Top Ten Most Common Removed Tattoos

Tattoo removal is an increasingly common aesthetic medical procedure. Current laser technology is able to safely and effectively remove tattoos with a minimum of side effects – primarily swelling and redness for a few days after the removal procedure. Most tattoos need 3 to 10 procedures to remove the tattoo completely, with more treatments generally required for newer and brighter tattoos, and fewer treatments needed for older and more dull tattoos.
But why would a patient wish to have a tattoo removed? Tattoo removal clinics remove a wide range of tattoo designs – here are ten of the most common tattoos removed:

1. Cursive names – these tattoos are written in the black/dark green tattoo ink and range in size from 1 inch by 1 inch to as large an across the entire torso. These tattoos are removed when a relationship is over, patient no longer wishes to have the name of their partner displayed on their body, or the tattoo no longer looks as desirable as it did in the past.
2. Names written in block letters – similar to cursive names, but these tattoos are generally larger, with independent letters either filled in with shaded ink or empty. These tattoos are generally larger than cursive tattoos.
3. Rose tattoos – these tattoos incorporate red ink with green leaves and a stem. The red ink is relatively easy to remove with a Q-switched Nd:YAG medical laser, but the green ink is significantly more difficult. These tattoos are easiest to remove when they are older (5-10 years old+) and on a part of the body that has received significant sun exposure.
4. Star tattoos – a very common tattoo that is either filled in or left empty. Some of these tattoos are black and some multi-colored.
5. Barbed wire – most common among male patients, these tattoos are often found on the upper arm in black or dark green ink. These tattoos are slightly more difficult to remove due to the challenge in maneuvering the patient’s arm to completely remove the entire band.
6. Tribal tattoos – there are thousands of varieties, often with high ink density and contrasting colors.
7. Dragons – popular among male patients, these tattoos are often on the lower leg, lower arm, and back. Some dragon tattoos can cover the entire back and may take hours for a single removal session. Black ink is the most common color, but multi-colored tattoos that are quite beautiful may also be presented for removal
8. Butterflies – women often present these tattoos, to be removed because the ink has faded and is no longer attractive, the body has changed shape and stretched the tattoo, or because that patient no longer feels the tattoo is part of their desired lifestyle.
9. Japanese/Chinese characters – presented less frequently than commonly thought – these tattoos represent some message of wise saying, personal motto, or unknown but attractively-designed character. These thick and dark letters can be difficult to remove given than they tend to be newer tattoos with high pigment density.
10. Tear drops – these tattoos are associated with the death of another person. They are controversial because while some tear drop tattoos are meant to indicate the death of a loved one, others represent or purport to represent that the tattooed patient has killed another individual. Tear drop tattoos are placed immediately below and to the side of the eye and are removed with caution due to the proximity to the sensitive eyes.

Bio: Ryan Lambert, President of New Look Laser Tattoo Removal. I own tattoo removal clinics in Houston (NewLookHouston.com) and Dallas (NewLookDallas.com). Our Houston tattoo removal and Dallas tattoo removal clinics have removed thousands of tattoos. I can be reached at info@newlookhouston.com