A Comparison of Tattoo Removal Methods: Tattoo Removal Skin Peels Vs Tattoo Removal Creams Vs Tattoo Removal Using DermaBrasion

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Article Title:

A Comparison of Tattoo Removal Methods: Tattoo Removal Skin Peels Vs Tattoo

Removal Creams Vs Tattoo Removal Using DermaBrasion

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Article Description:

A friend and I, along with 3 other buddies, decided to try

an experiment to remove tattoos that we have all had for

many years. Over time we just decided we no longer liked

what we saw on our arms, shoulders and chest so we decided

to test all the varieties of tattoo removal except Laser

because none of us could afford the price, plus we wanted to

see for ourselves if the other products actually worked or

were just marketing hype.

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Distribution Date and Time: 2009-09-30 12:12:00

Written By: Abe Granberry

Copyright: 2009

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A Comparison of Tattoo Removal Methods: Tattoo Removal Skin Peels Vs Tattoo

Removal Creams Vs Tattoo Removal Using DermaBrasion

Copyright © 2009 Abe Granberry

My Information Digest

http://myinformationdigest.com/

A friend and I, along with 3 other buddies, decided to try an

experiment to remove tattoos that we have all had for many years.

Over time we just decided we no longer liked what we saw on our

arms, shoulders and chest so we decided to test all the varieties

of tattoo removal except Laser because none of us could afford

the price, plus we wanted to see for ourselves if the other

products actually worked or were just marketing hype. We

represent a mix of 2 Civil Engineers, a Commercial Real Estate

salesman, a pharmaceutical sales rep and a self employed

landscape architect.

After reviewing the options available we decided to use Tat B

Gone and Tattoo-Off (http://tattoo-off.com/) to represent the

tattoo removal creams, Nuviderm (http://www.nuviderm.com/) to

represent the cosmetic acid peeling agents and WreckingBalm

(http://wreckingbalm.com/) as the dermabrasion candidate. We

didn't even consider a salt dermabrasion product because I had

used a brand that shall remain nameless and I could have gotten

the same results using 80 grit sandpaper, man was it rough.

We had 5 guinea pigs and 4 products so it was decided to really

test the tattoo removal creams since, if they worked, it would be

the obvious way to go since you just rub it on like Jergins Hand

lotion and after a few months you're done, or so we thought, but

we'll get to that later.

Since this whole thing was my idea I decided to use WreckingBalm.

I've heard the radio commercials and it sounded like the way to

go. , Khalid and Pat started with TatBGone and Tattoo-Off

and was the Nuviderm test subject. Mind you, two of these

guys, and Khalid were the Engineers - and they were

driving us nuts with observing proper technique, following

instructions to the " T " and keeping logs with application

dates, results etc. They wanted quantifiable results at the end

of the test to make sure THEY were satisfied that the winner was

actually the best product.

The official kickoff for the test was at my house. We sat around

the island in the kitchen, read the instructions and proceeded to

do our first tattoo removal treatments. None of us had what I

would call huge tats, just run of the mill stuff - names (2), a

Celtic symbol that we kidded was the symbol for Idiot, a

flag and a weird conglomeration of an ex-wife's name covered up

by what was supposed to be the Arkansas Razorback mascot, which

we all took to be symbolic for a nasty divorce.

The tattoo cream guys had it easy, they just rubbed a little on

their tattoos, popped open a beer and watched and I go

through the steps of our chosen removal methods. I had my battery

operated sander, spray, cream - the whole nine yards. I knew I

picked a winner and was happy with the entire procedure that

first day, while was next to me bitchin about diluting,

mixing and testing, but was determined to get rid of that Celtic

symbol.

When I finished my skin was red from sanding on it, maybe a bit

to eager my first time out. was showing off his " Frost "

which meant his first Nuviderm application was a success and

wasn't actually all that bad.

If this was a movie this is the part where they would flash on

the screen ...ONE MONTH LATER...

The cream guys - , Khalid and Pat had been rubbing away for

30 days - their tattoos looked the same, but they now had soft

skin! I had been grinding away every third day, spraying and

rubbing as instructed with nothing to show, but it was still

early and we all knew going in this was a long term project - at

least 6 months, maybe a year (but hopefully not). had

peeled a layer of skin and had done his second application the

previous week so his skin was about to peel again, but no real

change as far as we could tell.

....TWO MONTHS INTO THE TEST...

The Tat B Gone and Tattoo-off guys were still rubbing and one was

starting to see a bit of difference, but nothing to brag about.

was still peeling, his third application the day before

with no noticeable change and I was still sanding and using the

other stuff, but every third day seemed to harsh, my skin was a

bit tender so occasionally I'd have to skip a day and sand on

the fourth day. Still no change.

90 DAYS INTO THE TEST...

Tattoo creams weren't doing much, but Khalid's skin color was

fading but not his tattoo, it was weird. Khalid has a dark brown

complexion, but it was a lighter brown where he had been rubbing

on the cream with no noticeable change to the tattoo. and

Pat couldn't see any difference to skin tone or tattoo.

was about to do his fourth treatment, his skin was

slightly pink at the treated area and the tattoo seemed to be

getting brighter, more vivid. Not what we expected, but he was

prepared to continue.

I was still sanding away and couldn't tell for sure if there was

a difference or not, but I was undeterred.

....Four Months...

Again the guys using the tattoo creams, Tat B Gone and

Tattoo-Off, were showing no progress, but Khalid was developing a

light brown spot on his shoulder where his tattoo was located,

but the tattoo wasn't changing, it had to be the skin lightening

chemical in the cream working on his skin pigment but not the

tattoo ink. We were seeing that the product reduced skin pigment

color but so far had no effect on tattoo ink. On a positive note,

they all had soft skin!!

had slightly increased the strength of the Nuviderm

solution he was using and was beginning to see slight but

definite changes in his tattoo.

I was still doing the sanding regimen, but it was becoming

something of a nuisance because of the frequency of the

treatments, but there was progress being made, however slight it

was.

Five Months

Tattoo cream guys - nothing except for Khalid with his light

brown spot and unchanged tattoo.

, using Nuviderm, was now making some real progress. You

could see that the tattoo ink was not all deposited at the same

depth because he had spots showing where the ink had been removed

and areas where there was still ink - he now had a spotted Celtic

symbol which was a sign of real progress. His skin was pinkish at

the treated area, but after all he was peeling his skin about

once every 4 weeks and it was working.

I was making some headway with WreckingBalm but not as much as

and the WreckingBalm had cost four times as much as the

Nuviderm so on the Return On Investment was the clear

winner at this point.

Six Months

The tattoo removal cream guys, Pat and , had soft skin, but

no change in their tattoos and I could tell Khalid and I were

cousins because his light brown spot was now about the color of 

my skin, but the tattoo was very clearly unchanged.

If this was a horse race, was clearly pulling away,

leading the pack by a full length maybe a bit more. The spots

cleared of ink were getting bigger and the remaining ink was very

definitely lighter in color.

I was making progress, clearly WreckingBalm was working, but not

as fast as Nuviderm and it required more work and cost four times

as much. We were beginning to see a winner, but the race was not

quite finished.

Seven Months Into the Test

At this point it was obvious the tattoo removal creams were not

working and the cost of the products was money down a rat hole.

s' Celtic Symbol was a happily fading memory and I was

fading my tat but the cost and effort was clearly not worth it

when compared to the tremendous progress had made with

Nuviderm.

Month Eight ...And we have a Winner...

The tattoo cream guys had given up and Khalid wanted to lose the

light spot on his skin.

s tattoo was still there, but it's days were numbered. His

progress with Nuviderm was so far ahead of Wreckingbalm it was

pathetic and all for only $40.

WreckingBalm was working, but it was so slow, so regimented and

so expensive compared to Nuviderm that we declared Nuviderm the

winner by unanimous consent.

The final results were striking and somewhat surprising, at least

to me. I thought for sure WreckingBalm would win, but for all

their advertising they were second best to the clear winner

Nuviderm. I have stopped sanding my skin and with s help

I'm going to do my first Nuviderm treatment as soon as my order

arrives. Doing a treatment once a month or so beats 3 times a

week in my book.

Final recommendation - Nuviderm won - it wasn't even close.

Nuviderm Review - 5 thumbs up! (http://www.nuviderm.com/)

*** One final note, as I was finishing up this article I came

across a site called HealthySkinAssociation.org that in the

bullet point section of the home page brought up some interesting

points on how to decide on which tattoo removal products to try

and which to avoid.

Quoting from the Healthy Skin Association:

" In recent years there has been a proliferation of tattoo

removal creams, most of which promise more than they deliver.

There are a few basic guidelines one should use when researching

which tattoo removal method best suits their circumstance and in

determining which manufacturers they can trust.

* Does the basic product have a history of successfully removing

tattoos?

* Does the manufacturer offer a reasonable product guarantee?

* Can the product be returned after using or does using the

product void the guarantee?

* Always follow product instructions for use.

* Does the manufacturer offer full disclosure on the ingredients

of their product?

* Does the product, if a cream, contain Hydroquinone, a known

cancer causing agent?

* Does the product, if a cream, contain more than just a recipe

for fading skin pigment?

* Pigment faders have never been proven to fade or remove tattoo

ink.

* If choosing laser removal make sure the laser equipment is of

high quality and latest generation to insure proper removal of

the various shades of green, yellow, and blue.

* Ask the laser clinic about a guarantee or escrow policy to

insure you that you get what you pay for.

* Know which wavelengths of laser light remove the colors of

your tattoo and make sure your clinic has the necessary

equipment.

* Ask about topical anesthesia to ease the pain of laser

removal. "

That is very common sense advise that I wish we would have

thought about before we started our test.

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Abe Granberry has been working as a tattoo artist for the last

15 years. In that time, he has learned that tattoos to cover up

other tattoos are usually a bad idea. Read more of Abe's articles

at: http://myinformationdigest.com/ Abe would like to credit the

http://healthyskinassociation.org/ for providing an additional

bit of common sense when searching for laser and do it your self

tattoo removal products.