Today, tattoos have become more popular than ever with the advent of popular reality shows like Miami Ink and others. Many people that would have never before considered a tattoo are flocking in droves to get them done. Some do not put a lot of thought or think in the long term before having a tattoo done.

They put names of girlfriends, boyfriends, their mom, gang affiliation, crimes, etc. on their body and then after they break up with their girlfriend or similar a few weeks or months later they regret the tattoo. Worse, some even get tattooed on areas like the face and hands that can make a regular career or advancement in a professional setting impossible. This is where tattoo removal and tattoo reduction come in.

Excision

Excision is using a scalpel or similar to remove the affected area and then suturing and pulling together the skin to minimize scarring. If the tattoo is large or covers a big area than skin grafts may be necessary as the skin can only be pulled so taught before it will look worse, not heal right and possibly even pull apart.

Skin grafts are usually taken from areas inside the thighs and underarms where scarring will be minimal and largely unseen. Excision is surgery and does usually require a sedative or even anesthesia in cases with large tattoos. Due to the advent of lasers and TCA skin peels for tattoo removal, excision is rarely used anymore.

TCA skin peel

Chemical peels have been around in various forms for over half a century. They were first used for treating tough calluses and corns on the feet. About 20 years ago doctors started experimenting on different areas of the skin like the face with varying strengths and mixtures. It was found that a 25 to 50 % TCA skin peel was the most effective and easiest to apply. It was also found that this peel could affect deeper skin problems like acne scarring, wrinkles and then unwanted tattoos.

The TCA skin peel causes a controlled burn which results in several layers being peeled off and fresh, new skin being revealed. Many doctors now use the TCA skin peel as a very effective tattoo removal and reduction treatment. It can be either used alone or incorporated with the laser treatments described below which actually hastens healing and further reduces the chances of scarring. The TCA skin peel is so easy to use that it is now available for in home use for tattoo removal (something you will never see with laser treatment and excision).