Some of the side effects include bleeding, swelling, blistering, and potential long term scars. Even with all that there is not way to know if the tattoo will be 100% removed. This has to do with your body’s chemistry and the way the tattoo inks were mixed. Some colors are a real challenge. Green inks are one example of such a challenge.

I have heard from some that laser tattoo removal is many times more painful than getting a tattoo in the first place. In addition it took several session to get the job done. Future post will get beneath the covers with more detatil on laser tattoo removal. Stay tuned.

I have so much information on tattoo inks that it would take several posts to include it all. First and foremost I will say that from a chemistry perspective tattoo inks are not inks at all, they are pigments in a carrier solution. Huh?Simply put it is kind of like adding water to finger paints. However in this case the pigments are typically metal, plastic, or vegetable based while the carrier portions is more than likely some alcohol solution.

There are two considerations the first is the potential toxic nature of the ‘inks’ and the other is the fact that there is no regulation of ink composition. While your tattoo artist is a dynamic artist, he/she is probably no a chemist. You should be concerned here because many tattoo artists mix their own inks. Is this occurring in a sterile environment? Highly unlikely.

It would seem that many more people would come down with illnesses related to tattoos but it just does not seem to be the big of a deal. Well consider this, the human body is resilient on many levels and does a pretty good job of keeping us healthy. Still the issue here is the prolonged exposure to the impure or toxic components of tattoo inks. So what happens in year 5, 10, or 20? As for the recent wave of tattoo enthusiasts it may be too soon to tell. Some have found out the hard way that they are in fact allergic to materials in the inks. What do you do when you are allergic to something that is under the skin. Even the process of removal has the potential to make you even sicker as the inks are now passed through the lymph node system and expelled…

There will be a much more in depth post on tattoo inks forthcoming but I would encourage you to talk to your tattoo artists about the inks they use and where they come from. Ask them about the environment where they are stored and if there is a standard for sterilization.

Perhaps this is another reason tattoo removal is on the rise like never before.

If you think about it this is a pretty big leap in the body art industry. We all know that tattoos are intended to be permanent. We also know of the millions who wish they could change or remove their tattoos. Infinitink represents tattoo inks with a properties that allow the type of flexiblility that makes is less risky to get a tattoo.

Additionally the report says that the company is basing its inks more on materials that are far less toxic and mush safer than traditional tattoo inks. As we have documented in the past, there are no regulations on tattoo inks and some tattoo artists are even making their own ink mixtures. When you consider how deeply tattoo ink is placed under the skin then you know that what Freedom2 is working on with Infinitink is a great idea.

The challenge will of course be getting these inks into the mainstream as quickly as possible. Perhaps Freedom2 will consider allowing consumers to purchase their own inks for their tattoos. I know I wold definitely consider it. Even if the inks were a bit more expensive it would be worth it if you take into consideration the high cost of some tattoo removal methods.

Freedom2 and Infinitink may even boost the credibility and use of products like Wrecking Balm which is one of the few tattoo removal creams on the market whose formulas are keeping stride with the rapidly changing variety of tattoo inks out there.

We will have to keep our ears to the tracks to see how soon Freedom2 and their Infinitink line will be available to the public. There are about 20 shops around the country who use the product. Check out www.infinitink.com under the consumer link for more info.

People have many reasons for getting a tattoo. Perhaps it is to memorialize a loved one or to express emotions for a current love. Some get tattoos as a way make a personal statement about themselves. No matter they are everywhere.

Perhaps you have tattoo or are considering getting one.  What I find interesting is that people seem to give little thought to the potential risks of tattoos. Risks? Well of course. The modern method of applying tattoos was based on a machine called the autographic printer, or an engraving machine.. The inventor was none other than Thomas Edison in 1876. I remember people having crude adaptations of these devices when I was kid.  The machine was later adapted to apply inks under the skin. The ink reservoirs came later.

Most people are probably not aware that the large majority of tattoo inks are based on metals. For instance red and black come from iron oxides. Yellow comes from cadmium. Green comes from chromium and so on.

I do not know if I am ready to make a pronouncement that tattoos are unsafe but it is a well known fact that the Food and Drug Administration(FDA) has begun to take close look at tattoo inks given the rising popularity of this obsessive ritual.

The mere fact that the many of the inks are based on metals is a cause for alarm since high metal content in the human body has been linked to many diseases. Additionally, there are other inks that are based on plastics that are reported to change the texture of the skin in a way that cannot be reversed even if the tattoo is removed.  The most disconcerting tidbit I stumbled upon was the knowledge that many tattoo artist mix their own inks. There is no oversight no way to know if someone is qualified to do such a thing.

The skin is the largest organ on the human body. Many people seem to forget that. Essentially whatever is applied to the skin is absorbed through the body.  This is true of soaps, lotions, perfumes, colognes, and of course tattoo inks. We know this is the case because tattoos will fade a bit over time, but not because the ink is washing off, it is being absorbed by the body internally.  So the question is, if a person were to ingest the same ink that makes up their tattoo, what would happen? My guess is that they would become very ill, very quickly.   So perhaps the effect is the same just a bit slower as the skin drinks in the inks.

I guess the more I think about it the more I am alarmed at the number of people who get tattoos and more importantly the people who have them covering nearly their entire body.

Finally there are two other considerations. The person who gets a really bad tattoo and the person who gets a tattoo and decides they no longer want it. Then what?

The business of removing tattoos seems to be growing in stride with the business of getting tattoo as people increasing are feeling remorse over their decision to permanently get inked.

But tattoo removal is no walk in the park. The methods most commonly sought are dermabrasion, laser removal, and do-it-our-self creams.

Dermabrasion  essentially is a process where the skin is filed down similar to sanding a piece of wood. This is expensive and can leave permanent scars. Not to mention, sanding down certain areas of the body has got to be painful.

Laser treatments can fade tattoos but several visits may be required and the costs can skyrocket very quickly. There is also the risk of hypopigmentation which is where the skin become lighter as a result of the laser exposure.  Laser can also cause some tattoo inks to change in color rather than fade in a desirable way.

There are several creams on the market that claim to fade tattoos. Some work better than others. The challenge for any of these methods is keeping up with the rapidly changing inks used in tattoo parlors.

Wrecking Balm makes that claim and also uses a device that is FDA approved for application.

For many the cost of tattoo removal is many times more expensive than the original tattoo application. While I personally do not have any tattoos I know many who do and a few who wish they didn’t. Given the cost I would say try the creams first. It is cheaper and if it works you can avoid some pain and potential scarring. If all else fails and you just want the tattoo gone then I guess laser tattoo removal or dermabrasion are the next options.