An Extreme Case

Removing facial tattoos is a delicate and sometimes painful process.  Pain management is of utmost importance to us here at TRS, and, in general, it doesn't hurt (ha) to have clients that are as dedicated to the process as Bryon Widner and his wife Julie - former white supremacists.

Read more here.

(via Today Health)

One of the Perks

"While working toward that plan, Zimmerman is having an adventure getting to know her customers. (One of her most memorable clients: the guy who came in to have the word "slumlord" removed from his knuckles.) As she says, "Every tattoo has a story behind it." 
-via CNN.Money

Tattoo Concealer Makeup

Concealing a tattoo is a fairly easy but extended process so about halfway through, when the tattoo gets to what we here at TRS like to call "the bruise phase" (where it could pass for one) some people like to use a little makeup for special occasions like weddings or holidays. A "bruise phase" tattoo might look like this:

©TRS

There are many different kinds of concealer that clients here usually use, and some are even geared specifically towards covering up tattoos like Kat Von D's line at Sephora which features a "highly pigmented, transfer- and water-resistant, multitasking concealer" as its centerpiece.  The collection also includes a light-pink pencil aimed at counteracting the dark blues and blacks of some people's tattoos.

Photo via Sephora.com

Another form of cover-up for tattoos with an added bonus of powerful sun protection (which is important in avoiding scarring from the laser treatments) is the Colorscience line, a powdery, mineral-based product.  It brushes on (yup, the tap-tap-swirl method) and, according to some reviews, stays put well with the right amount of natural looking coverage.  It seems as if a liquid concealer might provide more coverage, but that's just conjecture on my part.

Photo of Colorscience Sunforgettable Mineral Powder in Fair-All Clear via Dermstore.com

Lastly, there's a product full of coverage power called For Ever Full Cover Extreme Camoflauge Cream by Make Up For Ever.  A client has used this before for a tattoo on her chest during her wedding (she had chosen a strapless, sweetheart style neckline) and she reported back that this product completely concealed what otherwise would've looked like a half-gone rose tattoo.  Seems like the heaviest-duty of the three products spotlighted here but again, in-office testing will have to be a future endeavor!

Picture via Totalbeauty.com

In any case, concealing a tattoo with makeup should be a small step in the removal process about halfway through (at treatment 5-7 depending on the color, intensity, and age of the initial tattoo) and give a sense of how the full removal will look in the future.  Questions?  Have your own experiences with covering up a tattoo with makeup?  Have at it in the comments!

Unemployment and Tattoo Removal

The correlation between tattoo removal and the unemployment rate is a direct one, at least very unofficially from behind the desk here at TRS.  It seems that as the unemployment rate goes up, so does the "rate" of people wanting to get their tattoos removed (or maybe just the desire/necessity.)  It makes sense-if two candidates are applying for one job and have, theoretically, the exact same experience and skill-set, the one with a fire breathing dragon on his neck is probably going to be the one to get the boot.  In fact, a non-profit tattoo removal center in the Bay Area has taken it upon themselves to provide for ex-gang members that want to disassociate from that part of their pasts and look for employment.  Or, as this article from the Times Colonist shows, visible tattoos can have effect on your upward mobility at the job.  Sermonizing aside (and I promise, I still like well-done, well thought out ink) tattoos and their removal can definitely have an effect on your personal prospects in the job market and, I suppose, vice versa.

Photo Credit: New Skin Adult Tattoo Removal

"Tattoos" That Can Measure Vitals

Removing this "tattoo" would be a little different from what we do here, but an amazing technological breakthrough nonetheless.  Follow this link from the Daily Mail UK to learn more about a new medical device that can accurately monitor vitals like temperature and heart rate, and is the size and shape (about a hair's breadth wide!) of a child's temporary tattoo.

Photo Credit: Associated Press, DailyMail.Co.UK

*Top Five Most Popular Tattoos to Get Removed...

5. Loony Tunes characters

4. Party dots on hands

3. Tribals around the bicep

2. Another person's name

1. Chinese characters (hanzi) or Japanese (kanji)

(*All photos are from actual clients before being treated here at TRS.)

Changing Perspectives on Tattoo Placement

One of the funny things I run across here at TRS is men (and women) that have gotten a certain type of tattoo on a certain part of their body. Now, when they got this tattoo several years ago, the placement of it didn’t necessarily have the connotation that it does now, in the form of a slightly crass slang word, but I’ll let KDWB’s Lucas explain a little bit more below…

Fawlty Removal Lotion

It's good to see that the ASA (Advertising Standards Authority) has gotten tough with a Scottish skincare firm that was claiming to have a lotion that caused tattoos to dissapear in as little as twelve months. According to the Daily Record, the firm was making false claims that they had tested the product in two studies when in fact, they had not. False advertising aside, most tattoo removal creams are ineffective and in some cases dangerous - the ones that use the same sort of acid that topical wart removers do can cause permanent scarring as they "work" by taking the ink out while taking off thick layers of skin along with it.

Scottish Skincare Firm Rapped [taken to task] Over Tattoo Removal Claim

It Takes How Long?!

The amount of time for a full tattoo removal can vary from a couple of months to years.  Let's take a look at some factors that contribute to that variance:

1. Professional vs. Homemade?  Most professionally done tattoos have more ink in them vs. ones done by amateurs that people get while experimenting as teens or just having anyone else other than a professional  tattoo artist ink 'em up.  The reason for this is mostly just quality of design - if you go to a professional looking for a real piece of art, they'll usually put a little more time and effort (and ink) into tattooing something that's really supposed to last vs. your friend, acquaintance, or cellmate who thinks that they just might be able to get the job done.

2. Age of Tattoo:  As a tattoo ages, tiny particles of ink are naturally circulated out by the lymphatic system.  This is what causes natural fading as the tattoo ages.  What the laser does during tattoo removal is speed up this process by breaking up the cellular walls that are within the area of the tattoo.  The particles that are circulated out because of laser treatments end up being much, much bigger than when the tattoo is naturally fading.  That said, keep in mind that if the tattoo's older, it's already on it's way in a sense!

3. You! How effectively your tattoo goes bye-bye has a lot to do with how efficient your lymphatic system is, which in turn has at least a little bit to do with how healthy you are in general.  It has definitely been our experience here at TRS that people who are more active and make it a point to drink a lot of water regularly (not to mention using squeezy stress balls and getting massages) are the people who experience the quickest, most effective removals with the least amount of side effects.  Try to look at it like an added bonus - get your ex's name off and get in shape at the same time.  Score!

Any questions?  Has this been your or someone you know's experience with laser tattoo removal?  Have at it in the comments, please!