Laser Tattoo Removal Costs

Laser Tattoo Removal Cost

When it comes to finding a cheap way to remove that unwanted tattoo, your options are going to cost you more than the artwork, that you now want to erase did. Laser Tattoo Removal is not cheap nor is it that easy to have a tattoo removed, and even with the best laser surgery there is a chance possibility of some scarring.

But the other medical options that are available to remove tattoos are just as pricey and potentially far more painful. Also bear in mind that if you choose to remove your tattoo through laser surgery, you will of course pay far less if you have a small tattoo with minimal coloring as opposed to a whole sleeve with multiple hues.

In the past, the majority of tattoo removal involved burning with acids or cutting away a layer of skin. Methods were painful, at times risky and inevitably resulted in scarring. People often preferred covering up unwanted tattoos to burning or cutting them away. This all changed with the advent of laser technology. With the use of medical lasers, tattoos can be removed relatively painlessly and with very minimal damage to the skin.

With laser tattoo removal, the laser beam passes harmlessly through the top layer of skin. Underneath the skin the beam is absorbed by the tattoo ink. This breaks up the ink layer, allowing the body's own cells to remove the ink fragments by their own natural processes.

Laser Tattoo Removal Treatment

Approximately 10 percent of the people in the U.S. have had a tattoo and up to 50 percent of the population eventually elects to have laser tattoo removal. Now being the easiest and the most common method of tattoo removal, this laser tattoo removal procedure can cost you as much as $10,000, depending on the number of visits it takes to remove the art, how big it is and how many colors it has. Chances are, your tattoo will not be fully removed in one sitting and each session can cost you between $200 and $500. Considering the pain that you will endure during this procedure, you also have the option for a local anesthetic that can cost you an extra $50 per shot.

The laser tattoo removal treatment may need to be repeated at intervals of six to eight weeks until all of the ink is gone. The price will usually be per session rather than for the whole process. This means that the cost of laser tattoo removal depends somewhat on the size and color of the tattoo. A small piece might only take two sessions, whereas larger tattoos can take as many as 20 sessions to remove. Some inks, in particular light-colored inks, are especially difficult to erase, requiring more sessions.

Consider that since this is a tattoo removal procedure that is affecting the skin, there is a risk for infection. Be aware that while laser removal is more effective than any other option, there is still a chance some pigment will not be removed. As new ink and processes are developed for tattooing, it is becoming more difficult to remove the permanent ink.

Laser tattoo removal does not leave the scars that the other types of removal do. However, be aware of the risks of this process before you decide that is what you want to do. Some of these include scarring (though rare and smaller, it does happen) and short term redness and scabbing.

There is also a chance of developing hypopigmentation, where the skin around the tattoo removal site is darker than the site, or hyperpigmentation, where the treated skin is darker than the surrounding skin. These risks may be worth it for you to have removed something that causes you discomfort, embarrassment, or inability to move ahead in your career. Whatever you decide, remember that any laser tattoo removal is an invasive procedure and will cost. So its best to be informed about all benefits, risks and laser tattoo removal costs before committing to any decision.