There are various ways to remove tattoos, the main 3 being:

* Laser treatment is one of the most common methods. Different wavelengths of light are used for different pigments. The laser beam passes through the skin and is absorbed by the ink. This causes the ink to break down so that it can be removed by the body's lymphatic system.

* If the tattoo is too deep for laser treatment, or is quite small in size, the skin with the pigment can be cut away and the edges sewn together to close the wound.

If the tattoo is too large for the wound to be closed with sutures, it is sometimes possible for a piece of skin from another part of the body to be grafted onto the site. Unfortunately, this causes two scars - at the site of the tattoo and at the site of the 'donated' skin, although it is usually taken from an area of the body that is not normally exposed. The scars should settle and fade over time, and further surgery is sometimes possible to further minimise the scar.

* Dermabrasion literally rubs the tattooed skin away with an abrasive tool, over a series of treatments. If the tattoo is deep, a skin graft may also be necessary to 'level out' the surface of the skin.