Tattoos have come a long way. Many people remember when having a tattoo was a negative association, on par to living a seedy lifestyle at worst, or having made a bad decision in ones younger years, at best. Now tattoos have become so common, it’s on par to having an earring. It’s just simply not a big deal any longer. The irony to this is that many people actually wish to remove a tattoo they no longer want!

If this describes you, let’s take a look at one of the most confusing subjects related to tattoo removal: creams. Tattoo removal creams - also sometimes called lotions - are sold usually in a “kit” consisting of multiple creams which are applied to the skin and aim to fade or altogether remove a unwanted tattoo. But how do they work? More to the point, do they work?

Pretty much every over the counter removal cream is going to work on the same basic ideas. First the user applies a cream topically to the area where the tattoo resides on the body. This cream will prepare the skin for the next cream which starts the removal magic by seeping down into the skin and breaking up the tattoo ink.

Over time, and over repeated treatments of the creams, the ink is continually pushed out over the skin and new layers of skin naturally develop, and with each layer, there is less and less tattoo ink left within the skin. Some creams will actually bond with the ink and visibly move towards the surface of the skin, as the body moves to expel it, seeing the cream and now the ink as both a foreign object in the body to be removed. There is usually a third cream which is then applied whose purpose is to soothe the skin and keep it healthy.

By default, any tattoo removal cream is going to be expected to remove a tattoo. However, you might notice the word “fade” thrown in every now in then in place of the word remove. Which is it? Does this mean not all tattoos can be removed? Are some easier removed than others?

This is where your tattoo may or may not work best for a tattoo removal cream. The types of tattoos that will see the quickest results with this method tend to be older tattoos done either by an amateur or otherwise by someone who was using low quality ink and equipment. This does not mean that a fresh professional tattoo can’t be faded or removed with a tattoo removal cream; it just simply means it may take many more applications, in which case, financially it could make more sense to use another technique, such as laser tattoo removal.

Tags: Tattoos