There are times when you have a tattoo that you simply do not like, or do not want. Many people can relate to this because there are a lot of people who have tattoos that are the name of someone they used to date or be married to. When the relationship breaks up then the thought of having that person’s name on your body is repulsive. If it’s a full name, it’s even worse. You won’t want to see a name like Glendon Gouker on your body every day if the reminder of the person is painful to you.
Tattoo Removal
Amelia Berley from Painful Joy recommends three basic choices when you want a tattoo removed. You can have laser surgery performed, incision surgical procedures, or you can use home remedies.
Laser Surgery
To have laser surgery done you are going to need to go to a tattoo professional who owns the laser equipment. Laser equipment is not cheap so the people who own it charge large amounts to use it on you.
Laser removal does not happen with one laser treatment. You will need repeated treatments over a period of time to fade away the tattoo. This means you have to schedule appointments to go back to the tattoo shop repeatedly, possibly take time off work, and then you have driving time, waiting time, and it can simply be a hassle to get this done.
Surgical Removal
Surgical removal is the only sure-fire way of getting a tattoo removed completely. There are a lot of drawbacks to be had when you use the surgical removal approach.
- Surgical removal is performed by a surgeon in a hospital or medical treatment center
- Surgical removal is expensive
- Surgical removal is done by cutting away the tissue that the ink is in so there will be heavy scarring that cannot be hidden
- The recovery time after surgical removal is longer and there is a lot more pain associated with this removal process
- Possibilities of severe side-effects such as redness, infection, swelling, and other treatment complications are great with this removal process
Home Remedies
The first thing that you should consider if you want to remove a tattoo is the home remedies that allow you to use natural ingredients that are not harmful to your skin or the environment.
Lemon juice is one of the substances that can be applied to an existing tattoo to fade the ink slowly without pain, without high cost and without inconvenience. It can be used at home, it is readily available in every town, it is inexpensive, and no one has to know that you are using it as a tattoo eradicator.
Salt and lemon juice can be combined to make an effective tattoo removal agent.
What you need:
- 100g of table salt, sea salt, or salt
- About 1 teaspoon of lemon juice
- Cotton balls or a cotton pad.
Combine the salt and the lemon juice to form a thick paste.
Soak the cotton ball or cotton pad in the mixture.
Apply the cotton ball or pad to the tattoo on your body.
Allow the mixture to remain in contact with your skin for a minimum of ninety minutes.
Remove the cotton ball or pad and discard it.
Rinse the area with clean water to remove any remaining residue.
Dry thoroughly.
Repeat this process daily until the tattoo ink begins to fade.
Discontinue the process if the skin around the tattoo becomes tender, red or irritated. It is normal to see some peeling and drying of skin in this area but redness, swelling, and tenderness are signs of complications.
If the tattoo does not begin to fade within a few days you may need to increase the number of times per day that you apply the solution. This solution can be applied as many as five times per day without any real adverse effects.
Increase the number of applications you make each day, and if possible, increase the length of time you leave the saturated cotton ball or pad on the surface.
If you are not seeing the results you desire, check the following things.
- Make certain you are using 100% lemon juice. Fresh squeezed lemon juice is the most desirable, but you can use concentrated or bottled lemon juice. The problem with concentrated or bottled juices is they may contain other ingredients, and they may not be full strength.
- You may need to purchase a fresh container of salt to make sure your salt is potent
- You may need to mix a larger quantity of the salt and lemon juice solution so you can make sure the cotton pad you are using is saturated in the mixture to a point that the lemon juice can seep into your skin and affect the ink there.
- You may need to protect the area from sun exposure while you are going through this process. Sometimes the sun will help the lemon juice to fade the ink faster and in some cases, it has the reverse affect. Try keeping the tattoo covered and protected and then try sun exposure in small bursts of thirty to forty minutes.
Patience is Key
The home remedy of lemon juice takes time to be effective on ink fading. You have to have patience and be ready to allow the process to happen slowly over a period of time.
Final Thoughts
Never attempt any home remedy that requires you to perform painful procedures that can break the skin. Broken skin can lead to infection and infection can be deadly. Stay safe and be cautious when doing tattoo removal.
Iskra Banović is our seasoned Editor-in-Chief at BlueFashion. She has been steering the website’s content and editorial direction since 2013. With a rich background in fashion design, Iskra’s expertise spans across fashion, interior design, beauty, lifestyle, travel, and culture.
