Used for many centuries and by countless cultures, tattoos originated as marks of status, rites of passages and even as religious symbols, and have evolved over time to become mostly recreational in nature. Because they are designed to be permanent and impossible to remove, the drastic increase in voluntary tattooing of the body has led to an increase in “tattoo regret,” creating a lucrative market for tattoo removal products.
While there are many costly surgical procedures available for the removal of unwanted body art, such as laser and Intense Pulsed Light treatment, the latest phenomenon in ink removal is the do-it-yourself at home cream tattoo removal. Currently, several tattoo removal balm products dominate the market, including the popular products Wrecking Balm, Tattoo Erase and TatBGone. Tattoo removal balm often differ in active ingredients, but the dominant chemical in the skin ink removal industry is hydroquinone, which disrupts the formation of melanin in the skin and is often used for cosmetic skin bleaching and to reduce the appearance of freckles and age spots. Tattoo removal creams usually contain a two percent concentration of the chemical. A ban on hydroquinone was proposed by the FDA in 2006 under suspicion that the chemical may cause cancer, and it has already been banned in many counties worldwide.
Instructions for method of application and frequency and length of use are also among minor differences in tattoo removal products. The general concept is that applying tattoo removal balm regularly over time will gradually fade the unwanted artwork while you experience little to no pain. Reviews of these popular products generally report that users experienced minimal stinging at worst when using the products as directed.

The alexandrite laser was not originally developed for medical use, but for scientific applications. Synthetic alexandrite was widely used in the jewelry industry, and in the late 1990s, a company called AlliedSignal Corp. invested more than $100 million into the research and development of alexandrite laser systems. The technology was first used for military and government applications before it caught the attention of medical professionals.

Laser tattoo removal is the most well-known option for tattoo removal. Although, many people consider lasers the best option for tattoo removal, for many people laser tattoo removal is not an option as it is not affordable.

Fortunately, another noticeable trend became obvious to laser doctors, an increase pattern in “no show” follow up appointments of first time laser tattoo removal patients.  This increase in decrease return laser patients resulted in doctors recognizing laser tattoo removal is not for everyone.

Laser hair removal is a medical procedure that uses laser light — an intense, pulsating beam of light — to remove unwanted hair. Laser hair removal works by passing a light beam through the skin. The laser targets dark pigment, called melanin, in hair. When the light beam hits the hair follicle (where hair growth originates), the intense heat destroys the hair follicle instantly.

In most cases, laser hair removal slows hair regrowth, but it takes several treatments to provide an extended “hair-free” period.

Laser hair removal is designed to permanently remove unwanted body hair by using the light energy from a laser. Unwanted hair is a common problem in women and men. Shaving, waxing, and tweezing only produce temporary results and can generally only be carried out on relatively small areas.

Laser hair removal treatment can be used to permanently treat and remove small and large areas of unwanted hair from the body. Best results occur in those with light skin and dark hair, and hair removal works better on coarse hair rather than fine hair.