The dark colored picture worn on the arm, the neck or any other part of the body appears to be the coolest thing to have too. Irrespective of the pain it involves, or the impression it may give to the world at large- it becomes a fixation or a wish that has to be instantaneously fulfilled. But it remains one of the instantly gratified decisions that are regretted and need to be reversed in many cases. Removing a tattoo is far more painful than getting one in the first place. Its charm worn out, the need to get it removed becomes intense, and various alternatives are researched before deciding on which one to go for.

Some of the most popular methods adopted for tattoo removal include excision, dermabrasion and lasers. Excision tattoo removal is a simple method involving cutting the skin, is highly effective for removing tattoos. A small tattoo is the easiest to remove and also the least painful since it requires a very simple surgical incision to cut out the tattooed part of the skin. Though this may work for bigger ones as well, but that may require multiple cuts and stitches and a long waiting period between the healing of stitches, each time the procedure is carried out. Since the procedure would lead to multiple cuts, a skin graft from another part of the body may have to be carried out to cover the area. It is for this reason that excision is recommended for small tattoos for which it is neither time consuming and nor is it likely to leave a scar with the latest stitching techniques applied.

The excision process for small tattoos involves the following steps:

1. Cleaning the tattoo are and injecting it with an anesthetic to make it numb
2. Cutting the skin are where the tattoo ink has been injected, which almost always includes the two top skin layers-the dermis and the epidermis
3. Cleaning the area again before stitching up the two ends with special sutures that do not leave a mark.
4. The wound has to be kept clean till it dries
5. The mark left by the sutures will fade away over time

The process is simple, effective and inexpensive, costing as little as $100. The price varies with the size of the tattoo, and if it has been made by an amateur and is not well done, it may take more time and money. Professionally made tattoos have an even spread of ink and are easiest to remove as well. The excision procedure must ideally be done by an experienced surgeon since he would be able to do the best job and minimize blood loss with the use of electrocautery, a process of sealing blood vessels in the area by heating, and his neat stitching would leave the skin scar free upon healing. Such procedures carried out by experienced medical experts minimize the risk of infections, reactions and other possible complications.