Tattoo Repair on a Budget

August 16, 2016 4:24 PM

Is there a cost-effective way to get a tiny bit of ink removed?

I have a tattoo on my forearm - THAT I LOVE! But...it was my first and there is a tiny problem I did not catch 'cause i was nervous. The artist made a stencil from a piece of art i provided. the artist's image software (i dunno what) auto-corrected (auto-incorrected) a bit of spanish text to have an accent where none is supposed to be. I did not notice at the time, and approved it and got inked.

Now that it has been pointed out to me, I am compelled to get it fixed. Tattoo removal fees are like "$100 per sq inch, 3 sq inch min".

Which is crazy. Right? I mean i need less than a sq mm dealt with.

Who has a suggestion?

(I've thought of just doing some home-surgery, but cutting it out would just leave a scar-accent instead of an ink-accent)

posted by j_curiouser to Health & Fitness (6 answers total)

Could you get it covered up or blended in to the larger piece instead? More ink is probably gonna be a lot cheaper and more reasonable than tattoo removal for that small an area.
posted by Itaxpica at 4:33 PM on August 16, 2016

Have you actually made calls to tattoo removal places? Or just cruising google for ballparks? Try calling around, someone may be willing to work with you.
posted by phunniemee at 5:28 PM on August 16, 2016

Phunniemee has the right idea in that you should definitely call the removal places. Also consider calling doctors and explaining what a tiny correction you need. It is often more effective to speak to an actual person than to consult a website.
posted by defreckled at 6:38 PM on August 16, 2016

There are constantly groupons for tattoo removal. However, you might want to not pay for the Groupon until you get a removal specialist to give you a sense of how long it will take and at what cost. The color of the ink and your skin matters a lot, I learned. Also the frequency of visits may matter if the locations isn't easy for you to get to.
Tl;dr, just get a quote!
posted by k8t at 8:33 PM on August 16, 2016

The quotes I've seen for tattoo removal are around $100/ square inch per session, but never with a minimum. Definitely call around.
posted by third word on a random page at 3:30 AM on August 17, 2016

One tattoo shop I've gone to offers this new form of non-laser tattoo removal. I haven't experienced it and don't need it myself, but when I first heard about it I was so intrigued that I read a lot about it. It sounds like it might be perfect for your situation.
posted by misskaz at 6:56 AM on August 17, 2016