Tattoos are a fashion statement in the 21st century and some of the body art on show in the summer months is just awe-inspiring. An original, well done tattoo can look amazing, a work of actual art.

Unfortunately not everyone is happy with their inking.

 

This time of year is when you might start to regret the tattoo you didn’t think through – it’s hard to find arm coverage if your tattoo is really big, or somewhere that’s difficult to hide.

It’s often a lot harder to have an unfortunate tattoo removed as it was to have it done. A reputable tattoo artist will make you go away and think about your decision, rather than going ahead and inking you as soon as you walk in the door, and there’s a very good reason for that; tattoos are pretty damn near permanent. Yes, you can have them lasered off, but

1. It hurts, and
2. It’s very expensive.

If it was easy to get rid of the old boyfriend’s name you had tattooed when you were 18, then it wouldn’t be a problem!

What you might not know about having a laser removal, that even after all the pain and expense of having repeated treatments (you thought there’d only be the one, did you? Nope) it’s not guaranteed to remove it all completely. You could be stuck with the Disney princess that you thought was such a great idea in 2005 for good, or at the very least, a reminder of the space she used to occupy on your leg.

What Happens?

If you manage to get an appointment to start erasing the questionable artwork, the process will quite literally just involve the doctor using a laser to burn away the ink that is trapped between the layers of your skin. That’ll be why it hurts!
How long it takes to remove the tattoo depends on a few factors; the depth of the ink, how old the tattoo is, where on the body the inking is and just how high your pain threshold is. Some people think it’s not that much more uncomfortable than having the original tattoo, but others say it really does hurt, and they feel an intense burning sensation or strong pins and needles.

Side Effects

There are a few other side effects to having tats removed that aren’t just confined to the clinic. You’ll probably find that the skin that’s been lasered is pretty red, sore and tender after a treatment, although this should wear off. Your muscles might feel sore around the same area too, because they’ve tensed up as the laser has been applied. Not surprising, really!
If you’re not sure whether having a tattoo removed is really for you, but you’ve gone off the work you had done, it can be hard to find ways to cover the offending inkings when you need to. Some people love Wingz for the summer – because they are available in so many styles and lengths, even floaty chiffon for really hot days, there should be a style that can cover your Daffy Duck tattoo for that job interview, even if you still want to show him off at the beach…