Cosmetic surgery tattoo removal is a process that removes (or lessens) substances such as ink or objects embedded in the skin due to trauma.

There are multiple ways tattoos may be removed from the skin. Lasers, minor surgery, dermabrasion and saline injection are just a few examples.

Laser removal for tattooing is breaking up of ink or other articles implanted in the skin. Different types of lasers are used with the type depending on the color of ink the tattoo is made of. The laser blast lasts micro-seconds and takes out the pigment in short bursts. The number of laser bursts to remove a small tattoo is approximately 200.

Intense Pulsed Light for cosmetic tattoo removal is the same as laser tattoo removal only using pulsed light as opposed to lasers. Different tattooing styles and colors determine what kind of equipment will be used to remove the tattoo. A numbing agent is used on the area to be worked on, and a light pulse aide, such as a prism, will be placed over the area to be worked on. The first tattoo treatment is usually fairly mild, with following treatments of a more intense value. This is to let the skin and the patient adjust to the procedure.

Dermabrasion is the kind of cosmetic tattoo removal that employs medical sandpaper. Tattoos can be removed by a physician who uses the paper and rubs the tattoo off layer by layer. Dermabrasion can be used as the only source of tattoo removal, or it can be used in conjuction with other techniques as well. A local numbing agent is used for this procedure, as it can be uncomfortable.

For small tattoos the type of removal may be an Exicision. This method involves having the tattoo surgically removed and the place where the tattoo was imprinted sutured up. This method leaves scarring but the results of this method are instant and is fairly inexpensive. A numbing agent is used and a fine sandpaper is used to buff out the tattoo before removal.

Injections of anesthetic and saline solution can be shot under the skin to break of the ink material lodged in the dermis. This allows that tattoo to fade and become blurry, allowing for a cover up tattoo or for another procedure such as dermabrasion to take place.