Have you gotten a tattoo that you regret?  Want to reverse the tattoo process so that you don't have an ugly tattoo, or something that you no longer like?

Getting your tattoo removed is a time consuming process.  Most tattoo artists will recommend laser lightening of your tattoo, which can take several sessions, spaced months apart to get the best results.

Or, they may recommend a tattoo coverup. 

Many different options for removing tattoos have emerged in the last several years.  Among these are various cremes and ointments that claim they will gradually lighten your tattoo.

I have had clients use Wrecking Balm with no successful lightening after six months of use.  So I say, save your money and put it toward a laser removal session, which will work better, is more focused, and takes the same amount of time.

Lotions like Wrecking Balm work to abrade your skin and remove the upper layers of skin.  They attempt to get your skin to move the tattoo closer to the surface by constantly lightly damaging the layer above it, so that eventually, you will be abrading the tattooed skin cells, and slough them off.

This approach takes a long time, since skin cell turnover is typically 4-6 weeks per layer, and you will need to constantly rub off the newly created layers or you will not get the tattooed layer any closer to the surface.  You could achieve similar results by rubbing your skin with a thin layer of oil and salt scrub every night.

Or, you could cause damage to your tattoo by exposing it to the sun every day, allowing the pigments to deteriorate and lighten.  But this approach also damages the rest of your skin and could lead to skin cancer from prolonged sun exposure.

Here is an article about tattoo removal that details several different methods of tattoo removal available today.

The Dermatologic Laser Center of Connecticut offers laser treatment for tattoo removal, as does Rethink Your Ink, which travels through many tattoo shops to work with clients that want to lighten their work in order to get a different tattoo over it.

Because Rethink Your Ink is operated by a tattoo artist, he understands that not every part of your old tattoo needs to be removed completely before you can get a great result with your coverup tattoo.  This is an excellent option for people who still want tattoos, but would like to change the one they have now.