Prior to its use in removing tattoos, TCA (Trichloracetic acid) peels had been commonly used to remove fine lines, wrinkles and acne scars. Prior to that, over 50 years ago, it had been used in varying strengths to remove calluses, corns, stretch marks and age spots.

All TCA chemical ingredients have been thoroughly tested and proven effective for tattoo removal or for tattoo fading purposes quite often to prepare the area for a cover-up. In one study published in the British Journal of Plastic Surgery in March 1988 Six hundred and seventy patients with tattoos were treated with TCA during the 6-year period between 1979 and 1984 with an 85% success rate. It was proven to be a simple and inexpensive tattoo removal technique.

TCA is a cosmetic liquid acid, rather than a cream, that acts to gradually fade and remove tattoo inks in the skin and contains no hydroquinone – a controversial skin bleaching agent that is commonly found in many tattoo removal creams. TCA acid is also commonly used by many skin care practitioners including dermatologists, doctors and in health spas. Over the counter sales of hydroquinone is banned in Australia, in 21 European Countries and some Asian countries because of cancer fears and other skin conditions. It is available in some other countries but only in low concentrations such as 2% – 5%. Hydroquinone is very often used to treat conditions such as hyper-pigmentation (or a darkening of the skin), uneven skin tone or dark circles under the eyes.

TCA skin peels work from the epidermal skin surface (the top layers) down to the tattoo ink over time, through a series of skin peels. Chemical peels are considered less painful than laser sessions and are similar to a slight tingling sensation in most cases. A baking soda and water mixture has been known to relieve this discomfort. Many users claim it hurts less than getting the original tattoo done. The inflammation causes a controlled burn resulting in the ink rising to the surface and slowly fading away with repeated use.

Pre-fading a tattoo with a TCA peel at-home kit before having laser treatment can save you money. This is because a faded tattoo will need fewer laser sessions to remove and will result in less painful laser sessions since the prefaded inks will require less heat from the laser to destroy or break down the inks. A tattoo faded with TCA acid will quite often recover faster after a laser session since a tattoo that has been pre-faded is simpler to remove. Less remaining ink in the skin equals less time under the laser not to mention less pain. Fewer laser sessions keeps more money in your pocket. You should keep in mind that just like other tattoo removal methods TCA acids will take time. After the TCA is applied, users should usually allow between 3 and 6 weeks to pass before beginning the next application.

Another advantage of these peel systems are that they are not color-dependent, which is not true for most laser systems. These acids will work equally well on all ink colors.

Lasers usually have an easier time with the darker colors such as black and dark blue or dark red but have a more difficult time removing lighter red, light blue, turquoise, light green, white, greens and certain yellow tones. These colors can require more laser sessions unless the ink is prefaded.



By: David G M Mitchell

About the Author:

Ten to twenty years ago only sailors, fisherman, bikers and soldiers walked around with a tattoo. Having a tattoo was a taboo in those times and gotten by the lower ranks of civilization. Nowadays everybody knows someone with a tattoo or got one him/herself. With the expanding growth of the tattoo business there are a lot of people who regret their tattoo in a later phase of their life. What you thought to be cool in college may be give you difficulties in today’s life. More and more people need and want a tattoo removal. In this article we are will inform you what kind of tattoo removal options are available and what a tattoo removal cost.

Laser Tattoo Removal
There are two ways to remove your tattoos. The first one is by laser. This technique is very effective and probably guarantees the best results of the two. In this process the laser will break up your tattoo in small ink particles that in time will be absorbed by your skin. Unfortunately your tattoo is not gone after one treatment so depending on your tattoo size you need multiple treatments.

Cost
The cost for tattoo laser removal is the most expensive of the two. You will be paying $200 to $500 per session. An average tattoo removal is three to nine session, so it will cost you $600 to $4500 on average. If you have a lot of color in your tattoo or your tattoo covers your whole body it can take longer and cost you a lot more.

Pain?
One downside of this procedure is that it is quite painful. People have compared the pain to be worse than getting the tattoo. After the laser treatment there is no guarantee your skin is before the tattoo.

Tattoo Removal Cream
This method is less effective as the laser but has given some good results for the smaller tattoos. It breaks down the tattooed skin cells, after that your body renews them with new, untattooed ones. This process can take you up to four months applying cream every other day.

Cost
For a month supply you are paying around $60, so you can try several brands risk free.

Pain?
The pain is discomforting but nothing in comparison with the laser treatment.

Now that you know what kind of removal methods there are and you are familiar with the cost. You can see it cost a lot of time and physical pain before your tattoo is gone or faded away.



By: Frank Catamon

About the Author:

For many years, people who added tattoos to their body had little recourse, much less a natural removal methodEXPLAINED: 15 TATTOO REMOVAL METHODS (Surgical and Non-surgical)

SURGICAL Removal Methods

* Laser Removal
* cryosurgery removal
* dermabrasion removal
* Salabrasion removal
* Excision removal
* Plastic Surgery removal
* Tissue Expansion removal
* I.P.L.T. (Intense Pulsed Light Tattoo removal)

Non-SURGICAL DIY or Home Removal

* TCA removal
* Glycolic Acid removal
* Hydroquinone Removal
* I.R.C. (Infrared Coagulation Tattoo removal)
* Chemical Extraction Removal
* Tattoo Fading Creams Removal
* Tattoo Cover-Ups

What Everyone Thinks They Know…

*Laser*

Laser removal works by producing intense laser pulses that pass harmlessly through the dermis (top layers of the skin) to be absorbed by the targeted tattoo ink. This laser energy causes the tattoo ink to break up into smaller particles that are then absorbed by the body. Medical researchers have determined which wavelengths of light are best for which colors and how to deliver the laser’s output to most effectively remove tattoo ink.

Expect to pay $100 to $200 (USD) per laser session. You could endure some (possibly heavy) pain, and the smell of your own burning skin. A large tattoo, such as a half-sleeve or full-back, may take up to 2 years to remove, going every 5-8 weeks.

Some clinics may offer very low-rates to no-charge for removing gang-associated tattoos.

*Tattoo Removal Creams – Topical Skin Creams*

There is an option of using a topical gel or cream to remove a tattoo. Many people try this method because it is the least expensive and they think the safest and least painful option to remove a tattoo.

However, it should be noted that some topical tattoo removers do use ingredients such as Trichloroacetic Acid (TCA) which is a very strong skin peeling chemical. Risks associated with 12% – 25% TCA may be less than those encountered by laser removal. There is a small risk of scarring using these concentrations as long as instructions are followed meticulously!

*Hydroquinone*

Hydroquinone may also be effective in removing a tattoo. A common procedure is to use an apricot scrub as a skin defoliant and then rub hydroquinone (2%) over the tattoo. Cover the area with plastic wrap and then wrap in an Ace bandage. Black ink tattoos react to this procedure better than some colors such as red.

Hydroquinone is available, by prescription in strengths up to 7%. Generally, but not all, dermatologists are reticent to prescribe this strength for tattoo removal – preferring the (more expensive) laser removal.

Hydroquinone is used as a topical application for skin lightening to reduce the color of skin as it has a lower predisposition to cause dermatitis. There is inadequate evidence in humans for the carcinogenicity of hydroquinone.



By: Peter Redunet

About the Author:

The tattoo that seemed a good idea then is an idea gone bad now. Aging can be unkind to tattoos. The message of the tattoo may not be welcome at work or in a new relationship. You want the ink to fade away. Tattoo Removal is a very big business. Laser Treatment centers have opened throughout the world and home based tattoo removal products are sold online in record numbers.

If you want to do it discreetly, an at-home removal cream or gel can gently remove bad ink. Dermatologists routinely use lasers to remove tattoos, but you need money and a tolerance for pain. Dermabrasion is also an option.

Laser tattoo removal by a doctor means cash, pain and patience. It can cost $200-$500 per session, and require as many as 20 sessions, according to InfoPlasticSurgery.com. Here’s how the laser option removes unwanted tattoos: since tattoo ink goes deep into the skin layers the laser must shoot light into the buried ink-stained cells, dissolving them to the point that the body flushes them away and builds new, clean skin. It cannot dissolve any buried emotions.

Dermabrasion also hurts. A doctor or technician scrapes away the tattoo and any reminder of your former tattoo. You will likely want a local anesthetic, which adds $50 bucks or more to the cost of each session. Dermabrasion can be a metaphor for rubbing that unwanted tattoo out of your life.

A tattoo removal cream or gel employs similar biology to laser treatment, but instead of breaking down the ink deep within the skin, it raises tat ink to the surface, allowing the body to get rid of the inky cells and naturally replace them. Light dermabrasion speeds up skin regeneration and removes inky skin. When you perform do-it-yourself dermabrasion, be careful not to scrub too hard, which can cause redness or perhaps infection.

Something to consider: all three methods take time. It heals all wounds, and with proper treatment fades unwanted tats.



By: John Sate

About the Author: