Tattoo Removal Methods

There are several different methods for tattoo removal nowadays. In the late 1980's laser treatments have become the most popular and it is still the best method to remove tattoos without any scars. Before laser treatment was used, one or more of the below explained removal methods had to be used for removal which were often painful and scar including surgeries.
Dermabrasion

This is a method where the skin is being "sanded" with a wire brush or diamond fraise, a type of sanding disc, to remove the surface layer (Epidermis) and also parts of the Dermis, the layer where the tattoo is imbedded. This process may leave scars.
Salabrasion

A salt solution is used to remove the pigment. It is sometimes used in conjunction with dermabrasion, but has become less common.
Cryosurgery

In this method the area the tattoo was placed is frozen prior to it's removal.
Excision

This was the most common method prior to laser surgery. A dermatologist removes the tattoo with a scalpel and closes the wound again with stitches. If larger tattoos had been involved, a skin graft had to be taken from another part of the body to cover up the removed area.
Scarification

Involves removing the tattoo with an acid solution and creating a scar in its place.
Camouflaging

Injections with new pigments either to form a new pattern or cover a tattoo with skin-toned pigments are used to cover the tattoo. Please note that injected pigments tend not to look natural because they lack the skin's natural translucence.

This methods above are still used today in certain cases but laser surgery has become the standard treatment for tattoo removal. Laser treatments offer a bloodless, low risk, effective alternative with minimal side effects.

http://tattoojoy.com/tattoo_articles/tattoo_removal_methods.htm

Origins of Tattoos

Believe it or not but most scientist believe the origins of tattoos date back to about 3300 B.C. They believe that certain marks found on the skin of the "?TZI", a mummified body of an iceman found in the italian alps, were considered tattoos back in his days. If their acceptance is true, these marks on his body represent the earliest known evidence for tattoos in history. All we know for sure up until now is, there are tattoos found on Egyptian and Nubian mummies dating from about 2000 B.C. Classical authors also mention the use of tattoos in ancient societies like the old Greeks, Germans, Britons, Romans and Gauls.

The tattoos we know nowadays were discovered by Europeans while exploring north america and the south seas of the pacific ocean. Their first contact with cultures like the American Indians and Polynesians also were the first contact of so called "civilized" people with tattoos. The word tattoo was first mentioned in James Cook's records from his 1769 journey to the south seas. The natives of Tahiti, this is were Cook's expedition went to, called the marks on their bodies TATTAU which was translated into TATTOO by Cook. Due to their exotic appearance, tattooed Indians and Polynesians where showcased at circuses and fairs during the 18th and 19th century all over Europe and the US.

http://tattoojoy.com/tattoo_articles/origins_of_tattoos.htm

Early Tattooing Methods

Different cultures developed a vast variety of different tattooing methods.

In many North and South American Indian tribes the tattoos were applied by simple pricking. Other tribes simply rubbed color, mostly made out of ash into scratches they carved into their skin and many Arctic and Subarctic tribes mostly Intuit.

Some tribes in eastern Siberia made needle punctures through the skin, and a thread was drawn under the skin coated with pigment to apply the color.

In Polynesia and Micronesia the pigment was pricked into the skin by tapping on a tool shaped like a small rake. A similar method is still used today by famous tattoo artists in Asia and other different countries. It still is almost the same procedure than it was 300 years ago, except for the sterilizing, and it is considered a honor to receive a tattoo that way by a Japanese Tattoo Master.

The Maoris of New Zealand, who are probably the most famous people in the world for their tattooing, used the same technique for tattooing as they used to carve wood. A small bone cutting tool was used, to carve shallow, colored grooves in complex designs on face and buttocks, by striking it into the skin.

In the 1700s, after the Europeans arrived and introduced metal to the natives, the Maoris began using the metal settlers brought for a more conventional style of puncture tattooing.

http://tattoojoy.com/tattoo_articles/early_tattooing_methods.htm