At this time of year, I see more and more tattoos showing up on people of all ages as the summer sun encourages people to bare it all. Tattoos have increased in popularity in recent years, and young women are a fast-growing new market segment, applying tattoos to various body parts — lower back, navel, ankles, hips and shoulders.
When done properly under the sanitary conditions of a professional, tattoos can be harmless. But as a plastic surgeon, I also see more people coming to me at this time of year to have their tattoos removed, for a variety of reasons. Before you tattoo, consider the following:
As the skin ages, tattoos will tend to blur. What may once have been fine-lined art or distinct lettering may turn into an indistinguishable mass as time goes on and the collagen in the skin — the fibers that hold the skin firm in youth — begin to loosen. There may come a time when you want your tattoo removed, whether it’s because the design has faded or because its relevancy has faded from your lifestyle.
While tattoos can be removed, those done in lighter colors such as yellow and green will be the most difficult to work with.
Tattoo removal is accomplished by use of a sensitive laser that draws out the color from under the skin. While deeper colors like black and red are easier for the laser to locate, lighter colors are most difficult. Once the color is located, the laser infuses it with light and allows the body to reabsorb it, harmlessly.
It may take up to six laser treatments to remove a tattoo, depending on the colors and complexity involved. Each pass with the laser draws the color closer to the skin’s surface to ultimately allow for maximum results. If those colors are lighter, the laser has a more difficult time finding it and final tattoo removal may be less than complete.
My advice is, before you let any tattoo get under your skin, look into your future and try to foresee a time when you may want it to disappear.
You don’t have to avoid getting the tattoo you’ve always wanted, but choose your colors carefully and express yourself in reds and blacks rather than yellows and greens.
If you choose your colors wisely, you can have your body art today, and leave open the possibility of reclaiming your natural, unmarked skin more easily sometime in your future.
A.K. Bhattacharya, M.D. Plastic Surgery Plus
Freehold