There are many people who have tattoos and then regret them. Laser tattoo removal has long been the first choice for getting rid of them. Laser often involves multiple treatments spread over a length of time. There will also often be some ‘ghost’ or shadow of the tattoo at the end. Advances in lasers using Pico technology have improved the response to laser treatment. Dark inks such as black appear to respond the best whilst lighter colours like yellow or green frequently have a poor response to laser.

There are a growing number of patients seeking surgical removal or excision of their tattoos. This is a procedure usually performed under local anaesthetic that involves cutting out the tattoo and stitching the skin afterwards. This will result in a permanent scar in place of the tattoo. Some larger tattoos may require complex reconstructive techniques such as skin grafts. The cosmetic outcome from the use of skin grafts is often not favourable and so this is often discouraged.

Why would you consider surgical tattoo removal?

There are many patients that have had unsuccessful laser tattoo removal. They have often invested large amounts of time and money with results that have been less than satisfactory. There are also patients with tattoos that cannot afford the time needed to treat them with a laser and seeking a quick removal procedure. Surgical tattoo excision could potentially remove the tattoo in a single procedure. This is why many are now looking to this as a way of removing their tattoo.

Can my tattoo be removed with surgery or excision?

There are number of features of a tattoo that make it suitable for tattoo excision, these include:

Size – smaller tattoos will be more suitable for surgical removal. Large tattoos covering a significant proportion of any part of the body will be very difficult to remove with surgery. This means that a tattoo sleeve or large tattoo covering a large part of the thigh will not be readily removed by excision. Some large tattoos may be removed using a technique of serial excision. This involves removing the tattoo in sections with time intervals. This allows the skin to stretch in between stages.
Location – Tattoos on areas where there is good laxity of the skin will be more suited for tattoo excision. If you can pinch the skin in the area of the tattoo and all of the tattoo is in your pinch then there is a chance you may be suitable for surgical tattoo removal.

How can I find out more about tattoo excision?

To book a consultation with Mr Nassab please use our contact form here or call 07955015150. We will often ask for patients to send a photograph of the tattoo to be removed and details of site, size and prior laser treatments before booking your consultation.