Tattoo Remorse? What You Need to Know About Erasing Your Ink

Regrets on getting that tattoo? The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which regulates tattooing and tattoo removal, has some practical advice on tattoo removal. This information is taken directly from that report. “One way to go is professionally supervised laser removal, according to Mehmet Kosoglu, an FDA engineer. The process exposes a tattoo to pulses of high-intensity laser energy. After exposure, tattoo pigment breaks up into small pieces, which can then be naturally metabolized by the body or excreted. Some colors respond better to laser removal better than others, Kosoglu warns. Green, red and yellow are more stubborn than black and blue. And it will likely take six to 10 procedures to get the ink-free outcome you want. Dermabrasion is another option, in which the top layer of skin is literally sanded away. Or you can even have the tattooed skin cut away and surrounding skin stitched together. Be aware that there are no FDA-approved creams for tattoo removal, FDA dermatologist Dr. Markham Luke said.” For  more information about tattoos go to the Health Topics page of NLM’s MedlinePlus.gov .  
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