Tattoos can often be a case of ink now, regret later. Extracting the dye from the skin has usually been a painful process. However, cosmetic surgeons are now offering what they say is a more efficient and less painful way of removing body art.

A cream called Rejuvi can be injected into the skin in much the same way as the ink is injected into the top layers of the epidermis to create the tattoo. The Rejuvi is absorbed by the pigmented cells and bonds with the pigment. This softens the ink and pushes it to the surface of the skin where it forms a scab.

The technique was first pioneered in the U.S. but until recently the only way of using the cream was forcing it into the skin which had a ‘cheese grater’ effect on the skin. Now a new micropigmentation gun can apply cream under the surface of the skin without scarring.

Previously the most popular method of removal in the UK has been laser treatment which breaks up the tattoo pigment in the skin, flushing the particles away through the immune system. However, it can take several treatments and some complain the ink never completely fades.

Other treatments include a skin peeling acid or dermabrasion which involves freezing the skin and sloughing it off with a rotary tool. It can lead to scarring and even a skin graft. Some tattoos are surgically cut out but only when they are too deep to be treated with laser dailymail