The tattoo culture is over 5000 years old. Along with it, the problem of removing inflicted tattoos appeared. The simplest and most ancient method is to cut out a piece of skin with a part of the tattoo with some surgical instrument, it’s good if with a scalpel, or even just with a knife ... The remaining 999 methods are even less humane.
A tattoo is a design applied to the skin. The tattoo culture is over 5000 years old. During this time, a whole cult of various beliefs and superstitions has formed around her.
A tattoo is a drawing made with the help of various, sometimes home-made, dyes that are mechanically applied under the skin.
Most often, tattoos are performed using needles dipped in dye. The needle, piercing the skin, brings the dye under the skin. With this mechanical procedure, rather small particles of the dye located on the surface of the needle are crushed into even smaller structures, consisting of only a few thousand molecules of the dye and having a size of no more than 10 microns. Within 5-7 days after tattooing, the body, protecting itself from a foreign substance - a dye introduced under the skin, builds up protective capsules from connective tissue cells around these smallest particles of the dye. The tattoo becomes an extremely stable structure.
If within 24-48 hours after applying a tattoo, using various methods, you can simply “wash” up to 75-80% of the dye applied under the skin, then after 5-7 days it becomes impossible to remove it in any way that does not destroy the skin structure. any part of the dye introduced under the skin.
Since the advent of the art of tattooing, the problem of removing inflicted tattoos has also arisen. Since, due to its structure, described above, a tattoo is an extremely stable structure, it is extremely difficult to remove it. The most simple, ancient and extremely unaesthetic in appearance of the scars remaining after their application are various methods of mechanical removal of pieces of skin with a tattoo. The simplest and oldest way is to cut a piece of skin with a part of the tattoo with some surgical instrument (knife, scalpel, in places of confinement - a razor and a sharp piece of glass).
Since such operations are performed, one might say, in the field, in addition to the high risk of wound infections up to general sepsis, no one sews up the wounds. This leads to their scarring. Scars from mechanical methods of tattoo removal are the most unaesthetic in appearance.
With the development of medicine, plastic surgery, mechanical methods of tattoo removal began to take on more civilized forms. For example, in plastic surgery, the following types of tattoo removal operations are used. Removal of a narrow, not more than 1 cm wide, strip of skin with a part of the applied pattern, followed by tightening the edges of the resulting wound and stitching them with internal and external cosmetic sutures. Since the width of the removed piece of skin cannot be more than 1 cm, and the length, as a rule, is no more than 5-7 cm, it is obvious that a large number of such operations are required to remove tattoos of large areas, which is significant, sometimes up to several years, increases the overall removal time for tattoos of large areas.
Skin transplant. In this case, there are two ways to transplant the skin when removing tattoos. The first is when a significant (up to the area of a cigarette pack) area of skin with a tattoo is removed, and another, clean, without a pattern, piece of skin from the back or buttocks of the patient is planted in its place. The negative point of this method is that both pieces are cut out entirely, that is, all intradermal vessels are destroyed, through which, under normal, non-surgical conditions, the skin area is nourished. Accordingly, when transplanting a skin area taken, say, from the back of a patient, in addition to applying cosmetic sutures, it is also necessary to perform vascular plasty (suturing of intradermal supply vessels), which is extremely difficult. That is why this method often gives up to 30% of failures, when the transplanted area of the skin still dies and is rejected by the body.
The second method of skin grafting is more complicated, but it also gives up to 95% of successful results. It consists in the fact that an incision is made next to the area of skin with a tattoo. A rubber pear with a special gel is inserted under a clean area of \u200b\u200bthe skin next to the tattoo and the incision is sewn up. The inserted pear is periodically pumped up with gel using a special syringe. The volume of the pear under the area of skin without tattoos gradually increases. This causes the area of \u200b\u200bclear skin above the pear to grow. After 1.5-3 months, a rather large skin pocket is obtained. That is, a piece of clean skin is grown, as it were, in place next to the tattoo that is subsequently removed. Then an incision is made again, the pear with the gel is taken out of the skin pocket grown with its help, a piece of skin with a tattoo is cut out and this place is covered with a flap of clean skin newly grown next to it. The edges of the wound are sutured with cosmetic sutures. Since with this method, the blood vessels that feed the skin flap grown with the help of a pear with gel are not cut along the entire perimeter (as in the first method), but remain intact at least 1/2-1/3 of the area, then the percentage of survival skin is incomparably higher.
However, all of the above methods of tattoo removal by skin grafting have a common extremely negative feature - the need for general anesthesia. At the same time, I know cases when the duration of one of the operations for such a transplant reached 5-7 hours. And sometimes several such operations are required to remove tattoos of large areas, which can increase the total time the patient stays under anesthesia up to 30-40 hours in total for the total number of operations.
The tattoo is done like this. On a checkered sheet from a school notebook, a figure is drawn with a fountain pen. Then you need to moisten the part of the skin on which the drawing will be applied, at least with saliva. They attached a sheet - and the tattoo is ready. Almost like a real one. And it’s good that it’s “almost”, because for the real one, it turns out, they can cripple. And if you're lucky - just beat.
However, it is widely known in anesthesiological circles that general anesthesia lasting more than 1.5-2 hours later, after 5-7 years, significantly increases the likelihood of a stroke. Just such a long separation in time of cause and effect makes the causal relationship absolutely unprovable.
If a patient needs urgent surgery now, and if he dies, he asks these specific doctors, then no one except the patient himself will care that in seven years this person will suffer a stroke as a consequence of prolonged general anesthesia. Moreover, such a “trifle” does not bother commercial plastic surgeons. After all, money for a transplant ($100-200 per 1 sq. cm of transplanted skin) is what it is, and a possible subsequent stroke is just a problem for the patient himself.
A more gentle method of mechanical removal of tattoos is mechanical polishing. It is carried out using a drill and cutter. The area of skin with a tattoo is simply ground, crushed with a cutter. Extremely unaesthetic and bloody way. When it is applied, the most significant scars and scars remain. However, it does not require the use of general anesthesia, limited to local anesthesia.
Chemical methods of removing tattoos include the use of various chemicals to etch the pattern. For example, potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate) is applied to a skin area with a tattoo, moistened and left for 1-4 hours. During this time, potassium permanganate, which is a strong oxidizing agent, simply corrodes the skin to an ulcer. Then the place of excretion is washed with water and they wait for the resulting ulcer to heal. This method, as well as mechanical grinding, leaves the most significant and unaesthetic scars and scars.
Another way to chemically remove tattoos is also practiced in prisons using ordinary laundry soap. A piece of laundry soap is melted in the flame of a candle or match and the melt is dripped onto the area of skin with a tattoo. Laundry soap contains an increased percentage of alkali in its composition. Therefore, in addition to a thermal burn with a melt of soap, a significant chemical burn is obtained after 2-3 days. The combination of thermal and chemical burns completely destroys the skin structure to the full depth in 2-3 days. After that, the practitioner simply peels off the burned area and waits for the ulcer to heal. More civilized is the use of a tattoo machine to inject acid gel under the skin, which also destroys the skin.
Sometimes the area of skin with a tattoo is pierced with the help of the very same tattoo machines with a solution of milk with streptocide. Milk brought under the skin causes suppuration over the entire area of application in 2-3 days. The skin with the dye in it simply rots. At the end of the decay process, scarring begins in 14-20 days. It is believed that streptocide, diluted in milk, saves the person who applied this method from general sepsis.
Another similar method, often practiced in places of detention, is the violation of the integrity of the skin with a tattoo by various mechanical methods (a knife, a razor, a sharpened string, a needle) and the subsequent tying of a piece of raw meat to this place. It is believed that the liver is best suited for this purpose. Raw meat also provokes suppuration and destruction of the skin.
We should also mention two more "folk" ways to remove tattoos.
This is primarily a thermal burn of a skin area with a tattoo with a hot metal object. Also - the use of liquid nitrogen, when a cryo-burn or, in a popular way, frostbite is obtained. Both of these methods completely destroy the structure of the skin with an applied pattern - a tattoo. The body simply grows new scar tissue at the site of injury.
All of the above methods of tattoo removal, with the exception of plastic surgery methods, give an extremely unaesthetic cosmetic effect - significant scars and scars at the site of removal - but are the cheapest.
Tattoo removal methods with the help of plastic surgery are the most expensive (as described above). The cost of skin transplantation can be $100-200 per 1 sq. see transplanted skin. The cosmetic effect of their use is incomparably better, but it greatly depends on the skill and experience of the plastic surgeon performing the operation. And good plastic surgeons are expensive these days.
The method of applying a new pattern over the old one stands apart. The new drawing overlays the old one. Here you need to remember that the skin is a translucent substance. Therefore, the pattern applied on top should be darker than the one being hammered. The fact that a tattoo can be “hammered” with flesh-colored dye is just a myth. In my practice, I have come across people who refilled dark tattoos seven times with flesh-colored ink. The picture still showed through quite clearly. Trying to fill a darker pattern with a lighter one is like first painting a picture on a window pane with black paint, and then trying to paint over it with white. Black color due to the transparency of the glass will shine through from under the white.
Often a Krusty has quite a lot of tattoos, piercings, and ear tunnels. Piercing, like tattoos, is an art form for body-modified people. The human body is like a canvas on which you can depict anything that comes into your head. Often such things have a deep meaning. I don't think it belongs to any subculture. It all depends on the person and his relationship with his body.
Standing apart are the methods of removing tattoos with various types of lasers, as well as photocavitation - intense light flashes. The very first laser used to remove tattoos was CO2, or carbon dioxide laser. Its action is similar to the use of hot metal. Laser radiation causes a thermal burn of the skin area with a tattoo, as well as underlying tissues to a considerable depth. Dead tissues are gradually rejected by the body, replaced by connective scar tissue.
It should be especially noted that the CO2 laser for tattoo removal gives the worst aesthetic effect compared to all other types of lasers. However, the scars are still a little less than with mechanical and chemical methods of tattoo removal.
The consequences of using ruby, alexandrite, erbium lasers and copper vapor lasers for tattoo removal look more aesthetically pleasing. The physical essence of their action lies in the fact that laser radiation does not violate the skin. For the radiation of these lasers, the skin turns out to be transparent, and all the radiation energy is spent on heating and thermal decomposition of the tattoo dye particles under the skin. At the same time, some doctors who have little knowledge of physics assure patients that laser radiation “mechanically destroys” tattoo dye particles. It's a delusion.
There is an experience of Lebedev, who at the end of the 19th century calculated the pressure force of light (photon waves) on any surface. Light presses with a force of only 4 g on an area of 1 square. km. This force does not depend on the intensity of light, but depends only on the area of influence. It is precisely because of such small values of the light pressure force that the need to use extremely large areas makes it very difficult to create "solar sails" in space technology.
On the day of Orthodox Christmas, Ethiopians arrange chants in temples made of volcanic tufa. Serbs burn bonfires from oak branches near churches. Bulgarians dance waist-deep in icy water. And the Cairo Copts arrange a sacred ceremony, where there is no entry for people without a special tattoo.
Obviously, if the force of light pressure on an area of 1 sq. km is only 4 g, then a particle of tattoo dye measuring 100 square meters. micron light will press with a force of 4 × 10-15 g. This is such a vanishingly small value that it is impossible to mechanically destroy anything with it. The impact occurs precisely due to the thermal heating of the dye particles. These particles inside the skin are heated by laser radiation to the temperature of thermal decomposition of the dye substance. The dye is partially discolored, partially decomposed.
But in order for the effect of laser radiation to occur precisely on the particles of the tattoo dye, and not on the entire thickness of the skin, it is necessary that the skin, rich in small blood vessels containing red erythrocytes, be “transparent” to this laser radiation. But if the red color of erythrocytes is “transparent” for the radiation of these types, then the red colors of the tattoo, as well as green ones close to them, are also transparent for this radiation. Therefore, in clinics that practice tattoo removal with lasers of this particular type, they immediately warn that they do not guarantee the removal of red and green colors of tattoos.
Copper vapor lasers are used to remove red tattoo dyes. But these lasers cost from 150,000 USD or more, fail quickly, and therefore are extremely rare in Russia. In addition, the use of ruby, alexandrite, erbium lasers, copper vapor lasers for tattoo removal requires several sessions (usually at least 9-10), but in my practice I have encountered the fact that a tattoo lost 2/3 of the intensity of its dyes for 12-15 sessions.
Photocavitation has the same physical nature of the destruction of tattoo dyes, except that the emission spectrum of light flashes of photocavitators is several thousand times wider than the spectrum of laser radiation. Accordingly, the amount of energy absorbed by a particle of the tattoo dye substance when removed by the photocavitation method turns out to be several times less than when lasers are used for these purposes. Therefore, the number of photocavitation sessions required for the same as with the use of lasers, to reduce the intensity of the tattoo dye, also increases several times. There is another physical feature of the use of these tattoo removal methods. The paler the tattoo dye becomes, the less light energy it begins to absorb. This means that more and more sessions are required.
Many clients fall for this subtlety. After the first 2-3 sessions, the tattoo significantly, sometimes 2-3 times, turns pale. It seems like a couple more sessions, and everything will be deleted. But no! Need more and more sessions. After each next session, the tattoo turns pale less and less. With the illiterate use of these two methods of tattoo removal, burns and scars may also occur, but this is only a consequence of the inexperience of the doctor and is in no way a feature of the method.
The text is published with the preservation of the author's style. You can read the rest of the author's materials and their discussion in his blog in LiveJournal.
Overlapping a tattoo among professional masters is called a cover-up. This is the most painless and optimal way to get rid of the annoying image and appear in a new image. In what cases is it necessary to cover up tattoos and what should you know before going to the salon?
What are the reasons for applying for a tattoo cover-up service? The desire to replace the old drawing with a new one can be caused by the following factors.
First you need to decide whether you want to get rid of the tattoo or are considering the option of its correction. In the first case, the most effective method There will be laser removal. This, although expensive, is the most gentle way that does not leave scars and scars. In place of the previous tattoo, only a pale spot can remain.
Mechanical removal of old tattoos by removing the top layer of skin is a painful method. This is a whole operation that takes place under general anesthesia. The healing process is usually accompanied by suppuration and inflammation.
Another way to get rid of a tattoo is to gradually cut and stitch the skin. This option is not suitable for particularly sensitive areas on the body, for example, on the wrist, neck or ankle. It is worth being prepared for the fact that subsequently scars and scars will remain in place of the previous drawing.
Partial tattoo coverage is the best option for those who want to freshen up the body design. A small restoration will make the image brighter, richer and more stylish. If necessary, you can add creative details that will fully match your new image. For example, a small tattoo on the lower back can be supplemented with ornaments and fancy patterns that will give the work style and elegance.
Cover-up requires the highest skill level of the tattoo artist. He will have to come up with new sketches to cover the boring drawing, which will fit into the existing composition as harmoniously as possible. Any miscalculation will lead to the fact that the elements of the old tattoo will be visible, which will affect the quality of the work.
Covering a tattoo in dark shades is not an easy task, because new light colors simply will not be visible. The process becomes more complicated if the image was made not so long ago and did not have time to burn out or fade.
A blackwork tattoo is a classic way to get rid of an old tattoo for sure. This technique is accessible even to a beginner, since its essence is to simply paint over the old image with black paint. Thus, instead of a butterfly or a flower, a large square or rhombus appears on the hand. Despite the conciseness and simplicity, these drawings look very stylish. A male tattoo on the shoulder instead of a banal symbol looks like a creative large-scale decoration. The blackwork style has its fans who constantly post photos of their work on the Internet and social networks.
Cover up tattoos
A tattoo is beautiful (if done wisely), extraordinary, catchy and forever! Pay special attention to the last characteristic. The countless number of examples of low-quality tattoo work suggests that some people forget that it is impossible to wash off a bored or badly turned out body drawing, no matter how hard you try.
When visiting the tattoo parlor is already in the past, and the result was not what you expected, it's time to think about how to cover up the tattoo. Modern equipment and the professional approach of good craftsmen make it possible to breathe a second life into a bad drawing or completely remake it.
We have put together a small list of the most common circumstances that cause people to regret having a tattoo, look for ways to get rid of it and apply for a cover-up:
As you can see, the reasons are different and not all are listed. Some simply go to the salon to update the old drawing, freshen up faded colors, add additional elements. It cannot be called an overlap directly, but sometimes the composition is partially corrected.
Correction of a failed tattoo is the prerogative of exclusively experienced craftsmen. If you come with a partner to an insecure body artist, you will not get a corrected drawing, but a mess of colors and patterns. We really hope that for the second time after an unsuccessful experience, people take the search for a professional more seriously.
Consider the generalized ways of overlapping a tattoo:
The procedure for applying a new drawing over an unsuccessful one is accompanied by a number of features:
An experienced master is perfectly familiar with all the listed nuances. And if you find one, then you can count on a chic cover-up tattoo, which no one will distinguish from a regular project on a clean body.
Another option for overlapping, which is a little off topic, is the correction of aesthetic problems on the body with the help of a tattoo. Such manipulations require prior consultation with a doctor, because the body may react differently to the ingress of paint into the modified areas of the skin.
Overlapping scars with a tattoo has its own characteristics:
When covering burns with a tattoo, it is important to choose a sketch that will hide the defect, and not emphasize it. This is the task of a professional master artist.
This article is aimed at those who have had to face the need for overlap and those who have not yet made a mistake. We urge everyone to become familiar with the features and difficulties of correcting low-quality body drawings and do everything possible to avoid the appearance of partaks on the skin. Be vigilant, friends! Choose nice sketch and weigh your decision to get a tattoo. Bring beauty to the masses with a proudly raised head, and not with lowered sleeves covering a failed tattoo. =)
A tattoo should be an adornment of your body, perform an aesthetic function, please the eye. But what if this is not the case at all? That's right - you can cover the tattoo. This may be needed for many reasons. Perhaps the tattoo was made in a distant youth, with poor-quality materials, by an inept master. Perhaps the sketch was unsuccessful, or just a previously beloved tattoo has lost its beauty and needs to be fixed. Or maybe the tastes have changed and the tattoo that pleased before is no longer liked. In such cases, it is the overlap of the tattoo that can save the situation and eliminate the need for expensive laser removal of the pattern from the skin.
Like getting a tattoo for the first time, covering up a tattoo is a serious step that should be carefully considered. In order not to get "dancing" on the same rake, that's what you should think about.
As already mentioned, this issue has its limitations.
If you need to cover up an unsuccessful, poorly made tattoo, then the requirements for the master must be high so that the new one does not turn out to be just as unsuccessful. After all, covering a tattoo is a more complex and painstaking process than applying a pattern to clean skin.
By the way, it’s not bad at all if the master works at home. The main thing is that it was a professional, sanitary conditions were observed and good materials were available.
Redrawing an old image, applying new motifs and colors is not the only way to cover up a tattoo. There is also the so-called camouflage. The scheme here is simple - the drawing is painted over with flesh-colored paint, the most suitable for skin tone. This is especially successful with tattoos that are very faded, faded, and small in size. The tattoo will not completely disappear, but it will become much less noticeable, as if richly smeared with foundation. On areas of the body that are not too conspicuous, this is a completely acceptable option.
But what if the tattoo is covered not with flesh, but with black? Draw, for example, a black square? Yes, there are such options. Perhaps it looks a little strange and seems too radical, but they do it.
You can cover a tattoo, and at the same time very successfully, the Internet is replete with gorgeous before and after photos, the result of overlapping is sometimes simply fantastic. But remember that correcting the drawing again and again is unlikely to succeed. Therefore, if something went wrong during the first tattoo application, then when correcting it, you need to take into account old mistakes and try not to repeat them!
Covering the tattoo on the leg
Covering a tattoo is a painful process and requires careful work of the master. In some cases, this is the only solution that allows you to eliminate low-quality drawing.
For the operation to be successful, consult with the wizard on choosing a new image. Paints and shades are selected according to the spectrum substitution principle. Due to this, previous unsuccessful experiments will be replaced by beautiful work.
The reasons for the need to cover the tattoo relate to unsuccessful experiments. Tattoos stuffed at a young age by non-professionals lead to disfigurement of the body. It is proposed to correct "partaks" by two methods - laser reduction or overlap.
Overlapping tattoo correction methods are used on old tattoos. It is necessary if the volume of the previous work is more than 10X10 cm of area.
Women's tattoos are corrected after pregnancy or childbirth. The reasons for the overlap are hormones. They affect the color, clarity of the contour. In some cases, a woman cannot regain her previous weight, the tattoo is blurry and looks ridiculous.
Covering up an old tattoo is a long and painstaking process. High-quality paints will allow to interrupt the tattoo. The procedure consists of adding paint to a layer level above the previous one or replacing the color.
Often you need to score a tattoo on your arm. Men's tattoos it is more difficult to remove due to the characteristics of the skin. If the sleeve covered the forearm, men's tattoos hammered in black.
It is difficult to remove a tattoo on the lower back and on the forearm. In this area, the accumulation of fatty tissue is higher. Removing the tattoo will require multiple touch-ups as the fat can affect the quality of the tone.
A complex and painful procedure for hammering a tattoo on a shoulder blade, male drawings are overlapped with color works here. This helps to hide the remnants of the old paint.
Overlapping "partaks" does not remove the old pigment. This is a double load on the skin. To remake a tattoo, careful care of the skin surface with a broken tattoo is required, otherwise the new layer may not take root.
Black and white and gray tattoos are best filled with colored paint. The previous dark color imposes restrictions on the choice of palette.
The easiest way is to reduce the tattoo on the shoulder, in the area under:
The remaining areas have a higher density of the fat layer. Because of this, it may be necessary to correct the image and mask it for a new composition.
Sketches of the tattoo for overlapping are made by the master. You can express wishes, but it is better to listen to the recommendations of a specialist. A good master will be able to cover a black tattoo with a color one.
A damaged wrist tattoo is decorated with images:
On large areas, the master can choose a flower arrangement or. The style and character set will be selected based on the nature of the owner.
The blackwork style is effective. With it, you can close any "partak". It will not leave scars and scars, creating an original panel.
