Choosing to get a tattoo removed is a big decision, but once the choice has been made, most people are itching to get the ink out of their skin as soon as they can. While it’s tempting to jump on the internet and start looking up how to remove a tattoo at home quickly, I caution you against that route.
Removing a tattoo at home is anything but quick and easy. It can often be painful and may even leave you more regret than your tattoo did in the first place.
Using Salabrasion/Dermabrasion To Remove Tattoos At Home
The internet is full of terrible suggestions. Ranging from dermabrasion, which literally sands away the unwanted pigmented skin, to using a salt mixture to heat up and scrape away your skin (salabrasion). If you were to attempt one of these DIY tattoo removal processes, you may or may not find that the tattoo is lightened or removed at the end of the healing process, but many people who attempt an at-home tattoo removal find that a scar is left in its place.
One doctor goes as far as claiming these at home tattoo removal methods are the equivalent of throwing kerosene on your tattoo and lighting it on fire. For this exact reason, it is extremely important to consider your options and research the methods available to you before making a decision on how you want to have your tattoo removed.
I know that it’s tempting, but performing at home tattoo removal isn’t just slow and ineffective, it’s risky. Using dermabrasion or salabrasion to remove the top layer of your skin in a non-sterile environment can lead to infection and severe health concerns, especially if the area is large. To put things simply, you probably shouldn’t even be considering any tattoo removal method that utilizes salabrasion or dermabrasion.
Topical At-Home Tattoo Removal Methods
A few other options are left for people looking up how to remove a tattoo at home quickly, most of them topical remedies that are intended to lighten the tattoo using repeated applications of a cream, or other natural ingredients. While these are often safer than salabrasion or dermabrasion, they don’t usually provide the kind of complete removal effect that you are looking for.
Creams marketed specifically for tattoo removal do exist, but many people experience adverse symptoms ranging from minor skin irritation to discoloring or even blistering of the skin after using these products. Other topical treatments involve chemical peels, but they aren’t any safer than the above-mentioned methods and can cause scarring as well.
All Natural Tattoo Removal methods
Other options for removing tattoos at home include applying lemon juice, honey or a mixture of aloe vera, paederia tomentosa, and vitamin E. These are much more natural remedies, but focus on gradually lightening of the whole area of skin and take a long time to show results. These are considered much safer options, but it’s unlikely you will be pleased with the results.
The Best Tattoo Removal Method
In order to get the best results with the least discomfort and lowest risk, I highly recommend seeking a professional laser tattoo removal service in your area. Laser tattoo removal is not only the safest method of removing tattoos, but it is also the fastest.
Nonetheless, there are still a few very specific things you need to do before and after laser tattoo removal. A single session can last between 2 and 30 minutes, and most tattoos are completely removed within 3 to 6 sessions total. Tattoo removal shops have professionally trained medical staff, prepped with all of the necessary comforts to make the tattoo removal process quick and painless.
The Bottom Line
Once you have decided your reasons for removing a tattoo, it’s important to remember removing a tattoo at home quickly is simply not a realistic expectation. The quickest, safest, and by far most effective solution requires a visit with a professional.
At home tattoo removal methods are generally too risky and ultimately too ineffective to consider them a realistic solution. If you have time and are strapped for cash, it doesn’t hurt to do further research on natural remedies that are proven safe, but temper your expectations.
If you want your tattoo removed quickly and with the least amount of risk, you require professional laser tattoo removal. Whatever method you choose to pursue, please perform additional research and do what you can to minimize the risk of burning and scarring.
Featured photo credit: boymeetsfashion.com via boymeetsfashion.com
