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 [2 favorites]

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 [1 favorite]

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 [1 favorite]

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 [1 favorite]

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 [2 favorites]