Tattoo removal creams have exploded into the market in recent years. Often advertised on line but also occasionally in head shops and tattoo parlors, these over the counter products require no doctors note, no painful treatments, and no medical experience to administer. They can be purchased privately and administered in the privacy of your own home.
But is it that simple really – do the creams do the job they purport to do? And are they safe? These are good questions to ask before shelling out the cash for something like Tattoo Off or Wrecking Balm, two of the most popular products. In this article we will take a look at these questions and offer some answers of our own, beginning with the safety of tattoo removal creams.
Are removal creams harmful? No, they are not. At least not according to the FDA. While the ingredients together for a specific product aren’t tested exclusively, the ingredients used fall under the umbrella term, from the FDA, as “generally recognized as safe.” This means you shouldn’t have to worry about their harmful effects, or lack thereof.
Even though there are more than half a dozen removal lotions out there, they basically all work the same way if the are being sold openly without a doctors note. Expect to apply 2-3 topical gels, lotions, or creams. The first will prepare your skin for the real magic, which is done with the second lotion. This is the lotion that will fade the ink. Any additional cream at this point is applied to maintain the health of the skin. With repeated use, these creams will fade the ink until the tattoo is removed.
That is, at least, how it’s supposed to work. Note that companies like Wrecking Balm call it a removal AND fading cream, implying it might only fade the ink but not remove it. This makes sense as it works best on older tattoos. New ink may be harder to fade out in the same way. For such situations, a technique such as rejuvi or laser removal might make more sense in the long run.
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