Tattoo Removal Scarring
Tattoo removal scarring is much less of an issue nowadays than it once was. Prior to the introduction of laser therapy, more invasive methods were used to remove ‘permanent’ tattoos, including surgical removal and skin grafts. Sometimes surgery is still the best or only option with regard to a particularly large, inconveniently placed or problematic ink choice which cannot be effectively broken down by laser without damage to the skin.
Even with laser technologies and the utilization of light rather than the scalpel, scarring can still occur in patients particularly susceptible or those who fail to care properly for the skin during and after the process.
Leave blisters alone
Laser therapy takes multiple treatments to have its effect, sometimes aggravating the skin into forming a blister. Blisters indicate that the skin is protecting and healing itself while purging the pores of tattoo ink. Just like chicken pox or measles, when Mom said ‘don’t scratch or it will scar’, blisters should be left well alone. Tattoo removal scarring is much less likely to occur if you don’t further aggravate the skin.
Keep the wound clean
Unfortunately, cleaning off a bad tattoo is not a one-step process. Usually, tattoo removal is conducted over many weeks of treatment, with expanses of non-treatment time in between to allow healing of the skin to take place. Particularly in the case of laser therapy, tattoo removal relies on the natural processes of the skin as a purification pathway. You want to allow the skin to do its work unimpeded (i.e. let the air hit the wound) while still maintaining a sanitary treatment area and avoiding infection.
Your specialist conducting the treatment should advise you as to the best aftercare for your tattoo removal site to avoid tattoo removal scarring. If you do not receive the necessary information, speak up and ask.
Invasive processes and the skill of the surgeon
Invasive cosmetic procedures can result in scarring, but this risk can be somewhat offset by the skill of the surgeon selected for the job. Do your research if going ‘under the knife’ to remove your tattoo and choose the best doctor you can afford to minimize any risk of scar tissue forming.
Unfortunately, some skin types are prone to scarring and if your doctor warns you that tattoo removal scarring is likely; you may elect to take another course of action such as disguising the current design or using one of the ‘fade’ creams currently on the market. The back-up options may not yield the same results, but can have an effect without the risk of scar tissue forming.
