Skin Care | Plastic Surgery | Hair Removal

Most people agree with the statement that we grow wiser as we age. This is consistent with the finding that many of us become repulsed by our tattoos as we age, especially since they can make it difficult to maintain a professional appearance at social functions and in the workplace. When the average person begins to contemplate tattoo removal procedures, they quickly become overwhelmed at the vast array of options available to them. However, a person can apply only so much tattoo undercover concealer every day before reaching the breaking point.

Starting at the lower end of the cost spectrum, there’s the over-the-counter removal creams that contain exfoliating or bleaching agents used to fade the appearance of the tattoo. These tend to cost a maximum of $200 and often require continual use for at least several months before yielding any sort of results. On the other end of the pricing spectrum you have laser treatments, which can easily exceed $1,000 per in cost per session. Laser treatments work by disintegrating the pigment within a tattoo and allowing the body to dispose of the pigment through natural processes. The downside to these treatments is not only that they may require ongoing followup appointments, but also that they carry the risk of causing scarring. The middle ground between these two approaches is the TCA exfoliating peel, which costs several hundred dollars on average. This is the most cost-effective approach to take if you’ve reached your wits end with makeup tattoo cover.

TCA refers to trichloroacetic acid, an exfoliating agent that that helps the top layer of the skin to turnover to expose the fresh and healthy skin that is underneath. It can be safely used to remove tattoos not only on the arms and legs, but also on the face. There may be some complications if you have acne as the TCA treatment is bound to irritate your skin.

After thoroughly cleaning your skin, the technician performing the procedure will apply the acid to your skin. There are several concentrations of TCA available, each causing varying amounts of skin exfoliation. After the acid is allowed to sit for ten up to sixty minutes, it is cleansed from the skin. What is to follow could be considered unpleasant. In the days after your tattoo removal treatment, you can expect inflamed, reddened skin. Your dermatologist will caution you to stay out of the sunlight as your skin will be particularly susceptible to sun burns. Recovery time will vary, but a modest estimate is anywhere from two weeks to a month. Only then can you make an accurate appreciation as to how well the treatment worked for you. If the tattoo didn’t fade as much as you hoped it would, you may be eligible for additional treatments.