Tattoo removal expert reveals all as Charlotte Crosby undergoes laser treatment

A TV personality has undergone laser tattoo removal in a bid to move on from her ex partner.

Charlotte Crosby is eager to remove all ink related to her ex-boyfriend Mitch Jenkins after the two split in 2015.

The former Geordie Shore star took to social media to document the treatment last week.

It saw the laser trace the unwanted ‘M’ initial tattooed on her upper arm.

The 27-year-old took to social media site Instagram to broadcast the treatment, informing her followers that the tattoo is now ‘almost gone’.

Tattoo removal expert and micro-pigmentation practitioner Anouska Cassano says she has seen many patients who gravely regret their choice of ink.

‘Sometimes it's instant but, for others, it takes years before an individual regrets a tattoo choice. This might be a change of career, an ex-partner’s name or a change of heart,’ she says.

And she points out that laser treatment is not the only option available – removal creams, chemical removal and dry needling can also be opted for.

Anouska adds that there is no simple treatment when it comes to removing body art.

‘Whichever method you choose, there is no "easy way" to remove a tattoo,’ she says.

‘It will be costly, take time and in most cases involve a degree of pain and risk.

There are things that can reduce the pain such as topical anesthetic. Discuss this with your practitioner to ensure it won't interfere with treatment or recovery.’

Laser tattoo removal starts from £50 to £300 per session – with large multi-coloured tattoos likely to reach four figures for the total cost.

It works by using light to pass through the skin and break up the ink into small particles.

Alternatively, tattoo removal creams can reduce the visibility of the ink. Anouska says: ‘The results are variable as the cream is applied topically and won't go deep enough into the skin where the ink is.’

For more squeamish patients, dry needling is a gentler substitute.

‘This method works on the basis of triggering a trauma response by injecting an irritant (saline solution) at the correct depth, which will cause a healing response to push out the foreign matter – ultimately fading the tattoo,’ says Anouska.

And chemical tattoo removal works by using an acid or alkaline solution to enforce a ‘controlled chemical burn’.

But Anouska warns that this method is particularly high risk when it comes to infection and scarring following treatment.

She adds: ‘There are some key questions to ask yourself when getting a tattoo. Firstly, will the position of the tattoo potentially stop me from working in the future? And secondly, I may be in love now, but if things change how would having this tattoo impact me or future relationship?’