He bathed in tattoo removal cream, his skin faded, but the tattoo is still there
Home tattoo removal, also known as Do It Yourself tattoo removal, can be a very difficult subject to master for a person who has decided to remove a tattoo, but cannot afford laser tattoo removal.
There are so many different kinds of tattoo removal options sold for the do it yourself person that the final decision can be almost impossible to make. It requires research on all the various techniques and a healthy skepticism of the claims made by some of the marketing campaigns of the product manufacturers. Most people will rule out Dermabrasion and Salabrasion as to harsh, and Cold Steel Surgery as to radical. The final decision usually boils down to this: should I choose one of the many tattoo removal creams or should I choose one of the skin peel products?
What’s the difference?
To differentiate between the creams and the peels you must first understand how each works, then determine if claims made can be believed.
Home tattoo removal creams all claim to be effective, but different from the other tattoo removal creams they are competing against for market share. All creams contain one or several skin pigment fading chemicals, sometimes referred to as a skin bleach, as the main ingredient, combined with skin conditioners, moisturizers and sometimes a sunblock and an exfoliate or scrub.
Skin pigment faders, or skin bleaching agents, are just that – products used to fade or bleach skin color for many reasons including to remove age spots, freckles or to even out skin tone in the hope of looking more attractive. What they don’t tell you is these products are physically incapable of removing tattoo pigment. As a matter of fact they blatantly lie about the effectiveness of their product. These products do one thing and that is fade or bleach skin pigment which resides in the top layer of skin, they cannot and do not fade or remove tattoo pigment. All you have to do is read the ingredient list and Google each ingredient to find out exactly what it does.
Proof of this is the very fact that there has not been one medical study that confirms the claims made by any of the tattoo topical removal creams. If such a study existed you would know about it because every tattoo cream removal manufacturer would be using the study as proof that their product truly works. Frankly, they rely on the ignorance and gullibility of the public when it comes to tattoo removal and how difficult it really is.
Another telltale sign of B.S. in the marketing of the creams is their product guarantee. Many have no guarantee (TatBGone, Tattoo-Off). Some offer a guarantee that becomes void unless you return the product in the allotted 30 day time period in the original unopened package (Tatmed). That means if you actually open the box, try the product and are dissatisfied you have voided the warranty. The best known of the tattoo cream products offers a guarantee, but then they also state the guarantee does not apply to retail sales (WreckingBalm), but they don’t tell you where you can buy at wholesale.
It all boils down to not wanting to give refunds – these manufacturers know their product claims are false or grossly overstated. If they had to make refunds to all their unsatisfied customers they wouldn’t have the money necessary to run those expensive radio ads or advertise on Google and Yahoo. They rely on the constant crop of new first time do it yourself tattoo removers who they convince to buy their product with slick marketing campaigns.
The only claim a tattoo removal cream or gel manufacturer makes that is true is their product will not scar, it can’t penetrate the skin deep enough to create scar tissue which also means it can’t penetrate the skin deep enough to remove tattoo pigment. It’s unfortunate, but tattoos don’t magically disappear by rubbing on a cream and the form of exfoliation that some of these products include is also bogus. Exfoliation of that type might remove a temporary tattoo, but certainly not a real, permanent tattoo done by a professional tattoo artist, the pigment’s to deep.
TCA
The only home tattoo removal products that work (excepting true dermabrasion and salabrasion) are the cosmetic acids such as TCA. One of those companies sells a 2 dram bottle – (FYI -16 drams equals 1 ounce) for $38.00, but it is close to 100% pure TCA. Also this company does not offer a guarantee (Rx-Tattoo/EZ Peel).
We (Nuviderm) do not recommend using that strength and will not sell that strength. We sell 1 ounce bottles of a 50% concentrate for $39.95 with which we give precise instructions on how to dilute for proper TCA tattoo removal that is not going to leave a scar when properly used. We also offer live consultations via an 800 number on our website. No other home tattoo removal manufacturer does that.
We know our product works and offer a 6 month guarantee that can be accessed and read via the main navigation tabs on every page of our website. We don’t try to hide our guarantee.
TCA works by peeling a very thin layer of skin each treatment cycle with a treatment cycle being 3 – 6 weeks long. It’s not a fast way to remove a tattoo, but then there is no fast way to remove a tattoo other than by scalpel. The average 3″x3″ professionally made tattoo can take from 8 – 10 months with home made tattoos going faster because of inferior ink and tattoo technique.
Bottom line – if you can’t afford laser don’t waste your money on any cream on the market today. Either save your money for laser or buy Nuviderm for home tattoo removal.
Nuviderm works – the active ingredient has been proven effective in 2 separate medical studies.
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photocredit:Getty
