Tattoo Removal Options

An unwanted tattoo is a choice you are revisiting, and you can make it calmly once you know what the options are. The safest time to ask hard questions is before you book.

How removal is usually done

According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, lasers are the most common method of tattoo removal performed today. The society's own tattoo removal page is the place to read what it says about the procedure. A dermatology academy article on laser removal compared with other methods takes the same question from a skin specialist's side.

Questions to take to a provider

Bring this short list to a consultation and note whether the answers are specific.

• Which removal method do you propose for my tattoo, and why that one?
• How many sessions do you expect, and what will the whole plan cost?
• Who will perform the treatment, and what training do they have?
• What happens if the tattoo has not faded as you described?

An unclear answer to any of them is a reason to pause before you pay.

Background reading before you decide

A dermatologic surgeons' guide to tattoo removal and a general encyclopedia entry on tattoo removal are two more places to read before the consultation, so the provider's explanation has something to be checked against.

If it is not a tattoo

If your concern is a dark spot instead of a tattoo, the guides on fading age spots and on microdermabrasion cover that ground. For anything involving injections, the dermal fillers guide has a page on getting ready for the visit.