After my recent break-up with my long term boyfriend, I decided that instead of feeling bad for myself I would reflect on the things I was thankful for. Number one: I didn’t get that tattoo of a heart with his name in it.

Not all of us are this lucky.  If a wild night in Las Vegas has left you with a winking smiley face on your backside…Or if you’ve recently learned of the toxins in tattoo ink, and want to safely remove yours—I have some good news—there are now eco-friendly means to get rid of that unwanted tattoo.  

Typically, doctors use laser surgery to remove a tattoo. To avoid scarring, they must keep your skin 70 degrees or cooler.  They previously used a chemical called tetrafluoroethane to keep skin temperature down. Unfortunately, tetrafluoroethane is very toxic, greenhouse gas which has a lasting impact on the environment.

A carbon dioxide spray has been introduced as an alternative. Unlike the tetrafluoroethane, CO2 is dry ice spray that cools the skin before turning into gas, making it much better for the ozone layer.

So while we all make mistakes, at least we now have eco-friendly means of righting those wrongs.