Why Tattoo Removal Creams Don’t Work

A 2012 poll conducted by Harris Interactive found that nearly 20% of all American men and women have at least one tattoo. Over 15% of poll respondents said they had some form of regret concerning their tattoo, to the point where they would consider having their tattoo removed.

While it would be ideal to simply be able to dissolve an unwanted tattoo with a topical cream, tattoo creams are far less effective than laser tattoo removal. Even worse, some creams can be harmful to the skin. Here are some reasons why you should avoid tattoo removal creams.

False Claims

Tattoo removal creams claim to pull away unwanted ink from the skin, making your tattoo disappear. Simply rub some cream on an unwanted tattoo and watch it fade away. Sounds too good to be true, right?

The Real Result

When applied topically to the tattoo the products reacts to the top layers of the skin, providing some minor fading benefits (similar to fading from sun exposure).  However, because the ink of the tattoo resides in deeper levels of the skin that a topical product cannot reach, tattoo removal cream will never be able to completely remove a tattoo. Most users are left with a distorted or faded tattoo that looks worse than before they started treatments.

Unwanted Side Effects

Most tattoo removal creams use harsh ingredients like bleaches and acids. In addition to being ineffective, tattoo removal creams can harm the skin, causing unwanted side effects such as scarring, chemical burns, skin lightening, or permanent skin texture changes. Users have reported negative outcomes even when following manufacture directions.

The Better Choice: Laser Tattoo Removal

Laser treatments for tattoo removal have made significant advancements in the past few years. One of the latest technologies is the PiQo4 laser. By using dual wavelengths, PiQo4 is able to provide up to 10 times greater energy then traditional tattoo removal lasers. The PiQo4 laser only targets pigment (ink of the tattoo). It is a very precise treatment with two different wavelengths the 755nm treats the darker colors; like black and blues and the 732nm treats the lighter colors like reds, yellow and orange. Clinical studies show that PiQo4 is able to treat darker, multi-colored, and complex tattoos more efficiently, with more significant removal in much less time.

Kelly Wala is a Registered Nurse with a Baccalaureate Degree of Science in Nursing from Eastern Kentucky University. As an Aesthetic Nurse Specialist for the past 10 years Kelly specialized in a full complement of non-surgical aesthetic services such as facial injectables, laser and light therapy, body contouring, and skin care. Kelly was the first in Texas to perform the Injectable Threadlift. Kelly is a Faculty trainer for Allergan Facial Aesthetics and Coolsculpting as well as a Faculty trainer for Galderma Facial Aesthetics and Sculptra. Aesthetics