Press Trust Of India – New Delhi: When Sonia Mehta got her boyfriend’s name inked on her right arm two-years ago, little did she know that the tattoo she wished to treasure lifelong will soon become a nightmare.

She now wants to get rid of the tattoo desperately since her boyfriend dumped her in December last, but the high cost of the removal — nearly Rs 50,000 to 80,000 — is much beyond her pocket and Mehta (name changed) is forced to live with the unwanted bodywork.

But what she missed out is that the help is at hand. A new laser treatment called ‘Q-switched Nd-YAG laser’, which has been recently introduced at Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital (RML) in Delhi, charges only Rs 6,000 for tattoo removal.

“We are the first in Delhi to use Q-switched laser treatment, which is cosmetically superior to older destructive modalities, and it costs just Rs 1,000 per sitting,” Said Dr H K Kar, HoD Dermatology, RML Hospital.

“As only six sittings are needed for complete treatment, the total cost of the tattoo removal is only Rs 6,000, which is a meagre amount as compared to that of other hospitals, especially the private ones, which charge nearly Rs 8,000 to 9,000 per sitting,” Dr Kar said, adding they also take more sittings.

With the growing trend of tattooing in the country where the amazing body art is smiting not only the youngsters but also even older people slowly, the tattoo removal business is also gaining momentum.

“The simple fact is that people have changes of heart. Nowadays before getting a tattoo, the first thing youngsters ask is, will I be able to remove it, thus the techniques to remove these items are becoming more and more in demand,” said Suhash Kothari, who runs a tattoo parlour in the city.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Rs 6,000 is 6,000 rupee (currency of India). At the time of this blog post that equals USD $134.53. So just hop on over to Delhi, India for cheap laser tattoo removal.

Inking your body permanently with Jane’s name seemed like a good idea at the age of 20. But now if you’re 30 and married to Snehal with kids, the last thing you want is you’re ex flame Jane stamped across your chest. Cosmetic surgeons and plastic surgery clinics across the city are making swift business with tattoo removal surgical processes, and laser treatments.

Speaking to Dr. MS Venkatesh, Cosmetic and Plastic Surgeon, Jayanagar, 2nd Block, who said “There are various ways of removing a tattoo. Since I am a surgeon, my treatment is ambiguous. Though the tattoo will not vanish completely, it will leave some kind of a small mark which is proportionate to the design of the tattoo”. He explained that the normal skin near the tattooed skin will be expanded using special devices called the tissue expander which inserts a balloon under the normal skin. The skin would expand, and the expanded skin is overlapped with the tattooed skin. He said that this sort of treatment is possible only with small and medium sized tattoos. But, if the tattoo is large it is impossible to do any kind of expansion over it.

When asked if the treatment was painful in nature the doctor said, “Any cosmetic surgery will have certain amount of pain. But most of the time pain is subjective and it depends upon the person who is undergoing through the treatment.” One must keep in mind that the cost of the expander is Rs.50, 000 per session and can be quite expensive for the entire treatment including the antibiotics, anesthetic and other medicines charges. It can take a total of 6-8 weeks for the scar to mature. Coloured tattoos cannot be removed with this method.

The other option of getting rid of tattoos is through laser treatment. The system gives non-invasive advantages of laser treatment; plus better results than any other methods on the market. The Laser treatments use the body’s own defense mechanisms to remove the pigment. When the tattoo was applied, one’s body encapsulated the ink in the skin’s collagen. Laser energy breaks up the ink pigment into smaller particles hence removing the tattoo over a period of weeks. Larger particles may require several treatments, but the tattoo gradually fades leaving a vague impression on the skin. The treatment is relatively cheaper and is done in various clinics across the city.

Speaking to Ajith Menon, an IT professional in Jaynagar who has a dragon tattoo across his forearm said, “I got the tattoo done when I was 21, and I’ve had it for the last two years now. I don’t regret it, and I don’t think I would spend more money to get rid of it. Tattoos are not a joke; you take them to your grave. If your family is not open to you having one, then you shouldn’t subject yourself to the pain so that you have to subject yourself to more pain to remove it.”

Asked time and time again, the question remains – How much does getting a tattoo removed by laser hurt? Professional dermatologists tend to forget what it’s like to be on the other side of the chair. Even though there is no way for me to tell each individual what it will feel like for them, I’ll do my best to offer some encouragement.

It’s true that everyone has a different threshold of pain. What one person thinks not painful at all could be devastating to another. Some people describe the feeling as a “hot scratch”. Some have said it was “annoying”. Most say it was not nearly as bad as they feared. But there is a little more than pain alone to think when getting your tattoo removed with a laser.

You may have perceive a horror sound stories about people passing out or crying from the intense pain. First of all, people leave out because their blood sugar drops from not eating or they just allow themselves to get too worked up and their own fear knocks them out. Pain is typically not the culprit when someone faints during a tattoo removal.

I do not consider myself real tolerant of pain. But certain things hurt more than others. I can bear childbirth much better than I can deal by a toothache. I think the end effect and the reason you are experiencing the pain can affect how much it hurts. Getting a tattoo is one that I believe worth the discomfort because of the outcome.

And the number one thing that I discover and helps me to deal with any situation of feeling anxious is being 100% educated and informed about what I’m getting into. When I finally had my tattoo removed, I knew exactly what to expect and was not nearly as nervous as I thought I would be.

So if you actually want to remove your tattoo, take the time to be educated about the processes and how to choose the method that’s right for you.

Harry Heiti – OfficialWire (press release)

New York Daily News – Has that tattoo above your tush changed from a badge of cool to an embarrassing symbol of your reckless youth? Help is out there.

Tattoo removal is big business in the city – but it doesn’t come cheap. Most experts use specially designed lasers to destroy the pigment dye underneath a person’s skin.

“Like a smart bomb, it’s only absorbed by the ink and generally spares the normal skin,” said Dr. Roy Geronemus, director of the Laser & Skin Surgery Center of New York.

How long it will take to remove a tattoo depends on several factors: size and color of a tattoo, a person’s skin color and the date the ink was embedded.

Small, monochrome tattoos that are more than a few years old can be zapped in a few minutes. Large, multi-colored tattoos that were freshly applied often require multiple sessions, costing anywhere between $200 and $800 a pop.

It’s easier to remove ink from lighter skin, experts say.

Thinking of having your tattoo removed with laser surgery?
Here’s a great video showing the after effects.  YIKES ! ! !