BellaOnline Forums Beauty and Self Body Art removing tattoos

So what do you do when those great idea at the time tattoos turn into a what the heck was I thinking? I don't think I can afford laser removal. Has anyone had any success with those fading creams??

Chantal,

This is why I encourage so much thought and preparation before someone decides to really commit to the ink.

First off, those fade creams don't do anything. Why? Well, because putting a cream on your skin does nothing to the particles of ink trapped in the dermal layers. A laser works at removing tattoos in that the ink particles are susceptible to the color of the laser light and the laser breaks them up so that the body can carry them away.

Any person or process that says they can remove a tattoo without taking action to the subdermal skin layers is just ripping you off.

You might want to read the following to better understand the process that you are trying to reverse:

How Is A Tattoo Done?
The Truth About Tattoo Removal

Well I did think about my tattoos before I got them but when you're 20 you don't always realize that your tastes may change when you're 30. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

When I got my first tattoo, I was 21. I was very aware that my tastes changed regularly (weekly at that age) and that what I was about to do was something that was permanent for the rest of my life (practically speaking). As 38 approaches, I have no regrets about my ink.

I'm sorry a past decision is now hard for you to live with. There are those who would say there's a lesson behind what's happening to you, however, only you are going to be able to interpret what that is.

Best of luck!

Well I'm not crying myself to sleep over it or anything. If I could afford to remove them, I would. Don't get me wrong - I LOVE tattoos - just not on me. The first one I got I think I was 21 and then 2 yrs later I got my second one - I loved them for awhile but now I'm a different person. Can't really explain it but I hit 30 and suddenly my tattoos felt like a childish mistake. Maybe it's just a mild form of mid-life crisis. BTW, if that's a pic of you in your avatar you don't look 38 (you look much younger).

Thanks for saying you think I look young, chantal. Yep, that is me in my avatar pic, and birthday #38 arrives in September. I think being so tattooed and not going in the sun to protect the artwork has contributed to my youthful appearance.

I've heard plenty of people describe a reaction like you had, where one day they woke up and looked at the tattoos and sort of thought, "nope, they just don't seem to work anymore..."

Some people I know had the tattoos covered with different work, others saved to get them removed, and some people decided to keep them and never show them to anyone again.

A woman friend of mine, who has a lot of tattoos, was dating a tattooist and when they broke up she was in the middle of having him do a large tattoo on her upper arm. I asked her how she felt about it and would she ever have it completed. She said she didn't know about that second part, and even though she sort of didn't like having a tattoo that reminded her of a bad break-up, she said she would never get rid of it as it was something she wasn't about to deny and she wanted to be reminded of the lessons that she learned from that relationship.

I was 13 when I got my first tattoo, and I was thinking about either adding to it or covering it up with another design. But I guess that all depends on the person you are now. I have 5 tattoos right now and 12 Piercings, bu Im only 19. Who knows I may want them all gone when im 40.... Doubtful though

Legally, tattooists aren't supposed to work on people who are under 18. How'd you get tattooed at 13?

Last week a young man was working at my house, and he had a tattoo on his chest which he got when he was 14. I asked "how did you get that so young?" and he said he had a friend that did tattoos, so he got one! A woman's name tattooed halfway across his chest. Is that gonna get in the way someday?
And Rae, I noticed your lovely skin as well; we do not see much of that here in the Sunshine State. Too much time outside!. Does the sun fade tattoos, and do tanning beds? I see a lot of people with faded tattoos that have not had them for too many years.

firefly,

Tattoos will fade somewhat over time, sunshine or not. The quality of a person's skin changes as they age, and your ink ages right along with you. Both line quality and color will soften over time.

However, if you want to step on the gas pedal and really speed up the process, sun exposure, tanning and sunburn are what will do it. I've seen people with pale tattoos "burn out" colors from being sunburned, i.e. the sunburn heals and really light colors like yellow or white are completely gone. Tanning beds will also fade tattoos.

I've not read definitive research on the topic, but since the ink is in the same layer of skin where melanin is produced (that's what makes you look tan/brown) it would seem that part of that process messes with the tattoo ink molecules.

I hate the feeling of sunscreen, it makes my skin crawl, so I tend to not wear really revealing clothing during the summer or when out in the sun. Lucky me, San Francisco is both chilly and foggy for most of the summer.