Tattoos could be problematic
Neu-isenburg: large tattoos on the lower back and buttocks can lead to problems for women during
childbirth, as the marking could prevent doctors from applying a local anaesthetic, reported the german medical
journal Arzte Zeitung.
Tattoos are frequently positioned on the lower back, precisely where doctors inject the painkiller along
the spine. Injecting through tattooed skin carries the risk of transmitting allergens or poisonous pigments
into deep tissues, leading to irritation.
The study was based on work by a researcher at the university of California in San Diego. Doctors have been
encouraged to use a different, more complicated method of providing anaesthesia to women with such tattoos.
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Cover up tattoo
If you still want to have a tattoo, just not that one, you should consider covering it with a bigger,
gnarlier tattoo. The obvious problem is that you have to think of one that will cover the old one and that
you will like better so that you don't have to get rid of it five years down the road. Therefore, this
decision is even more difficult than your first tattoo was, because you have to choose something that
either incorporates or blocks out the old tattoo. Them's some parameters. Your tattoo artist should be of
help here, if you've found a good one by now.
Cover-ups are about the same cost as getting a new tattoo (see Can you afford it? )
except that it will almost always be custom work. It will probably take longer, too, as the work must be
done very carefully.
EXcision
Cut that sucker right out of there. You get a physician to remove the skin with the tattoo and suture
the sides together. It's relatively cheap, but it won't work on really large tattoos and it will definitely
leave a noticeable scar. There are two ways to remove a tattoo through excision. First, a physician can
place a small balloon under the skin which is inflated so that the tattooed skin gradually stretches.
When it has stretched out enough, the physician cuts the skin and stitches it up, leaving a thin scar.
Second, the physician can simply cut out the skin in small patches and sew it together, which can create
significant scarring.
Dermabrasion
This is fairly nasty. The skin is scraped or "sandpapered" off or, alternatively but no more appealingly,
chemicals are applied, after which the skin is peeled off. This is time-consuming, but it scars less than
excision and it costs less than lasers.
Lasers
This is probably the best method, as laser technology has improved significantly. It doesn't hurt
and it has a pretty good success rate. However, it costs a lot and it can still cause scarring or
discoloration of the skin. A laser removal session usually costs about $300 and it can take five or more
sessions to remove a tattoo. Lasers are less effective at removing lighter colors such as green or yellow,
so if your tattoo contains those you could be looking at a lot of money and a lot of hours in the chair.
Most laser removal specialists will provide you with a free initial consultation, in which they will tell
you how much the removal is likely to cost.
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