Removal of tattoos at home

There was a time when you had sat in the artist’s chair and endured all the pain that goes into getting a tattoo inscribed. There might have been a meaning and purpose for that tattoo which you wanted to have for the rest of your life. But now that you are older…or may be grown wiser…you might want to remove it because it no longer goes with your image. If you have gone over the several options and surgery to be something horrifying, then I would like to present you with a solution. Tattoos can also be removed at home, the method being as effective as surgery and much less painful.

The first method that we would be talking about is TCA. It is more of a gradual fading process. TCA basically is a peeling agent that has been used by physicians, doctors and skin specialists since years as a remedy for warts, calluses and stretch marks. Its major function is that it forces the skin to exfoliate and in the process the top layer peels off.

TCA, besides being one of the most popular home tattoo removal techniques is also very effective. The easiest part is that you can apply TCA to the tattooed area by means of a cotton ball or a Q-tip. But you might want to know how this chemical works?! The TCA causes an inflammatory response to take place on the skin. It is this inflammation that helps the pigment used in the tattoo to move up through the layers of the skin and flake off.

Another remedial measure which you can try at home is by applying Glycolic Acid, which is more commonly known as Alpha Hydroxy Acid. But this method proves to be effective only if it carefully and correctly carried out.

Glycolic Acid like TCA is also a peeling agent. So, even this process of removal can’t be attained overnight. It takes a considerable period of time and the tattooed area slowly fades away. Glycolic Acid also causes an inflammatory reaction in the skin which enables the pigmented ink to move up through the skin layers and finally it flakes off. But the major difference between these two methods is that TCA is more effective and works faster than Glycolic Acid.

How would you choose between the two? It must be borne in mind that both of these home removal techniques involve the use of acid. You should choose one over the other depending on how your body reacts to either of the acids. You might want to opt for TCA, that being faster than Glycolic Acid. But if you have a sensitive skin, use of TCA might cause irritation. This doesn’t mean that Glycolic Acid isn’t effective. But it might not prove as effective for you as it does for somebody else. It is you who needs to decide which suits your body best.

The other form of home tattoo removal method is that of chemical tattoo removal. This is one of the oldest techniques and is also referred to as tattoo extraction and tattoo over. As the name suggests, this method involves application of certain chemicals over the tattooed area which helps to get rid of it. In chemical extraction, Glycolic Acid is injected into the skin while in the methods discussed above; TCA and Glycolic Acid are topically applied to the skin.