Regret That Tat? Try Skin Grafting

Read more about this process and how it works.

Pharrell and Skin Grafting - When famed music producer and singer Pharrell began the process of getting his many tattoos removed, he tried a revolutionary process called skin grafting. Read more about this process, how it works and other forms of tat removal. —Kellee Terrell(Photo: Robert Keshishian/ London Entertainment/ Splash News)

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Pharrell and Skin Grafting - When famed music producer and singer Pharrell began the process of getting his many tattoos removed, he tried a revolutionary process called skin grafting. Read more about this process, how it works and other forms of tat removal. —Kellee Terrell(Photo: Robert Keshishian/ London Entertainment/ Splash News)

Tony Hansberry Jr.  - Whiz kid Tony Hansberry Jr., 18, was a student at Darnell Cookman School of Medical Arts when he developed a technique that reduces the surgical time for hysterectomies. Hansberry’s method proved to be three times faster than the traditional method. In 2009, Hansberry, age 15 at the time, demonstrated his technique to a large assembly of doctors and surgeons as part of the University of Florida’s medical education week. (Photo: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/GettyImages)

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What Is Skin Grafting? - Done under general anesthesia, the process involves taking healthy skin from one area of the body and using it to cover up a tattoo. Most times the skin is taken from a thicker body part such as the thighs and the rear. The process is very painful.  (Photo: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/GettyImages)

How Does It Work? - Once you give the docs your sample, they grow the skin in a lab. The skin is sewn over the areas that need to be covered up. In time, the skin heals and it grows to look like your normal skin, but there is a high risk for scarring. Skin grafting may take numerous procedures to work.  (Photo: REUTERS/Gareth Watkins /Landov)

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How Does It Work? - Once you give the docs your sample, they grow the skin in a lab. The skin is sewn over the areas that need to be covered up. In time, the skin heals and it grows to look like your normal skin, but there is a high risk for scarring. Skin grafting may take numerous procedures to work.  (Photo: REUTERS/Gareth Watkins /Landov)

Complications to Grafting - Healing time depends on the color of the tattoos and their size. It can also take longer if you have diabetes or other illnesses that impact your immune system. There is also a high risk of infection, so you have to monitor the wounds carefully. There is also a chance that your body might reject the skin. (Photo: Michael Rowe/Getty Images)

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Complications to Grafting - Healing time depends on the color of the tattoos and their size. It can also take longer if you have diabetes or other illnesses that impact your immune system. There is also a high risk of infection, so you have to monitor the wounds carefully. There is also a chance that your body might reject the skin. (Photo: Michael Rowe/Getty Images)

Why This Method? - There are other forms to remove your tattoos (surgery, laser removal, etc), but if your tattoo is very large or is made up of a lot of colored ink, these methods may not help remove your tat. This is where skin grafting can make of all the difference. (Photo: Tim Johnson/ MCT /LANDOV)

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Why This Method? - There are other forms to remove your tattoos (surgery, laser removal, etc), but if your tattoo is very large or is made up of a lot of colored ink, these methods may not help remove your tat. This is where skin grafting can make of all the difference. (Photo: Tim Johnson/ MCT /LANDOV)

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How Much It Costs - Skin grafting is the most expensive form of tattoo removal and can cost thousands of dollars.  (Photo: LaCoppola-Meier/Getty Images)

Laser Removal - This form of removal uses a laser that transports intense light on a tattoo in hopes to break up the ink over time and disappear. It can be painful, but the procedure only lasts a few minutes. Most people need numerous laser treatments. Infection, hyper-pigmentation and scarring are side effects.  (Photo: Jose CABEZAS/AFP/Getty Images)

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Laser Removal - This form of removal uses a laser that transports intense light on a tattoo in hopes to break up the ink over time and disappear. It can be painful, but the procedure only lasts a few minutes. Most people need numerous laser treatments. Infection, hyper-pigmentation and scarring are side effects.  (Photo: Jose CABEZAS/AFP/Getty Images)

Dermabrasion - Dermabrasion is the process of scraping the skin’s surface in order to grow new layers of skin underneath. When it comes to tattoo removal, you might have to have some type of anesthesia because it can be painful.  (Photo: Jessica Rinaldi for The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

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Dermabrasion - Dermabrasion is the process of scraping the skin’s surface in order to grow new layers of skin underneath. When it comes to tattoo removal, you might have to have some type of anesthesia because it can be painful.  (Photo: Jessica Rinaldi for The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

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Surgical Removal - This is when the surgeon uses a scalpel to cut away the tattoo. This procedure is best for smaller tattoos and sometimes skin grafting can be used to cover the removal of the tattoo. The procedure can cost anywhere from a few hundred dollars to thousands of dollars.  (Photo: uchar/Getty Images)