Although laser removal is the most common form, you have other options…
Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) is similar to laser removal. Rather than the beam being focused, however, the light is spread out. It is more expensive, may give you the same results as light therapy, and is generally more expensive. You can expect to have to get around 5 treatments, with each treatment costing around $200. Exactly how much you’d pay depends on the same factors as tattoo removal: size, color, skin color, depth, and ink type.
If you want to get rid of your tattoo because it looks bad, you can always get another (more tasteful one) on top of it. It will be in the same shape as your old one. Not only will you skip all the expensive cost of a laser or IPL removal, you’ll get a nice looking tattoo in the process!
Some tattoo parlors, rather tattooing ink into your skin, offer to inject a saline solution into your tattoo so that it fades a little. However, the saline doesn’t do that much. Usually the saline is not a tattoo removal technique, but something that is done before a cover-up tattoo is applied. If you want to get a cover-up make sure to look at the artist’s portfolio so that you know what to expect. When getting a cover up, keep in mind that the artist can’t apply, for example, light green ink, on dark pigment. Regardless, because a lot of tattoo artists have become skilled in cover-ups, you are likely to get a design with which you are happy with.
Although laser technology and IPL have made dermabrasion, excision, and salabrasion nearly obsolete, they can be used in some cases for tattoo removal.
These days, dermabrasion is used to treat conditions such as excessive acne, skin pigmentation abnormalities, and scar removal. This technique essentially sandpapers your skin so as to get rid of the abnormalities. Over time, your skin will grow back without your previous imperfections. Although this technique may sound simple, don’t think that you go to Home Depot, buy sandpaper, and brush away your tattoo.
Salabrasion is similar to a dermabrasion except that salt and water is used to sand off the tattooed skin.
If you choose to get an excision, your tattooed skin will be removed and then sewed back up. If the tattoo is small, you’ll just get stitches. If, however, the tattoo is large, the replacement skin will come from a donor area somewhere on your body. You will get rid of your tattoo once and for all. However, that ugly tattoo will be replaced by a scar, which is easier for many people to walk around with than an unwanted tat. You can expect to pay around $500-$1,000 to get your tattooed skin peeled off. For people who have small tattoos, excision is definitely an option worth looking at. Seeing that a tattoo removal cream, with no guarantees, can cost $200 for a 6 month supply, an excision for around $500 isn’t all that bad.