Overall, home remedies for tattoo removal are ineffective. While options like salabrasion, lemon juice, and hydrogen peroxide are cheap, the risky side effects and poor results should deter anyone from attempting a natural tattoo removal. Remember, tattoos are designed to be permanent displays of self-expression.
You can use tattoo removal creams at home by rubbing the cream onto your skin where you have an unwanted tattoo. Most tattoo removal creams contain acids that can irritate or damage your skin. Tattoo removal creams work slowly, so it could take several months of regular use before you see results.
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.
Out of the three prescribed procedures, surgical removal is the cheapest at $150 to $350. Next is the laser tattoo removal at a national average of $463, according to the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. Dermabrasion is a bit expensive – it can cost up to several thousands of dollars.
There is no at-home method to remove tattoos. Tattoos are permanent and can only be removed in a professional setting with laser.
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.
When considering chemical tattoo removal solutions, several brands utilize acids and alkaline compounds to break down tattoo pigments. Notable examples include: PhiRemoval : Employs glycolic acid, an alpha-hydroxy acid (AHA), to target tattoo ink. Tatt2Away : Utilizes lactic acid in its removal process.
At-home and DIY tattoo removal methods like hydrogen peroxide should be left to urban myth and tall tales, and never attempted. They are ineffective and worse, could lead to skin damage.
One of the most common home tattoo removal methods we see talked about is salabrasion or rubbing the skin away with salt. It's an old method, and it does technically work, provided you rub enough skin off to reach the layer where the ink is held. You could also achieve the same effect with coarse sand or sandpaper.
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.
Laser tattoo removal sessions are the safest, most efficient, and quickest option for complete removal of your unwanted tattoos.
A special type of laser — called a Q-switched Nd:YAG — might be used on darker skin to avoid changing the skin's pigment permanently. Before laser treatment, the skin is numbed with an injection of a local anesthetic. Then a powerful pulse of energy is applied to the tattoo to heat and shatter the tattoo ink.
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.
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.
The answer, in short, is NO! While you may see stories online about tattoo removal with a mixture of salt and water, this practice not only does not remove the tattoo, but also increases your risk of skin damage, infection and permanent scarring.
Laser tattoo removal is the most effective technique for removing tattoo ink compared to other methods, because it can safely remove all tattoo types and color pigments with little to no scarring.
Other Tattoo Removal / Fading Options:
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.
Peeling usually occurs a few days after getting the tattoo, as the skin begins to heal and regenerate itself . The regeneration process involves the skin removing dead and damaged cells. As the skin exfoliates itself, a layer of dead skin cells and ink pigment peels off, allowing new cells to grow.
There is no way to remove a tattoo at home. Tattoo ink is inserted deep into the second layer of skin called the dermis. In order to remove a tattoo, the ink molecules need to be broken apart into tiny, digestible particles.
The most effective way to remove a tattoo is through laser treatments. Lasers directly target the pigment in tattoo ink with minimal damage to the surrounding skin. Several types of providers or businesses offer laser treatments, including: Dermatologists.
A doctor cuts your tattoo from your skin, so surgical excision is a quick and immediate solution if you are in a hurry to get rid of unwanted ink.