The Ultimate Tattoo Removal Quiz

Experts say having the name of a formerly special person taken off someone's flesh is the most common type of removed tattoo.

Before lasers came into use in the 1980s, dermabrasion was one of three main (and painful) methods of getting rid of a tattoo.

Some dermatologic surgeons volunteer their time to remove gang tattoos on people who've made it out of the thug life.

Generally, the deeper the tattoo, the harder it is to remove.Factors like the tattoo's age, the type of pigment used, the size and loca­tion also contribute to the ease or difficulty in tattoo removal.

The laser emits bursts of concentrated light that selectively target the pigment, breaking it up into small fragments. The residual fragments are cleaned up by cells in the body.

Laser removal isn't pain-free, but compared to having a tattoo sanded off, it's a breeze. To some, it feels like being snapped with a small rubber band. Others compare it to small flecks of hot grease splattering the skin.

Different pigments call for different lasers, based on the frequency of their pulses. These frequencies are called Q-switching.

Yellow and green pigments are the hardest to remove; blue and black are the easiest to remove.

Traumatic tattoos are incurred as the result of an injury. Since they weren't receieved by choice, traumatic tattoo removal procedures are often covered by insurance.

Nearly 10 million Americans sport tattoos, and tattoo parlors are handling a lot of business. There are about 4,000 tattoo artists creating all of those millions of tattoos in the United States.