Laser Tattoo Removal Guide

Tattoo removal is a costly, long term endeavor. Unless a tattoo is very, very small and has little color, it usually takes many months to see it fully removed from the body, no matter what method is used (with the exception of excision, which simply removed the tattoo all at once via surgery).

In this article, we’ll look at the cost of various tattoo removal methods. This is done for the sake of completeness, and is not an endorsement of these methods. For more information on each method, include the problems and risks associated with them, click on the corresponding link for more information on each tattoo removal technique.

Laser tattoo removal. Priced by a number of factors, including how many square inches of tattoo there is to remove, the colors used in the tattoo inks, and how many laser pulses are used in each treatment session. A good rule of thumb is to estimate that a tattoo the size of 3 square inches (about 3 US postage stamps placed together) would cost $150 each session, and could take 5-10 sessions.

Rejuvi tattoo removal. Similar to how laser tattoo removal prices are structured, the cost of rejuvi treatments depends on the total size of the total and the colors used. Treatments are broken down by pricing different areas of the tattoo by the square inch. Expect treatments to cost about $90-$120 per square inch treated.

TCA tattoo removal. Priced by the bottle. This is a cheap tattoo removal method often costing around $50 for a bottle. For example, Nuviderm, the most popular TCA containing tattoo removal product, costs $39.95 for a 1 OZ bottle. This is said to remove (“or extremely fade”) a single tattoo of 3×3 size.

Dermabrasion tattoo removal. Dermabrasion is priced by the size of the tattoo and number of sessions needed to complete it. It’s likely to run in the thousands of dollars for the removal of a tattoo.

Excision tattoo removal. For small tattoos, excision is relatively inexpensive, although it’s not without it’s problems. (See entire article.) A small piece of tattoo work can likely be excised for under $200. Larger pieces will cost substantially more, as it not only involves a bigger area of work, but additionally work for skin grafting and suture placement.

Tattoo Removal Cream. Tattoo removal creams are usually sold in kits or bundles, each corresponding to a number of treatments. For instance, a month long supply with daily treatments may run about $50. A 6 month supply may cost $300. There a number of different tattoo removal cream products, such as Wrecking Balm and Tat B Gone, but prices between competing products are largely in the same ball park.

As you can see, tattoo removal costs are very high, possibly costing up to $10,000 for a large tattoo that would require 15+ visits at a laser removal clinic. It’s estimated that most tattoo removal services end up costing about $1500-$3500. Something to keep in mind about the cheaper methods is that even over the counter products which are sold for $50 can end up costing hundreds of dollars if it takes 6 months of daily treatments.

At this point, you are probably aware of the expensive prices for laser tattoo removal treatments. The high cost associated with this procedure often scares people away, leading them to other **tattoo removal methods** that might be, dollar for dollar, a cheaper method (but not necessarily as effective.)

The good news is that laser treatment specialists understand that the expense of the procedure is often something people are not wanting to pay for up front. Most laser treatment centers allow for many different models of paying for their services, such as:

1. Pay As You Go. In this model, a patient simply pays for each treatment session as they occur. Since laser treatments must be spaced out with 6-8 weeks passing in between each session, this payment model makes paying the perceived overall cost much easier to deal with, as you have nearly 2 months in between each visit to allot for the expense of the laser treatments. This usually means coming up with a couple hundred dollars every 2 months.

2. Discounts for Bulk Payments. If you and your doctor or laser specialist determine that it will likely take a little more than 5 session to remove a tattoo, you can often save money by paying for the first 5 sessions all at once. This can translate into a savings of maybe 10% off the cost of paying as you go, which is a decent amount of money when the overall cost is high or in the thousands of dollars. Of course, companies like getting paid all at once and so they can create the incentive to do so buy offering a small discount.

3. Tattoo Removal Financing and Loans. Many clinics offer the benefit of financing directly to their patients. This means that you are able to space out your payments over a predetermined amount of time, paying the treatment clinic back over time and on a schedule that may or may not go beyond the time frame in which you are receiving treatments. Additionally, many laser tattoo removal clinics can refer you to a company that specializes in loans for medical or surgical purposes. Be warned that these loans might come with very high interest rates, so it’s usually in the best interest of the patient to pay directly to the clinic, if the clinic can accommodate such a payment model.

Another related option in this regard would be to approach your bank for a personal loan. If you a member of a credit union, you will likely find interest rates that are far more economical than those offered by medical loan companies.

Because of the high expense of laser tattoo removal, the people and companies offering these services are usually more than willing to work with you to come up with a solution that allows you to have your tattoo removed.