Much like lemon juice, hydrogen peroxide is a bleaching agent. It is designed to work as a disinfectant but is moderately effective at fading superficial layers of ink.
Your best bet is to begin daily applications of a mild skin-lightening agent like hydrogen peroxide or lemon juice. If you're looking for a faster, more direct approach, you could also try exfoliating the tattoo thoroughly 2-3 times a day with a homemade salt scrub or similar abrasive mixture.
How to lighten a tattoo effectively? Laser removal is by far the best way to fade a tattoo. This is the quickest, safest, and most efficient removal process, says Cooper Ferreira, a Removery technician and experienced RN. “This is a process that utilizes your immune system to remove ink in a safe way,” he emphasizes.
Laser removal is the most effective way to remove a tattoo, but there are also other methods that can help, including surgical removal, dermabrasion, and chemical peels.
While laser is definitely the best method of removing tattoo ink, certain pigments used in cosmetic tattoos don't respond well to laser treatment. The ingredients in these pigments can be very different from those used in conventional ink, and laser treatment could change the color of some rather than lightening them.
Hydrogen peroxide
It is designed to work as a disinfectant but is moderately effective at fading superficial layers of ink. On its own, hydrogen peroxide is not potent enough to penetrate the second layer of skin. As a result, fresh tattoos or deeply embedded tattoos won't be phased by it.
Lastly, the American Academy of Dermatology states that petroleum-based products can cause the ink to fade. After all the pain and hard work you had to endure to get that beautiful new piece, surely you're not too keen on it just fading from something as simple as petroleum jelly, would you?
Laser Removal
Laser tattoo removal machines target ink molecules in the dermis. The powerful beams blast ink into tiny particles your body can naturally flush out as waste. This tattoo removal procedure is the most effective and has the fewest complications. As a result, 95% of tattoos qualify for laser removal.
Essential oils can potentially fade tattoos due to their natural bleaching properties. Lemon, lavender, frankincense, helichrysum, and tea tree essential oils are the best options for fading tattoos.
Natural ingredients such as lemon juice, glycolic acid, and hydrogen peroxide are known for their mild bleaching properties, which can be employed to fade tattoo ink gradually.
However, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved any type of home tattoo removal, because they are ineffective and risky. However, tattoo removal has been quickly growing more popular, the FDA says.
Hydrogen Peroxide and Exfoliation - Exfoliation paired with hydrogen peroxide can do wonders to gradually fade tattoo ink naturally. This is because exfoliation removes dead skin while hydrogen peroxide is a skin lightening agent that has bleaching properties.
There are rumors that Aquaphor makes tattoos fade, but from our experiences and many others, this just isn't true. If a tattoo is done correctly and the ink is where it needs to be, ointment should only help your tattoo heal correctly.
People often try to remove their old tattoos with products like lemon juice, vinegar, rubbing alcohol, or hydrogen peroxide. These household products are not very effective and can cause scarring because tattoo ink is in the dermis, below the top layer of our skin.
Sun damage
You can't avoid the sun forever and you probably want to show off your artwork, but you can protect your skin and tattoo by using an SPF with a high UVA and keeping it covered in intense, direct sunlight. Anything that affects or damages your skin will make your tattoo fade quicker.
Dab a cotton ball or pad with rubbing alcohol and gently press it against the stain for a few seconds. The alcohol will start to break down the ink, making it easier to wipe away with a clean, damp cloth. Repeat until the stain is gone.
Saline Fading & Removal
Because the solution is hypertonic, it pulls the pigment to the skin's surface. As the body forms a scab post procedure, it expels the ink during the healing process. Just like laser treatments, fading and removal will be accomplished over several treatments.
Common techniques used for tattoo removal include laser surgery, surgical removal and dermabrasion. Tattoo ink is placed beneath the top layer of the skin. That makes tattoo removal more complicated — and expensive — than the original tattoo application.