Bad Tattoos -You Won't Believe How Some People Get Rid!

Article by BR Tabatha

It seemed like such a good idea at the time. You were young, you were having fun and you thought the love would last forever. Then you grew old, you changed, dislike set in, and then one day you decided you couldn’t stand the sight of your tattoo one moment longer. It was time to break up. But how?

Tattoos can be beautiful works of art. But art, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder and what you might love when you’re 18 might not be something you love when you’re 48. (I have heard of tattooists who refuse to tattoo names of lovers on people’s arms, I guess there’s a reason for that…) So what options do you have for removing tattoos you’ve falled out of love with? 

If you’re looking for permanent removal, laser tattoo removal is the way to go. Basically the laser breaks up the tattoo’s pigment into small fragments, which are then removed by the body’s immune system. Does it hurt? I haven’t had it, but I’ve heard and read that yes, it hurts. More than anything. Skin numbing creams can be applied before the treatment, and some laser removal clinics have machines that deliver cooled air to the skin, keeping you comfortable throughout the treatment. The cost varies depending on the size and colours used in the tattoo, but it’s safe to say it’s not cheap – with prices quoted on Kiwi websites starting anywhere from $50 to $75 per session for a small tattoo – and the average treatments needed are between four to eight sessions. As for the amount of time you’ll sit there enduring the potential pain of removal? It comes down to the size of your tattoo - a session for a smaller tattoo may only take a few minutes, whereas a larger tattoo will take longer. You’ll also have to wait around six weeks between each session, so what may have been a whimsical idea at the time can be a time consuming and expensive effort to change. 

Other options for tattoo removal include excision, which is where a surgeon cuts away the tattooed skin then sews the skin together or takes skin from another part of your body and grafts it onto the area that has been cut away. Dermabrasion, where a medical professional sands off the tattoo, has also been used with varying results. It’s worth noting that since the introduction of laser, these particular types of tattoo removal have been going the way of the dodo, and neither are the kind of thing you’d want to try and DIY.

There are also tattoo removal creams floating around that claim to dissolve the tattoo. Sounds perfect, right? You’ll want to do your research before trying this, as the science behind the creams doesn’t quite work out. Many people see fading as the creams work on the upper layer of skin, but one would have to wonder how they get into the second layer where the majority of the ink is? (Also, here’s a great read into why it definitely pays to do your research)

Of course there are other ways to remove, or in this case, cover up your unwanted piece of art.

I like to imagine tattoo cover-ups are similar to deciding you hate that picture of a dragon you bought at an op-shop when you were 18 so painted straight over it to create a beautiful sunset or a bunch of cows sleeping in a paddock, or whatever floats your boat. However, unlike the art in a frame scenario, a cover-up involves more than just painting over an old picture. First of all you’ll want to find a reputable tattoo artist who knows what they’re doing, they can then work with you to figure out how to completely cover the existing tattoo, or how to work it into a new design so that you don’t notice it anymore. This may mean going bigger and/or going darker as darker colours cover up existing tattoos better than lighter colours. 

Check out this example:

Image: Inksanity Tattoos Instagram

If money, or the thought of enduring pain, hinders the thought of having a tattoo removed, you can always use makeup to conceal it when you’re wearing an item of clothing that would usually show it off. Not any old concealer will do, you need something that is long lasting, gives excellent coverage and is ideally waterproof. Products often recommended include MAC’s Studio Finish concealer, Thin Lizzy Concealer, Dermablend, as well as a Kiwi company who specialises in camouflage makeup, Dermal Cover

().  Learning to apply concealing makeup can take a bit of trial and error, but once you’ve got the technique down you can head out confident your skin appears to be a blank canvas.

So have you fallen out of love with any of your tattoos? Have you broken up with them via laser or another method? Or do you prefer the ease of camouflaging? Chat away!