Did you regret a tattoo? Since tattoos became a business, the amount of people who regret it has increased dramatically. Procedures now exist to remove them, and many are successful. Unfortunately, many home and home remedies have also sprung up, but they are neither safe nor effective. Here's everything you need to know about using salt to remove tattoos, and other helpful information on other techniques.
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Know what NOT to do
Step 1. Be very careful with the salt
Whether the tattoo is recent or old, using salt to remove it is a dangerous proposition. Here because:
- Your skin has two layers: the dermis (the deepest part) and the epidermis (the outermost layer). When you get a tattoo, the ink penetrates both layers. Rubbing salt on the skin is easy but not very useful. But you have to reach the dermis; even if you can pull off the top layer of skin, there's a good chance it won't end well.
- Scrubbing the salt will give you a pretty bad bruise. It can cause skin pigmentation, wrinkles and scarring. Know that practicing this procedure at home has many and significant consequences … and can make the tattoo look much worse.
Step 2. Where did this myth come from
While there are dermatological procedures that use salt as an abrasive, there is an obvious reason why salt is considered a good method for removing tattoos. When you get a tattoo you are told not to get it wet, especially in salt water. Since it is recommended not to soak it in salt to preserve the tattoo, is it possible that it is enough to soak it to get rid of it? This is why this belief was generated.
In fact, soaking the tattoo in salt water causes the ink to disperse, fade or discolour. But it doesn't make it disappear miraculously. Your tattoo is likely to turn ugly if you soak it in salt water when it was just drawn. If, on the other hand, you have had the tattoo for several weeks or more, wetting it with salt water has no effect
Step 3. Procedures that employ salt as an abrasive exist
A do-it-yourself salabrasion is not a good idea. As mentioned above, there is a good chance it will hurt you and make things worse. There are however some professional procedures that appear to be promising.
- According to a German study carried out on the National Institute of Health database, salabrasion gives "acceptable or good results" in tattoo removal. According to this study, there may be some wrinkles in the skin, but no scars.
- During a salabrasion, topical anesthesia is applied. A kind of airbrush fires saline solution that injures the dermis and rips the ink off. It is actually like making a tattoo in reverse. It takes 6-8 weeks to heal. Ask anyone who has already done this before going through this procedure.
Part 2 of 2: Evaluating Other Options
Step 1. Try laser removal
It is the safest and most effective way to remove unwanted tattoos. The dermatologist fires highly concentrated light pulses on the ink, which shatters it making it more opaque and less visible.
Depending on the size of the tattoo, laser surgery can cost a lot and be the most expensive treatment
Step 2. Talk to a cosmetic surgeon about dermabrasion
This is a procedure similar to salabrasion, but sand is used as an abrasive agent (by a medical professional) to remove the ink.
It is a less expensive method than laser, between 1,000 and 2,000 euros. It is quite painful and the tattoo will be more visible than a laser removal
Step 3. Consider cryosurgery and chemical peel
Cryosurgery freezes the skin and the ink is removed with liquid nitrogen. The chemical peel causes blisters on the skin resulting in flaking, and removes some tattoos. Neither method is a popular choice, as both are extremely expensive and painful. If you are desperate, they are still worth considering.
Step 4. Talk to your doctor or cosmetic surgeon about the surgery
It is a definitive choice. With a scalpel the doctor removes the skin with the tattoo and places sutures. There will be a new scar and it can be painful, even if local anesthesia is applied.
Advice
- Don't be upset if it doesn't work at first. You have to be patient.
- After each application, you should apply antiseptic ointment to prevent infections and cover the area with sterile gauze.
- Don't rub too hard, it will hurt and you may bleed.
Warnings
- Do not apply salt to open wounds.
- If you have seen the challenges of ice and salt on the internet or on Youtube, then you know that rubbing salt on your skin causes burns! You really do a lot of attention!
- This practice is dangerous and causes pain and scarring.
