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Like jumbo shrimp or freezer burn, tattoo removal is a somewhat contradictory concept. From a purist's standpoint, a tattoo's permanence reflects the eternity of its subject: a guiding philosophy, the memory of a departed, one's love for mom. More practically, body art is plain hard to remove; throughout thousands of years of tattoo tradition, the perfect eraser has remained elusive.
Until now. A company called Freedom-2, formed by a group of scientists, aims to re-write that history, and to wipe out any unwanted tattoos along the way. The researchers have created body art that can be removed in full with a single laser treatment.
"The main problem we have with removing tattoos is you can't predict what the outcome's going to be," says Dr. Rox Anderson, a dermatologist at Harvard Medical School who co-founded Freedom-2. "We're removing that gamble."
Ancient forms of tattoo removal included primitive dermabrasion—scraping the skin with rough surfaces, such as sandpaper. Romans used such a method as early as the first century, when soldiers returned from exotic regions with taboo markings.
Modern laser tattoo removal is credited to University of Cincinnati dermatologist Leon Goldman, who unveiled his method in the late 1960s. Goldman's laser assaulted the tattooed skin with "hot vapor bursts" that left it charred, Time magazine described on Oct. 20, 1967. Even at its best, the process left behind "cosmetically acceptable scars."
In the late 1980s, Anderson improved Goldman's procedure, creating a laser system that removed a tattoo, scar and all. But even Anderson's method worked only three-quarters of the time, he says. The process is also unpredictable, requiring as many as 20 monthly treatments that can cost thousands of dollars a pop.
Enter Freedom-2, formed in 2004 by Anderson, Bruce Klitzman of Duke University, a few other colleagues and some business partners. The group takes a new approach to the removable tattoo conundrum. Instead of focusing on laser improvement, they have created an ink that dissolves naturally in the body when treated just once with a typical removal laser.
"I realized it's better to work on the ink than on the laser," Anderson says. "This is the first time a tattoo ink has actually been designed from a biological and material science point of view."
Typical tattoo inks are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. While some are made safely from carbon or iron oxide, others, particularly yellow compounds, contain carcinogens. The ink rests in tiny beads that remain lodged in the skin after a tattoo is applied. During removal, a laser blasts these nano-sized beads with enough heat to make them rupture, releasing the ink into the body. Some of the potentially harmful ink ends up in the body's lymph nodes, part of the immune system.
Freedom-2 inks are made from safe pigments—the orange ink, for example, contains beta-carotene, commonly found in carrots—and trapped in harmless polymer shells. When a Freedom-2 tattoo is removed by laser, the ink dissolves biologically, leaving only the innocuous, invisible shells.
I have 13 tattoos and I think that people that can't handle the permanent decision of getting the tattoo should not get them. It has taken me 12 years to get these and I made sure that I thought about each one long and hard. I am also still in the process of getting more. I have advice for anyone thinking about getting tattoos; think about the design you want, will it be something you can live with for the rest of your life? Think about where you are going to put it, are you in a creer that requires the tattoo to be covered? DO NOT get little cutesy things like cartoon characters or things only a little kid would want. DO NOT get your boyfriend/girlfirend's name (or husband or wife for that matter), because you do not know what can happen down the road. I would only put your kids' names. I only have my 2 daughters' names on myself. Make sure the place you go is reputable, because if you go somewhere that does shotty work you will regret it. Make sure you talk to the artist and ask to see their portfolio, see what kind of work they do. I do not think that tattoos are for everyone. They do not fit everyones lifestyle or way of thinking. But if you do get a tattoo please consider the things I have suggested because it may help you from making a big mistake.By the way I think that the way they want to design this ink is just a way for people to make tattooing a trend. If you don't like it six months or six years down the road no problem we can fix that. Tattoos are a statement of expression and should be worn and displayed by people who are proud of their ink. Tattoos are not some fad.
Posted by Michelle M. on December 5,2007 | 08:22AM
how can i access the tatoo ink remover,also it wd be helpful if the prices were availed on the homepage. i for one am so excited to finally know that a better product is on market.
Posted by Shamillah Kasujja on January 2,2008 | 04:59AM
Well said Michelle... Im a custom tattoo artist and I agree you shouldn't get tattooed if you don't see it being permanent. Maybe the inventors had the clients best interest at heart but the fact remains that this will make tattooing more of a trend and dull the whole idea of getting something "forever". With laser technology available and in demand obviously there is a need for an invention like this but to be honest i will not buy a product like this. I didn't get into this form of art to get rich off of peoples mistakes. Everything at my studio is 100% custom and alot of thought has been put into everything to make the designs timeless. Of course people change but for me, the idea of a tattoo also is to remember what was happening at that time when you got it. If your not sure you will want it forever don't get it. simple as that..
Posted by Steve E on February 6,2008 | 09:49AM
I also agree that tattoos are something that should remain permanent, however, I do like the idea that they are testing these chemicals to maybe someday have FDA approval. I don't think that anyone wanting a tattoo should be left in the dark about the safety of the chemicals going into their body, latent or not.
Posted by Theresa on February 8,2008 | 12:42PM
I've read alot of the "news" articles being relayed all over the media about this company and this pigment, and frankly I don't like the scare-tactics theyre using in most articles I've read.Who the hell are you too try to scare the public into publicizing your product. Tattooers as an industry have gone thru great lengths to keep pigments as safe for general use as possible. Most the articles I read make it sound like were poisoning our clients, and thats simply not true. Until you produce some hard publised evidence, I simply DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE. Before I were to use such a product some questions would need to be answered... With such artistic tattoos being made these days would these colors be able to be mixed for lighter and darker shades or tints? If BetaCaretine is used in Orange, would'nt that have an expiration date?.. These devolopers would need to have alot of explaining to do before any reputible tattoo artist would utilize these pigments. So far I'm NOT impressed...
Posted by James Hughes on June 4,2008 | 10:39PM
I feel that many tattoo parlors will continue to buy the ink they buy, this "new" ink sounds very, very expensive then they will pass that expense onto people that want tattoos. I myself think tattoos are very ugly. I know many many many men and women that regret their tattoos - some of their tattoos even keep them from getting better paying jobs! can you imagine making less money for a tattoo? you can always honor a loved one that passed in your heart - thats where it counts most - not on your skin. And I went to the gym, EVERY guy there (and I mean every white, black, brown, and in between race) all had that "tribal"armband tattoo - can't anyone get an original tattoo? they all lokk the same.....
Posted by Cathy on June 14,2008 | 11:21PM
Tattoos should remain permanent? i dont think so. You tattoo elitist make me laugh. Your ink will still be around and you can tattoo yourselves with permanent ink so you look like idiots when your 60 years old. This freedom ink will give everyone else ways of expressing themselves during that time of their lives, a way to do it but easily undoable. So when they are older they dont have a tribal band, or tramp stamp, or a girls name on their chest. This will be very profitable, you wont be able to tell the difference, and again, it wont be permanent. So it allows you to express youerself with your body but without worrying about the permanence. I will be the first to sign up and my tattoo will read "Real tattoos are for idiots, wait 30 years and you will see".
Posted by Justin on June 19,2008 | 10:33AM
there are other ways to erasier your tattoo... there are creams ables to remove your tattoo with out pain and very cheap. check the web site to get more informaton but this cream works. http://es.profade.com/
Posted by pablo neruda on June 20,2008 | 02:08AM
I agree with Justin. I myself have had a tattoo removed (and, pablo, those creams like Wrecking Balm don't work!) and it cost thousands of dollars and 2 years of painful laser appointments. I DO want another tattoo, but what I may want NOW may not be what I want 30 years from now...not to mention that once your skin is tattooed, if the artist hasn't done a good job (regardless of your research of them), that's IT if it's permanent ink.
Posted by Jen on June 23,2008 | 09:10PM
It is OK going forward and getting an erasable tattoo. However, for those with an existing tattoo they want to get rid of (and the comments posted suggestes that there are a few) a promising removal system can be found at www.tattooerase.com
Posted by Richard Birks on June 25,2008 | 07:36AM
Maybe the individual loved the tattoo for many years and now the beautiful Butterfly looks like a big droopy blob. I think this is a wonderful advancement for the aging tattooed generation ;-)
Posted by Tina on January 8,2009 | 05:07PM
It seems to me that causing pain and harm to unwilling animal participants so that people who have the foresight to know that they are going through a temporary tattoo appreciating phase can endure semi-painful dermal puncture wounds is more than a bit silly - if not narcissistic and mean. To me this seems much uglier and idiotic than any criticisms Cathy and Justin have made.
Posted by Jessica on April 4,2009 | 01:27PM
Id just like to say having 13 tattoos and thinking very carefully myself about wot i wanted done i did have a unicorn and a name on my lower arm wich in time looked blurred i then went and had a cover up done by a tattoo artist who i checked out ,i explained wot i wanted but the end result was a mess,ive had some more added to block out the mistakes this person did and ended up in hospital for 5 days with blood poisoning so both these last two tattoos were no fault of my own except for trying to make it look decent ...now im left with a circle of black with a celtic centre with colour underneath from the previous tattoo and I ABSOLOUTLY HATE IT !!!! dont get me wrong im crazy about tattoos but this has been the bain of my life for a few years now ,ive had one laser treatment wich had lightened it with some tiny gaps in the ink but the pain is bad!! its like an elastic band being flicked on your skin ,but i will carry on till im rid of this one way or another ....i do agree dont get a tattoo unless u plan to keep it for life all im saying is some times its not the customers fault ,some times its dodgy tattoo artists . MY advice is if ya not happy then speak up and say b4 its to late
Posted by lisa on May 5,2009 | 12:43PM
To the tattoo purists: For me, this isn't about being afraid of your tattoo lasting forever. I want all of mine to last forever. But this is about being able to correct mistakes made by tattoo artists you trusted but that pushed the needle into the skin too much, leaving a tatto "bruise", and also to correct fading that happens after a few years.
Wouldn't it be nice to have your treasured tattoos looking crisp and sharp for your entire life? With these beads, I can't see the ink spreading and ruining a design that you love.
It's about efficiency and preserving beautiful art. Now who could be against that?
Posted by CC on June 5,2009 | 06:48PM