insideKENT Magazine Issue 68 - November 2017 | Page 122

HEALTH+WELLNESS
BELLA VOU
Q&A
YOUR COSMETIC PROCEDURE
QUESTIONS ANSWERED BY
MR AMIR NAKHDJEVANI OF
BELLA VOU, TUNBRIDGE WELLS.
QUESTION:
"Now that winter's here and I
won't be showing off so much
skin, I think it's the perfect
time to look into tattoo
removal. What does this
procedure entail, and how long
will it take before I can show
off my skin again?"
ANSWER:
the skin is needed around the tattoo, as it would need to be possible to
cut around the tattoo and draw the cut skin edges together with stitches.
Depending on the tattoo, surgical tattoo removal will normally remove
the artwork completely, leaving a small scar that will fade over time.
STAGED TATTOO REMOVAL
Where removal of the whole tattoo would leave a gap in your skin, and
fail to be drawn together very easily with stitches, then staged surgery
can be used. A comfortable amount of the tattoo is removed to allow
stitching of the wound. Once you have recovered from that surgery,
the skin would have stretched enough to allow another portion of the
tattoo to be removed.
When people decide to get a
tattoo, they are so often told ‘you
will regret it later in life’. Although
some people continue to love
their tattoos, many people do
come to regret them.
Like everything else, tattoos
follow trends and if that tribal
design that once seemed so cool
is no longer popular then you
may be left wondering why you
didn’t listen. One thing none of us want to see is a constant reminder
of the past permanently fixed on our skin. If you feel like you constantly
have to hide your body ink under layers of clothing then tattoo removal
may be for you.
So what surgical options are there for permanent Tattoo Removal?
LASER REMOVAL
SKIN GRAFTING/FLAP RECONSTRUCTION AFTER TATTOO REMOVAL
This form of surgery is used as an alternative to staged tattoo removal,
and involves taking a skin graft from another area of your body, which
is used to fill in a gap that cannot be drawn together with stitches.
In the past, once you made the decision to get a tattoo it would pretty
much be a lifelong commitment. However, advances in medical
technology over recent years mean that laser treatments that specifically
target tattoo removal are available. If the area is too large or the graft would not give aesthetically acceptable
results, then a skin flap procedure can be used, which involves taking
the skin and underlying fat and muscle and moving it to the site where
the tattoo has been removed.
Although lasers can be effective, the downside is that they can leave
scarring or not fully remove the tattoo. They can also damage your
skin's pigmentation leaving a white shadow of the tattoo design behind.
The lasers can also have extreme difficulty in removing certain tattoo
colours, such as reds and greens, although they are more effective for
black pigment. Laser removal also takes a long time to deliver results
and typically 10 to 12 sessions may be required. Tattoo removal specialists at Bella Vou offer both a safe yet effective
tattoo removal treatment. So if you are tired of hiding away and want
to forget the past and move on into the future, then contact Bella Vou
to discuss your options: www.bellavou.co.uk/body/tattoo-removal/
Bella Vou Pantiles Clinic
SINGLE OPERATION TATTOO REMOVAL
Depending on the size, shape and position of the tattoo it can be possible
to surgically remove the tattoo with one single operation. Flexibility in
122
45-47 The Pantiles / Tunbridge Wells / TN2 5TE / 01892 257357
Bellavou
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