TATTOO REMOVAL IS LIKELY TO BE DIFFICULT

Twelve years ago, when I was just 18, I did a very foolish thing. I had a small tattoo put on my . Now that I’m married (my husband hates it), I want desperately to have it removed. Is there any way to have this tattoo removed permanently?

Tattoos may be removed by a number of surgical procedures, none of which are completely satisfactory, since tattoo pigment extends deep into the skin and scarring will likely result from any method of removal. Small tattoos, such as yours, are often best removed by surgical incision that will leave minimal scarring. There are, however, a few other methods that should give reasonable results.

Dermabrasion (a procedure that removes the upper layers of skin), while it may remove the tattoo, is not a very satisfactory means of removal since the area treated will usually remain hairless and be a different color than that of surrounding skin.

Salabrasion is a technique that makes use of ordinary table salt, though it should not be attempted at home because of the possibility of infection. In this method, the physician rubs salt over the tattoo until the skin becomes irritated. The irritation produced sets up an inflammatory reaction, causing certain cells to pick up the tattoo pigment and work their way to the skin’s surface. One treatment is usually adequate, though it may be several days before the tattoo fades.

Laser therapy – used only for those tattoos that cannot be treated by surgical means – has been used for the last several years as an investigative treatment for tattoo removal. The tattoo is burned by the laser then crusts, after which it heals, leaving some scarring. While the results of investigative studies have been good, it is important to stress that laser treatments are currently conducted only in a few research centres, and patients must be referred by a physician.

I always use a cover stick under my eyes to hide the dark circles. The problem is, the mascara on my lower lashes leaves little dark smudges where my lashes touch the cover cream when I blink or look down. What can I do to keep this from happening? After you apply cover cream, dust the area lightly with loose powder on a sable brush, taking care to brush away any excess powder. This will dry and set the cover cream, and prevent your lashes from leaving dots and smudges under your eyes.

My hair is fine, in good condition, and takes a perm well. I have never thought it necessary to have an expensive perm. However, occasionally a small clump of hair breaks off at the roots after a perm. I understand that winding the hair too tightly causes it to break, although my new hairdresser says that too much ammonia in the perm solution is also hard on the hair, and that cheaper solutions contain more ammonia. Are cheap perms likely to cause this type of breakage? Both you and your hairdresser are correct in your assessments of the problem. However, because fine hair such as yours usually resists permanent waving, a fairly strong perm solution is required – one containing thioglycolic acid and ammonium hydroxide. Thus, damage to your hair such as you describe is most likely caused by over-processing – leaving the solution on longer than is necessary even for your fine hair. These are some questions I’d appreciate knowing the answers to: Is it harmful to nails to wear nail polish continually? Which is the most gentle polish remover? Which type of nail file is best for the nails? No, it is not harmful to wear nail polish continually. In fact, wearing polish helps strengthen nails by making them thicker and more resistant to splits and breaks.

All nail polish removers are extremely drying, but least drying are those containing oil or “conditioners.” Cutex makes both oily and conditioning polish removers.

Contrary to popular belief, there is absolutely no inherent difference between metal nail files and wooden emery boards. Both are equally effective. I’ve been using henna on my hair for the last two years. Apparently, you can add highlights to the basic color of henna by adding certain ingredients. Can you tell me what these ingredients are? There are three things you can add to henna to subtly alter the basic color: To tone down black henna and make the color less severe, substitute strong coffee for the required water.

A mixture of one-fourth red henna and three-fourths camomile will give a warm chestnut color to fading brown hair. Add blond highlights to mousy brown hair by adding the juice of one lemon to light brown henna.