Perfect Tattoo (English Edition). Calvin Fussell

you want to remember it?

       Q: What’s the least expensive tattoo I can get?

       A: Don’t be silly; would you trust a doctor who would take out your tonsils for a $5 bill? Of course you wouldn’t. That tat will be with you for the rest of your life. Treat it like an investment. Choose your tattooist and design base on quality, cleanliness and professionalism, not how much cash you happen to be carrying at the time. It will save you from making an impulsive decision.

       Q: How long does it take to heal?

       A: Usually a couple of weeks if everything goes well and you take care of it properly. You have to leave the bandage on for at least a few hours, and wash the area with mild soap and water immediately after removing the covering. If you can’t wash right away, leave the gauze on until you can. Always pat the tat dry, never rub. DO NOT pick at your scabs. Do you WANT to get an infection? Always keep a fresh tattoo moisturized. Your tattooist should be able to recommend a great product for that.

       Now you have a little more information, but these questions are just a jumping off place. There are many books on the subject if you need to know more, or make an appointment with the artist you’re considering to ask questions before you actually make up your mind.

       Disappearing Tattoos

       Perhaps the most identifying characteristic of a tattoo is its permanence. Think about it; every time you mention finally getting that tattoo you’ve been on the fence about for years, someone always chimes up and reminds you that you won’t be able to take if off if you ever change your mind. So, for fear of regret and not wanting to hear any “I told you so” declarations from family and friends, you have thus far carried on with your life as an inkless individual. But that perfect tat design is always in the back of your mind isn’t it?

       Well stay tuned, because what you’re about to read will shatter everything you know about body art and might be just the thing you need to hear to finally get that tattoo out of your mind and onto your skin. Researchers at the Harvard Medical School have developed a special tattoo ink that can be totally and painlessly removed with no scarring.

       First, understand that the coloring currently used in tattooing is not really ink, but various pigmenting agents ground up and mixed with a carrier solution. The solution serves a couple of functions: to sterilize the pigments and make them smoother and easier to work with. Though these inks fall into the category of things that could be regulated by the FDA, they are not. Ink venders don’t even necessarily have to disclose the contents of their products. Their have been reports of carcinogens and other contaminants that can poison the body and even be fatal.

       The new ink is the first ever such substance approved especially for tattooing. The color is enclosed in tiny particles that are designed to contain it forever. So a tattoo done in this manner can be permanent if you want in to. However, if you should decide that everyone else was right and you wish you hadn’t got the tattoo, it can be easily removed. The pigments carrying particles can be broken down through a simple, painless process and the color harmlessly absorbed and flushed out of the body.

       The there are a few choices of procedures for removing conventional tattoos, but they are pricey and painful. For example, one method uses a saline scrub to literally scrub away the layers of your skin until all the ink is washed away. There is another similar option that uses a material that works very much like sand paper. Even laser surgery is not risk free. It’s expensive and you may have to do it more than once. It even leaves a scar that’s basically shaped like the very design you’re so desperately trying to get rid of, so instead of having an unwanted tattoo that people are always asking about, now thy can ask how you got such an unusual scar.

       None of these methods are fool proof. All of them carry some risk and will not completely remove every trace of the offending body art. You will have traces of pigment left, if not a noticeable outline. If your tattoo is comprised of several different hues, it may require a separate treatment for each one. Unlike the new ink which dissolves completely with no scarring or residual pigmentation.

       Those involved in the tattoo industry like the idea of a clean ink, but are skeptical about it being temporary. They believe body art is a sacred tradition, made so by in part by the fact that it lasts forever. They also feel that taking away the consequences will crowd their ranks with people who aren’t serious about their art. The new ink is not expected to be on the market for another couple of years.