Laser Tattoo Lightening vs. Removal

If you're thinking about removing your tattoo, you may want to hold up for a second and think about all of your options. While tattoo removal is increasingly popular (due in no small part to the fact that it's more widely accessible and affordable than in years past), it's not the only option that is out there for getting rid of the image that you no longer want on your body. Many people who are considering getting tattoo removal are planning to get the tattooed area recovered with a new design. If this is the case for you, lightening the tattoo might be a better choice than actually having it removed. An article over at NorthJersey.com lets one tattoo lightener and removal artist, Mario Barth of Starlight Tattoos, give his two cents on the opinion. He claims that most people who come in wanting changes to their tattoos don't want them actually removed, just altered, and he cites the number of people who want actual tattoo removal as being less than one percent. Of course, this could be due to the fact that Barth has strongly voiced opinions that tattoos aren't meant to be removed except for purposes of social rehabilitation. Perhaps in places that are more pro-removal, the numbers are different. In any case, you should know that tattoo lightening is an option to consider. Like tattoo removal, tattoo lightening is a process done by a doctor using a laser. The process is essentially the same; tattoo removal just takes more treatments to get the job done. If you're simply looking to lighten up the tattoo so that you can replace it with a different design (or the name of the new fiancee instead of the old one), you can save the cost on the extra treatments by choosing lightening.