• While there are many options for tattoo removal, none are quick and easy.tattoo woman image by ennavanduinen from Fotolia.com
  
  If you have a tattoo you no longer want on your body, there are many removal options available. None are quick and easy, and most procedures have to be done in repeated stages. How many stages depends on the size and location, tattoo technique and type of ink used, age of the tattoo and your body's healing process.
  
  

Laser Removal

• Laser tattoo removal is the standard choice these days. It removes the tattoo with a high-intensity laser beam that breaks up the pigment of the tattoo. The advantages are lack of bleeding, low risk, effectiveness and few side-effects. However, depending on how deep the tattoo lies, you many need multiple treatments before all the pigment is removed from your skin. Plus, laser surgery is expensive.
  
  

Dermabrasion

• Dermabrasion involves removing the tattoo by scraping off the top layers of skin with a sanding tool in the hope of removing the pigmented skin. An anesthetic is applied first to minimize pain. After the procedure, the skin will scab over and a new layer of unpigmented skin will grow. Dermabrasian often involves a lot of blood, so if the tattoo is large, it is best to perform dermabrasion is several stages. Scarring is always a possibility with this type of tattoo removal.
  
  

Excision

• While it is the most invasive treatment for tattoo removal, excision offers the advantage of requiring only one session for removal of small tattoos. An anesthetic is injected into the tattooed area and the tattoo is surgically cut away. Then the remaining skin is sutured together. Using this method on a larger tattoo requires more stages. A skin graft from another area of your body may have to be used to cover the excised area.
  
  

Chemical Treatment

• Though chemical removal is the slowest procedure, it is also probably the least painful. When the chemical is applied to the skin, it breaks down the pigment a little bit at time, so the treatment has to be repeated many times until all pigment disappears completely. Though time-consuming, chemical removal generally leaves no scars and costs remarkably less than laser surgery.