These days it seems everybody has a tattoo. Of course, they’ve always been popular and right back to ancient times body art has been part of global culture. If you are aged under fifty, there’s a one in four chance that you sport a tattoo – whether that’s a dolphin on your ankle, your football club’s emblem on your chest, a tribal cuff or a multi-coloured Sci fi extravaganza down your back, anything goes these days with tattoos and the amazing artwork and skill of tattoo technicians is awe inspiring. There are some real superstar practitioners out there doing brilliant work that creates a moving, living art expo on the bodies of lucky tattoo fans.
The language and symbolism of tattoos is complicated. For some people it’s all about rebellion, for others it’s about belonging to a tribe, it can be a celebration of love, a religious, political or artistic statement – or simply an attractive image of something appealing, chosen to enhance the wearer’s body. Some people use their tattoos to document life milestones such as marriages, births, deaths and other memorable events.There are many motivations for getting tattooed, each unique to the individual.
One of the downsides of tattoos is their permanent nature. You need bravery and commitment to get inked with a design in the first place – but what if years down the line you fall out of love with your permanent skin decal? What are your options? Do you have any options?
The short answer is yes. Phew! You can stop panicking now and read on for info on ways to rid yourself of your tattoo torment…
Adapted tat
Relying on the skill and creativity of a talented tattoo artist, it may be possible to change the appearance of a tattoo by placing an alternative design over it. Actress Angelina Jolie famously changed a small dragon tattoo on her hip into a cross after she had second thoughts about it. Now when she wears low slung clothes, it sometimes looks like she has a dagger at her waist. Lots of people have changes of heart where tattoos are concerned and tattoo artists are used to making alterations, so don’t be afraid to ask.
Laser luck
If you are in the Liverpool area and need tattoo removal Wirral is the place to head for. Here you can get laser treatments that break down the pigmented particles in the coloured tissues by passing light through the skin – these tiny particles are then absorbed by the body. Coloured tattoos are more difficult to remove and will require more sessions. If the tattoo is older, it will break down more easily. The time it takes to totally remove a tattoo depends on the size and design of the ink art, but the average number of sessions ranges between four and fifteen visits. If you need tattoo removal Wirral is a good place to start as there you will find state of the art laser technology designed specifically for vanishing your tattoos.
Cover up
There are special make up products available that offer coverage for tattoos, but as a long term solution this is probably impractical. It can be a lengthy process applying such make up and it’s not cheap – so over time you would probably get fed up with it.
Other techniques
Salabrasion and dermabrasion are two techniques that used to be common in tattoo removal attempts, but are losing popularity against more advanced alternatives. They are viewed as slightly old fashioned these days and not as effective as modern laser techniques. Salabrasion uses a strong saline solution to dissolve the skin surface and break down pigments. Dermabrasion is similar and involves peeling, sanding or buffing the skin to remove embedded pigments of ink. Both these techniques involve some degree of pain and there’s a risk of scarring, too.
It’s good to know that if you have a tiresome tattoo you want removing, all is not lost. Have a good think about all the options available and weigh up their fit for your situation. And if you mourn the loss of your tattoo after it has gone, you may be interested to discover that new inks are currently in development that are designed to be more easily removed. So, if in the future, you get the urge for another tattoo talisman on your skin, it may not be for life after all…