Think before you ink: Simple and easy tips for tattoo lovers

By Dr Renita Rajan, Chief Consultant Dermatologist (CDC), Render Skin and Hair

CHENNAI: Tattoos have become a very common mode of self-expression. Even in conservative societies, tattoos have come to be accepted and nowadays, you see people of all ages sporting tattoos.

• As someone who deals with the other side of tattoos – tattoo removal – let me share some tips with you to avoid getting tattoos that you may want to remove later.

• Don’t tattoo names – especially if it’s not that of your parent or child. Names are the most common tattoos that come in for removal, close to 90% of cases are names that need to go.

• Choose the location well. If you have a tattoo on an area that’s likely to stretch with time and age, your tattoo will get distorted. We have come across people that had tattoos of babies done on the abdomen, only to have the baby get disfigured by time, age and gravity.

• Tattoos done on the lower arms, breasts, lower back, and buttocks – all face the same risk.

• If you are getting a tattoo done for the first time, choose a single colour, ideally black. Black is easy to treat with most lasers, and if at all, you need to remove this tattoo, the costs will be lesser compared to removing multicoloured tattoos.

• Do not get a lot of skin colour shades, peach or white tones – these colours are very difficult to remove, and may get darkened by laser initially, and will require more sessions to get them off.

• Red and related colours are the most reactive. So, it is best to avoid them where possible. Red colour tattoos stimulate skin reactions, more commonly than any other colour. Also, cosmetic tattooing of the lip with red or orange colours is not advisable, as the chances of mismatch are extremely high.

• The most important tip is to choose the tattoo artist well. Oftentimes, design flaws can simply be avoided by choosing a good studio to get your tattoo done in. This is a lifetime commitment literally, and you need to take extra effort to minimize disliking your tattoo later.

BONUS TIP: If you are absolutely decided on doing names, check the spelling first!

Now a few points about what happens during a session of laser tattoo removal. The laser removes the tattoo by a principle called selective photo destruction of the pigment. The most basic lasers use photothermal (light that generates heat) energy, and the most advanced ones which work with picosecond pulses use mostly photoacoustic (light that generates acoustic) energy, to destroy the pigment. The advanced lasers do not damage neighbouring tissue, which is called bystander damage. Therefore, these are safer for Indian skin types, which carry a lot of the natural black pigment called melanin.

Lasering a tattoo removes only a proportion of the pigment in each session- which is why you may need several sessions to complete the process of laser tattoo removal!

Before you get your tattoo done, think long and deep about making that lifelong commitment. Once you have made your decision, simply go ahead and enjoy your newest effort at self-expression.