Tattoo

Following a wild night out on the town you woke up the next morning with an unwanted dragon on your shoulder. Or maybe you find yourself stuck with your ex-girl friend staring at you from your right arm - and for life! If you’re considering having tattoo removal the experience will not be pleasant, simple, or cheap.









The cost will vary from doctor to doctor but the process for arriving at the total cost will usually take the following factors into consideration:

  • Method - Used for the tattoo removal.
  • Size - Larger multi-color full back, leg, or arm tattoos vs. small-area tattoos.
  • Depth - Tattoo parlor art is more difficult to remove because ink is deeper and composed of more complex inks.
  • Color - Dark blue and black are the easiest, lighter colors more difficult. Red, white, and flesh colors may turn black after laser surgery. Turquoise is the most troublesome.
  • Age - Older tattoos are relatively easier to remove since the body has absorbed most of the ink over time. Newer tattoos have a higher concentration of ink.
  • Number of Treatments - Depends on all of the above.

Three Principal Methods Used For Tattoo Removal

Tattoo Removal

Laser Surgery: The gold standard of tattoo removal because of its effectiveness. Most tattoos can be removed over weeks to months but expect discomfort for large tattoos, relatively painless on smaller ones. Difficulty with removing light colors such as yellow, green, or light blue may translate into more sessions. Discoloration can still occur.

  • Costs - $100 for a small, single-colored tattoo, up to $500 per session for larger, multi-colored tattoos (may require 5 to 20 sessions).
Tattoo Removal

Dermabrasion: Tattoo is removed by freezing the skin, then removing layers of skin by “sanding” with a rotary-abrasive tool. Some bleeding and scarring. The results and number of treatments depend on the depth of the injected ink.




  • Costs - Generally ranges between $1,500 to $2,000+.

Excision: Best for very small tattoos. Tattoo is surgically removed in the physicians’ office under local anesthetic and edges sutured together. Always leaves scarring.

  • Costs - Around $450 to $800+ depending on the size of the tattoo.