Tattoo Removal Creams

• Tattoos have been around since ancient times. In more modern times, the options for removing a tattoo have widened to include tattoo removal creams. Tattoo removal creams include skin bleaching compounds that can fade the tattoo and the skin around it. There are many types of tattoo removal creams on the market, and brands like Tat B Gone and Tattoo-Off are available everywhere. Tattoo removal creams cost anywhere from $50 to $100 a jar, and need to be applied daily anywhere from three to 12 months.
  
  

Experts' Opinions

• Different tattoo removal cream brands claim various levels of success. Dr. Lawrence E. Gibson, a dermatologist at the Mayo Clinic, says that there is no evidence that the creams work. "At best, tattoo removal cream may fade or lighten a tattoo," Gibson says. "The tattoo will remain visible, however, and skin irritation and other reactions are possible. Remember, tattoos are meant to be permanent. Because the ink is placed beneath the top layer of skin, complete removal of a tattoo is difficult." The Food and Drug Administration says the creams "offer no proven credible benefit," and adds that many of the ingredients in the creams are listed as "high risk" on cosmetic safety databases.
  
  

Other Options

• Laser tattoo removal is the most reliable way to remove a tattoo. Lasers remove the tattoo with a minimum of scarring, unlike earlier, more invasive tattoo removal processes. The laser beams break up the ink particles. A user will have to go in for numerous laser treatments before the tattoo is removed, and some tattoos will never be completely gone even after laser treatments. Intense Pulsed Light Therapy is a newer form of tattoo removal. This method is less painful than laser removal, though it is also more expensive.