How Much Does Tattoo Removal Cost? Prices, Options, and Insurance - GoodRx (2023)

FAQs

How expensive is it to get rid of a tattoo? ›

Although the amount that it will cost to remove your tattoo will vary from person to person, you can generally expect to pay roughly $200 to $500 per treatment. This is just a general average, so make sure that you consult with our experts to determine the exact cost for you.

Most experts consider laser removal to be the most successful and cost-effective way to remove tattoos. Often, lasers don't completely remove a tattoo. Instead, they significantly lighten or fade it so it's much less noticeable.

Some companies charge $10–25 per inch for removal. Someone removing a 36-square-inch tattoo might pay $400 for a session, whereas someone with a 4-square-inch tattoo might pay $175. Usually, the more inches you pay for, the less you pay per inch.

Laser surgery

Q-switched lasers — which release energy in a single, powerful pulse — are often the treatment of choice for tattoo removal. A special type of laser — called a Q-switched Nd:YAG — might be used on darker skin to avoid changing the skin's pigment permanently.

Yes, lasers can remove tattoos completely. In fact, lasers are the safest, most effective tool to remove unwanted tattoos with. However, you may need to receive several sessions before the tattoo is removed completely.

Is it worth getting laser tattoo removal? Yes, it is worth getting laser tattoo removal if you want a tattoo removed completely. But it's only worth it if you pay for (and attend) all sessions. It may take several to remove the tattoo entirely.

But can you really remove tattoos at home? No, you cannot. To successfully remove a tattoo, a treatment needs to do one of the following things: Cause the body to absorb and eliminate the ink from the skin.

🎯 Does the picosecond laser pen work? Yes, it works by precisely targeting pigments, reducing them to small particles — so, the tattoo becomes lighter.

Hydrogen Peroxide and Exfoliation – Exfoliation paired with hydrogen peroxide can do wonders to gradually fade tattoo ink naturally. This is because exfoliation removes dead skin while hydrogen peroxide is a skin lightening agent that has bleaching properties.

This depends on the age, colors, size, and location of the tattoo. Larger tattoos may require between eight and 10 removal sessions. Smaller tattoos may require between five and seven removal sessions. However, some tattoos can take as few as two treatments or as many as a dozen sessions.

How many sessions did your tattoo removal take? ›

Although it is not possible to predict the number of sessions required for complete removal, most patients generally need 6 – 8 sessions. Larger tattoos may take 10 treatments or more. To make sure the skin heals properly in between each session, our administrative staff schedules appointments 6 – 8 weeks apart.

The cost of Tattoo Removal can be considerably more than the original cost of having the tattoo done. The cost difference is associated with the Medical Doctors oversight, the high cost of the lasers used in the process as well as the fact that the average tattoo takes multiple treatments to remove.

Tattoo Ink

Green is the hardest color to remove followed by light blue. Neon colors are also incredibly difficult to remove, and typically require multiple treatments with the Ruby laser. As a general rule, the greater the contrast between the color of the tattoo pigment and your skin, the better the result.

No matter when you got your tattoo, laser treatment can remove it. However, older ink is easier to remove than new ink, so you'll probably require fewer treatments if you're having an old tattoo removed than you will with a newer one.

In some cases, tattoo removal can, and does fail, however the good news is that failure is completely avoidable when you know what to look out for.

These colours make it harder for the laser to distinguish between the skin and the ink. Other colours are that are particularly difficult, if not practically impossible to remove without a trace include light blue, purple, orange and yellow. Tattoo Size.

Lemon and Salt

Salt is rich in sodium and chlorine, and lemon juice has bleaching properties. Salt penetrates deep into the skin and helps the ink to fade out, and the vitamin C in lemon juice replenishes the skin. Therefore, this is a great way to remove a permanent tattoo with lemon juice.

In general, clients need at least three to six sessions to remove each tattoo. After every session, you must allow the area to heal for at least before receiving another session. With these numbers in mind, it takes a minimum of 12 to 24 weeks, on average, to remove a tattoo.

Black ink is the easiest to remove completely, followed by green and blue which can be a little more difficult. Pigments such as purple, yellow and white are the most difficult to remove completely. In order to successfully remove a bright, multi-coloured tattoo, different laser wavelengths are required.

Rest easy — while laser tattoo removal can hurt, chances are it won't hurt as much as getting the tattoo did. Tattoo removal pain is comparable to the pain of a bad sunburn, and the laser pulses feel like a rubber band snapping against your skin. Cringe-worthy, yes, but tolerable.

Will hydrogen peroxide remove tattoos? ›

Sadly, this is an urban myth and there is no science behind it. In fact, the use of hydrogen peroxide on a fresh tattoo may even cause the ink to become more bold and darker due to oxidization.

The back, chest and stomach are among the easiest places to get a tattoo removed from. Because these areas are close to your heart, they benefit from good circulation and faster removal than tattoos on the extremities. It's usually not too tricky to de-ink your torso.

3) Salt and Lemon Juice

Mix 100 grams of salt with lemon juice. Soak a cotton pad in this solution and rub it over your tattoo until the solution is deeply absorbed into your skin. Repeat this process everyday, until you achieve desired results.

This ruby wavelength is essential for removing “resistant and stubborn” bright blue and green tattoos that other clinics find difficult to treat with their traditional laser. Only Dr. Magic Laser Eraser in Blackfalds, Alberta is capable of treating all tattoo colours and all patient skin types.

“Color is key,” Dr. Avram said. “If you have different colors in one tattoo, it is going to be more difficult to clear.” Black and dark-blue tattoos respond best to laser, while light blue and green also respond well. Red responds well, but purple can be challenging.

It's best to avoid products that are 100 percent petroleum-based, like Vaseline. The American Academy of Dermatology says that petroleum-based products can cause the ink to fade.

The bottom line. Tattoo removal creams don't work and can cause serious skin reactions that result in permanent skin or tissue damage. These creams shouldn't be used as an alternative to FDA-approved treatments. Plenty of reputable tattoo removal services exist that can provide you with safe, effective treatments.

As you can imagine, in order to float consistently, the water in the tank is a solution with Epsom salts. Both being submerged in water and prolonged exposure to salt can promote fading of your tattoo no matter how old it is.

The age of your tattoo is a factor in how easy it is to remove. Older tattoos do tend to be removed more easily because they have typically already had some fading over time. For this reason, older tattoos will often take fewer sessions to remove than a newer tattoo would.

How long after tattoo removal do you see results? ›

Final Results After One or Two Years

The timeline of this treatment varies greatly from person to person, but most patients need between six and twelve sessions to completely remove a tattoo. Given the time in between each appointment, this means that you can see your final results within one or two years.

For effective tattoo removal, the laser used has to be powerful enough to break down ink pigments in the quickest amount of time possible. Many of the standard lasers used are just not powerful enough and don't break up the ink enough to achieve the desired results.

Redness, tenderness and swelling typically subside within a day or two post-treatment. Blisters usually appear within 24 hours of treatment. Scabs, bruising, and blistering may take up to a week or longer to heal. You should avoid picking scabs and taking care of blisters; otherwise, scarring can happen.

Tattoo ink will often oxidize which is what happens to white ink when laser treated. The white pigmentation turns into a darker pigment because the laser breaks the particles apart into tiny fragments which oxidize with the light exposure and the tattoo often turns into a light brown or blue shade.

The cost of Tattoo Removal can be considerably more than the original cost of having the tattoo done. The cost difference is associated with the Medical Doctors oversight, the high cost of the lasers used in the process as well as the fact that the average tattoo takes multiple treatments to remove.

Rest easy — while laser tattoo removal can hurt, chances are it won't hurt as much as getting the tattoo did. Tattoo removal pain is comparable to the pain of a bad sunburn, and the laser pulses feel like a rubber band snapping against your skin. Cringe-worthy, yes, but tolerable.

The age of your tattoo is a factor in how easy it is to remove. Older tattoos do tend to be removed more easily because they have typically already had some fading over time. For this reason, older tattoos will often take fewer sessions to remove than a newer tattoo would.

How much does it cost to remove a tattoo sleeve? ›

Sleeves, Half Sleeves, and Full Body

Half sleeves typically cost $300-$400 and full sleeves cost $700-$900 per treatment and depend on size. Have your sleeve lightened in one single treatment to make room for a brand new one.

In general, clients need at least three to six sessions to remove each tattoo. After every session, you must allow the area to heal for at least before receiving another session. With these numbers in mind, it takes a minimum of 12 to 24 weeks, on average, to remove a tattoo.

This depends on the age, colors, size, and location of the tattoo. Larger tattoos may require between eight and 10 removal sessions. Smaller tattoos may require between five and seven removal sessions. However, some tattoos can take as few as two treatments or as many as a dozen sessions.

Although it is not possible to predict the number of sessions required for complete removal, most patients generally need 6 – 8 sessions. Larger tattoos may take 10 treatments or more. To make sure the skin heals properly in between each session, our administrative staff schedules appointments 6 – 8 weeks apart.

So many factors go into tattoo removal that it's impossible to predict, with accuracy, how many sessions you'll need. A strong estimate is between five and 10 appointments, although you may need just slightly under or above this range.

Tattoo Ink

Green is the hardest color to remove followed by light blue. Neon colors are also incredibly difficult to remove, and typically require multiple treatments with the Ruby laser. As a general rule, the greater the contrast between the color of the tattoo pigment and your skin, the better the result.

Black and dark green are the easiest colors to remove; yellow, purple, turquoise and fluorescent dyes are hardest to fade.

No matter when you got your tattoo, laser treatment can remove it. However, older ink is easier to remove than new ink, so you'll probably require fewer treatments if you're having an old tattoo removed than you will with a newer one.

Did 50 Cent remove his tattoos? ›

In 2010, Mr. Curtis Jackson got laser tattoo removal in an effort to make his acting gigs easier. Speaking to People, the rapper called it an ongoing process but felt it was for the best. “It cuts down on the amount of time I have to spend in makeup covering them up,” he said at the time.

Removing a large tattoo takes about 10 sessions on average. Eight to 12 sessions is a normal range for sleeve tattoo removal. However, because a sleeve tattoo often covers such a large area, each session must typically be broken down into more than one treatment.

How you treat your skin, and its condition, affects tattoo removal as much as when you got the tattoo. Though most people find that there's little to no scarring from the process, it does happen. More frequently occurring in those with darker skin tones, scarring can come about due to a loss of pigmentation.