otherJune 28, 2015
Change your mind about your ink? There are options for tattoo removal, lightening and coverup
It's not unusual for people to change their minds after making a major decision, but cleaning up the aftermath is easier in some instances than in others. For those who have changed their minds about a tattoo they've had applied, it's not something that can be undone overnight...
It's not unusual for people to change their minds after making a major decision, but cleaning up the aftermath is easier in some instances than in others.
For those who have changed their minds about a tattoo they've had applied, it's not something that can be undone overnight.
"It's a lot harder to get rid of them than to get them," says Dr. Christopher Jung, an ear, nose and throat specialist at Southeast Missouri Sinus and Laser Center in Cape Girardeau. He's been removing tattoos for 20 years, and he uses the most cutting-edge technology to do it.
When a laser is used to remove a tattoo, the pulse of energy disperses the ink, and histiocytes -- cells that act as the body's garbage collectors -- carry the dissipated color pigment out of the body, Jung explains.
The new laser Jung uses, a PICO, uses shorter laser bursts and breaks up the ink into smaller particles. The PICO uses bursts in trillionths of seconds, and Jung likens the difference between the old and new machine to the difference between breaking the ink into pebble-size pieces and into sand-size pieces.
"It's as a result of the higher energy rate," he says.
There is only one other PICO machine in use in Missouri, Jung says.
Removing a tattoo takes several months.
"Generally, it's about six treatments, two to four weeks apart," he says.
People change their minds about having a tattoo for various reasons.
"What is cool when you're 18, is not necessarily cool in your 30s," Jung quips.
Others opt to have the body art removed for more specific reasons.
"To go into the armed services, you cannot have a visible tattoo," he says. "Most people don't want to wear a long-sleeved shirt 365 days a year."
Some corporations and hospitals also frown on employees having tattoos that others can see.
"Some people have experienced a religious conversion," he says. "And they may be embarrassed for someone at church to see the tattoos."
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When a person comes in for tattoo removal, the entire tattoo is treated during each session.
There are cases when a patient wants to keep the tattoo, but have a person's name removed from it, and Jung says that's not a problem.
Renee Gordon, owner of Flesh Hound Tattoo in Cape Girardeau, says her shop doesn't do removals, and she tries to discourage people from including a name on a tattoo.
"In our industry, when people come in initially to have names put on them, we really do our best to try to get people to make good decisions and avoid making that mistake," she says.
Jung agrees that making the right decision initially can save people a lot of time and trouble.
"Ask yourself if this is something you're going to be equally proud of 20 years from now as you are now," he says. "I recommend something tastefully done in a private area."
Flesh Hound does perform tattoo lightening and tattoo covering. Many of Gordon's customers choose that method to deal with the situation.
"We do a custom drawing and then we design something that will effectively cover it and not be a telltale cover-up," she says.
Tattoo lightening, which is injection of a concentrated white ink into the original tattoo, is used before the new art is applied, she says.
For those who decide on a complete removal, a topical anesthetic containing lidocaine is applied and the skin is covered with plastic wrap before the procedure begins. The cream is a proprietary formula developed for Jung's office.
After about 20 or 30 minutes, the laser treatment begins.
"The treatment for removing a small tattoo is fairly quick, about five or 10 minutes," he says.
The larger the tattoo, the longer removing it takes, and the higher the price is.
Smaller tattoos cost $75 per treatment, but for large ones that cover an entire arm or both shoulders, the price is between $800 and $1,500 per treatment.
The procedure is not covered by insurance because it is an elective, cosmetic treatment, but it's the end result that counts.
"The point is not to end up with a scar," Jung says.
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