I have received a few emails from visitors to this site regarding removal creams they have tried or had some kind of experience with. Here are some of the comments I have received:
- "I've been checking out several companies for tattoo removal for a young man; I contacted [the] Tat B Gone web master, requesting their business license info, local street address for checking out the local Better Business Bureau, and the address & info on their "Viking Labs" and infamous Dr. Erickson...and guess what? I haven't heard a word from Tat B Gone for 3 days. It is interesting to note, when I send a plain e-mail saying 'I want more info on your product' I got back a long, drawn out email within 2 hours. I find it strange that they are not interested in establishing the legitimacy of their company for a prospective customer."
- "I just wanted to let you know that I have been using [Tat B Gone] for four months now and it hasn't done a thing to fade my tattoo. If anything I think it's made it darker, haha. Anyways I'm about to go in for laser treatment so my advice for everyone is stay away from [Tat B Gone]."
Fading with Saline
Some tattoo artists can fade a tattoo by “tattooing” (not injecting) saline solution into the area where the old ink resides. This is most effective with older tattoos, and is not a reliable method for tattoo removal. However, sometimes this can be done to fade a tattoo and make it easier to cover it up with a new tattoo. There is some controversy among tattoo artists as to the effectiveness of this technique, but it poses no harm to the client and is worth a try for someone wanting to lighten an existing tattoo. Finding an artist that does this, however, may be difficult.
Cover-up - An Alternative to Removal
If you have a tattoo you just don’t like, there is an alternative to having it removed – and it’s much less painful and a lot less expensive. It’s called a cover-up, and that’s exactly what it is. A cover-up is simply having an old tattoo covered up with a new tattoo. Many tattoo artists are becoming quite skilled in doing cover-up jobs, and can help you come up with a design that you will be much happier to live with. The price is usually just the price of a regular tattoo, and when done correctly your old tattoo will be completely invisible, reduced to a memory.
There are limits to cover-ups. You can’t cover something black with something yellow. A very dark tattoo will need to be covered with something dark. Areas with ink on them obviously need to be covered, so a design with too many spaces and blank areas may not work. But, with a talented cover-up artist, you can end up with a cover-up tattoo that looks as killer as these!
If you’re looking to get a tattoo covered up, it’s important that you find a tattoo artist who has experience in doing them and can prove it with examples in his/her portfolio. Once a tattoo has been covered up, it’s very difficult – if not nearly impossible – to cover it up again if it’s not done right.

