BellaOnline Forums Beauty and Self Body Art Should I have my tatoo removed...I saw someone wit

I was on this cool site ( www.MyCutBuddies.com ) and I saw a woman with a tatoo similar to mine ( a dragon wrapped around my arm with part of the wing and tail around my right breast ). The woman was posing in such a way that...I felt sort of slutty for even having the tat. At any rate... I think I should have mine removed. I don't want to feel (the way I did when i saw her in the pic) like that ever again. I just thing I should have mine removed. How do you get a tatoo removed? i've seen people do it before. I was just younger and crazier when i got my tat. Now i want it removed.

The only really efective way to have a tatoo removed is through laser treatment, which is both prolonged and painful....some colours repsond more quickly to the threatment than others, so progress will be patchy and irregular.

This, with the greatest of respect, is an abject and timely lesson to anyone acting in haste,a nd viewing a tatoo as a fashion accessory.
It is a way of effectively and decoratively scarring your body for life....
I have tatoos, and I love them....But I would counsel anyone under the age of 25 to not have them done, until they really, REALLY understand the full consequences....

Good luck, Sweetjones, whatever you decide.

Here is an article that explores all aspects of tattooing, including how a tattoo is applied and removed and safety and health issues
http://people.howstuffworks.com/tattoo-removal.htm

My question is, why did you look at that woman and decide that she must have gotten her tattoo for all the same reason that you did, or that you are somehow exactly like her for having a similar tattoo?

I mean, it's *not* you in that picture? If you really want to get your tattoo removed, is it really about that picture, or is it really something you feel about yourself?

The decision to keep or get rid of your tattoo is yours, but since you're having second thoughts, take a moment to think, as you may be about to chose a process that costs even more and hurts more than getting that tattoo did.

I'd suggest you check out the following articles:
Why People Get Tattooed
The Truth About Tattoo Removal

I have several tattoos, my best friend is now a successful tattoo artist, but while she was learning I was often available to her as a canvas. Long story short I had several small stars tattooed done up my arm in what was supposed to be a light brown, they ended up too dark and I didn't like them. I have had 4 hits with the laser treatment, it is much more painful then the tattoo itself. You can smell your skin burning a bit during the process. The tattoo then raises like a water blister and weeps, you must keep the wound open for about ten days (you keep it soaked in vaseline and wrapped in cling wrap) after that you let it heal. My stars are now smaller, somewhat blueish dots (the laser had more difficulty removing some pigments) I plan on going back again for a few more laser treatments to try to dull them down even more.