nouveau in 1888 was one way that decreased the level of scarring, however, was unsuccessful in completely removing all of the tattoo color pigments on the skin (George, 2005). Surgical removal or depletion of tattoos is, even today, a very universal and regularly used technique as well. it, though can still leave a scar if the wound is not closed back completely or properly but that too can also be gotten rid of with another inexpensive surgical operation (George, 2005; Adatto, 2004).

The Quality-Switched Lasers:

The common problem with all of the above treatments was that the individuals were left with visible scars on the skin and suffered pain (of different levels). The tattoo removal setup now, however, avoids both those problems and hence is very popular. It is mainly inclined towards the Quality-Switched (Q-Switched) lasers now. The Q-switched lasers ensure safe, minimally painful removal of the tattoos with no scarring. There are three main types of Q-Switched lasers that are popularly used: