You shouldn’t have had her name entwined in roses on your arm. You’re not sure the gentlemen in the office are going to love that chain of ink around your neck. You just don’t want that part of your body being used as a canvas any more

Laser Dermal Clinic in Titusville can essentially erase the past by removing an unwanted tattoo without harming the surrounding healthy skin cells under the direction of Dr. Peter Balsam, certified laser specialist.

The process uses laser that emits an intense beam of light to remove and lighten the tattoo, delivered in pulses. When the ink particles of the tattoo absorb the light from the laser, they are broken up into tiny fragments that are then absorbed through the body. The impact of the energy from the pulse of light is similar to a hot pinprick on the skin, while ice and cold air are used before and during the treatment to minimize pain.

This process generally takes several months.

Clients can choose between complete removal, lightening, or partial removal of tattoos. For example, a name can be removed inside a tattoo without disturbing the surrounding tattoo.

Laser Dermal Clinic also offers lightening of a tattoo before it is covered-up with another tattoo, avoiding another, not-very-artistic problem: It is common for an existing tattoo to be visible underneath a cover-up. In many cases, most tattoos will completely disappear. However some inks, such as green, light teal, sky blue and yellow are the most difficult to remove and additional treatments may be required.  Dark and red inks fade best.

Since the surface of the skin is left intact after treatment, no bandage or other treatment is necessary. Occasionally patients may get small blisters which are easily treated with an over-the-counter antibiotic ointment. Depending on the type of ink, how deep the tattoo was and how much ink was used, there may be a faint scar where the tattoo was located.

Costs vary depending on the size and location of the tattoo.