Dermatologists and Tattoo Removal

It’s actually a slightly more common problem than you think these days – the need for tattoo removal. Fortunately, Colorado Springs dermatologists are ready and willing to help.

A Stark Picture

Some statistics suggest that in 1936, just six percent of the population had any sort of tattoo in the United States. Today, those numbers have increased dramatically. Many have suggested that one in eight Americans have tattoos in today’s world, and the number seems to only be increasing. With almost twenty thousand tattoo parlors in the US alone and the figures increasing on a daily basis, it’s only natural that some people might regret a rash decision here or there to get inked, and getting rid of it isn’t quite as easy as having one done initially.

Fuel For the Fire

Perhaps part of the problem is that many people who choose to get a tattoo are between the ages of eighteen and twenty-nine, and as they grow older, remorse begins to set in for a variety of reasons. With tattoos so readily accessible, almost anyone can get a great design anywhere on their bodies, and it’s far simpler to make the choice to spend a few hundred dollars on a tattoo than it is to spend thousands and suffer a bit of lost time and pain to get them removed. Colorado Springs dermatologists, though, see an average of thirty patients a day with tattoo remorse.

The Procedure

If you do wish to have a tattoo removed, there’s a fairly standard procedure to do so. First, you’ll undergo an evaluation by your dermatologist. After the initial consultation, a laser will be employed to break up the pigment in the tattoo. The laser can go through the skin without causing any real surface damage, but it does grab the pigment in the tattoo ink. Once it hits the ink, it is then broken into tiny pieces. That allows the body to reabsorb it through the lymphatic system. The downside is, of course, that several sessions are a must to ensure no damage is done to the skin.

The procedure itself can be fairly expensive, and most compare it to the feeling of multiple bee stings. While the pain does abate considerably after the laser is finished, soreness for a few days is just part of the procedure.