Tattoo Removal

Tat B Gone Tattoo Fading Cream

Does Tat B Gone remove tattoos safely, painlessly, cheaply and completely? And, does the company stand behind their product: can you get your money back if you are not completely satisfied?

The first question is difficult to determine by doing a simple Google search because there is so much conflicting evidence. After countless searches and the frustrating lack of a definitive answer, the question becomes: Who do you believe?

I found the customer reviews of Tat B Gone on Amazon to be interesting. When I checked on May 20, 2010, there were a total of twelve reviews of the Tat B Gone products that Amazon offers. On a scale of 1 to 5, the results were: 3 fives, 1 four and 8 ones. Those are pretty damning results in and of themselves, but Tat B Gone fares even worse when you take a closer look.

For one thing, such extremes of opinion are unusual to say the least, but stranger still, the positive reviews had a bit too much in common–almost as if the people who wrote them had been told which points to stress (i.e. Tat B Gone works great if you stick with it, and anyway, it’s cheaper and more effective than laser treatments).

Then I noticed the strangest thing of all: a sponsored link paid for by the “Tattoo Removal Institute.org.” It’s strange enough that a dot org–supposedly a nonprofit organization–would be paying to advertise on Amazon.com, but upon further investigation, the plot only thickens. The website of this “institute,” supposedly headed by the generically named “Dr. Steven Hammond” (there are no other names given, but there are what appear to be stock photos of three uncommonly good looking doctors) provides its visitors with ratings of different tattoo removal methods. Their conclusion:

“The Fade Away Method is the only method that we know of that does not scar, cause a permanent change in pigment, or cut into the skin. With this method you do not have to worry about post-treatment infection or irreversible damage to your skin. Only patience is needed.”

So, the Tattoo Removal Institute’s recommended method of removal is fading creams, and which tattoo fading cream do they recommend? Well, they provide a link to a press release for Tat B Gone, which in turn has a direct link to the Tat B Gone website, and according to their “Tattoo Removal Comparison Guide,” Tat B Gone rates “superior” in every category but one, in which it is merely “excellent.”

The only other product they rate as highly is one called Tattoo-OFF. The only difference in their ratings is that Tat B Gone falls to “excellent” in the “Cost Effectiveness” category, while Tattoo-OFF gets it’s own relatively low mark in the category, “Formulated to Erase Colored Tattoos. ” What’s interesting is that the packaging of the two products is strikingly similar. I would hazard a guess that they are made by the same company to appeal to two different types of customer: those who don’t mind paying a little extra for quality; and those who are more concerned with cost performance.

Here’s an interesting experiment. Do a Google search for “Tat B Gone” or “tattoo fading cream” and have a look at the sponsored links on the right side of the search results. I’m pretty sure you will find a sponsored link with this url: “www.tattooremovalinstitute.org” I don’t know about you, but that’s the kind of thing that makes me go “hmmm.” Or, for an exercise in futility, try googling “Dr. Steven Hammond” and see if you can find anyone resembling a dermatologist with that name.

But, the fact that Tat B Gone seems to have planted positive reviews of their products in the search results speaks more to a lack of scruples and business ethics than to the actual effectiveness of their product. The only trial of Tat B Gone’s performance done by a reputable and unbiased third party that I could find on the web is one done by a Dr. Andrew Pollack at the Philadelphia Institute of Dermatology and reported on by WPVI-TV Philadelphia. Two women each used Tat B Gone on one half of a tattoo they wanted removed, and had laser treatments on the other half. One of the subjects developed a rash after using Tat B gone, and was advised by the doctor to stop using it. On the other hand, she was able to achieve significant fading of her tattoo after two laser treatments. The other subject also experienced satisfactory results on the half of her tattoo treated with lasers, but saw no visible results on the half treated with Tat B Gone.

Is Tat B Gone guaranteed?

As for a money back guarantee, Tat B Gone seems to have recently changed their policy on this. This is what it says on the website:

“After almost 10 successful years on the market, customer satisfaction is so high we decided to offer a 100% money back guarantee minus shipping charges.

Place your order for Tat B Gone and in the comment section write a short description of the tattoo(s) you will be treating. Use Tat B Gone for a minimum of 6 months and if you are not satisfied just email a before and after photo of the tattoo you are treating and a short reason why you are not satisfied. We will then issue you a return authorization number and will credit you back in full the purchase price minus shipping. All orders with free shipping will be charged $14.95 USA and Canada, all others $19.95. Guarantee valid on all orders dated after May 12, 2010.”
But on the frequently asked questions page, it says this:

“TBG has been proven to be highly effective. Our studies show that over 95% of TBG users achieve SATISFYING RESULTS, but some situations require a longer treatment period. Because of this and contamination concerns, (we cannot ensure the integrity of product that has out from our control) we are unable to accept returns or offer an unconditional guarantee.  We know of no serious medical treatment, prescription, or even laser treatment that offers an unconditional guarantee.”

That’s rather contradictory isn’t it? But it does seem that they offer a conditional guarantee. As long as you plan ahead and describe the tattoo you want to remove when you buy their product, take before and after pictures, and they accept your reason for wanting a refund, you can get one–minus shipping, even if there was no shipping charge. Of course it’s impossible to find any feedback from customers as to whether Tat B Gone honors the money back guarantee as it’s a new policy.

Conclusion:

It’s difficult to give completely clear answers to questions concerning both the efficacy of Tat B Gone tattoo fading cream and the ability of consumers to try it “risk free.” Be that as it may , It seems to me that by creating the obviously fake “Tattoo Removal Institute” in order to underhandedly advertise its products, Tat B Gone has made it plain to see it is an organization that is lacking in scruples and business ethics. Add to that the fact that there are no details available on the Tat B Gone website (or anyplace else for that matter) about the ingredients of their creams or identities of the people running the company, and I can’t help but conclude that Tat B Gone would be a risky purchase indeed and more than likely turn out to be nothing more than a waste of your time and money.

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