As more and more people get tattoos, more and more people also are having them removed.
“Lifestyles change,” Erie dermatologist David R. Benjamin, MD, says. “Almost half of all people who get a tattoo later wish they hadn’t.”
Laser surgery—which uses pulses of laser light to break up pigment in the tattoo—is the most effective means of removal, but may take several sessions. One treatment typically costs $300 to $400.
“It’s difficult to see an absolutely perfect removal, as there is typically some remnant and some risk of scarring, ” says Benjamin.
According to the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery, laser removal has increased 27 percent from 2001 to 2003.
Dermabrasion and excision—in which the tattoo is either sanded away or surgically removed, respectively—also are available, but may leave a scar.