The iconic tattoo has made its way into society, by-passing the seedy stereotypes that held it back for so long. The truth is most people simply do not bother to worry about it one way or another. It’s just not a big deal anymore. So while tattoos are no entirely common place, an ironic twist to this situation is that tattoo removal is becoming increasingly practiced as well.
Does this strike a chord with you? Are you thinking of getting a tattoo removed? Let’s look at a often stigmatized form of tattoo removal, that of using creams and lotions. These items are sold as removal or fade kit consisting of multiple creams, applied topically to the tattoo. Over time they are to fade or completely remove your unwanted ink. How exactly do they do this without damaging your skin? More importantly, do they even work?
Pretty much every over the counter removal cream is going to work on the same basic ideas. First the user applies a cream topically to the area where the tattoo resides on the body. This cream will prepare the skin for the next cream which starts the removal magic by seeping down into the skin and breaking up the tattoo ink.
As time passes and the user applies multiple treatments, more and more of the tattoo will fade away. Some of the creams will even bond with the ink itself – the trick behind this is that the body will then see both the cream and now the ink as an outsider, something to expel, and the immune system will push it to the top of the skin in the form of a scab. Lastly, there’s a third cream that is applied whose purpose is to soothe the skin and keep it healthy.
By default, any tattoo removal cream is going to be expected to remove a tattoo. However, you might notice the word “fade” thrown in every now in then in place of the word remove. Which is it? Does this mean not all tattoos can be removed? Are some easier removed than others?
There are tattoos which are going to see better success than others when it comes to using these types of products. At the top of the list is older, badly done tattoos, which ties with amateur tattoos done using amateur or low quality inks and inking methods. This doesn’t mean that a professional or new tattoo cannot be removed with creams; it does mean though that it may take many more treatments, and financially you’d do better to just spend that money on another technique, such as laser removal.
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