This Documentary Exposes the Reality of Tattoo Removal

If You’re Considering Getting a Tattoo Removed, You Need to See This Film Tattoo culture has made its way to the center of the mainstream world, although you most likely…

If You’re Considering Getting a Tattoo Removed, You Need to See This Film

Tattoo culture has made its way to the center of the mainstream world, although you most likely don’t need me to tell you that. From magazines that can be found at your local bookstore to television shows that take in millions of viewers—tattooing is literally everywhere. The influx of tattoo culture into the mainstream world and the rise of social media have allowed everyday folk to build an understanding of tattooing, even if that understanding is extremely basic. Most everyone who has seen a tattoo during their lifetime knows that it is permanent and that there isn’t a miracle product on the market today to make that piece of art instantly go away.

The tattoo removal process that we know today is still a developing process and considering the hundreds of years that human beings have created tattoos, it is an extremely recent history. Tattoo removal once required scraping away the top layers of skin with an abrasive substance, cutting out the tattoo, or freezing the tattoo for microdermabrasion. In 1967, Dr. Leon Goldman used the first laser to remove a tattoo and since then tattoo removal specialists have acquired different techniques and technologies to improve the process.

One of the biggest misconceptions that people have about tattoo removal is the timespan. Many people think that the process of getting a tattoo removed is comparable to the time it took to get the tattoo, but this simply isn’t the case. Tattoo removal takes several sessions to complete and a tattoo that took 10 minutes to tattoo could take 10 sessions to erase. Additionally, there are physical, financial, and mental consequences that go into tattoo removal that the general public is not taught about.

The lack of representation of the tattoo removal process is what inspired Jacob Tillman to create the documentary, D’Inked. In the film, Tillman shares the three-year process of removing a half sleeve and includes interviews about the industry with both tattoo artists and tattoo removal specialists. He takes audiences on a journey through the different stages of removing his ink and this film is a must watch for those who either have regrettable ink or plan to get a tattoo in the future.