Archives for 2019

Home Tattoo Removal

Can a Tattoo be Removed at Home and is it Safe?

Tattoos were once considered permanent but it’s now possible to remove tattoos either fully or partially with various treatments. Some of these treatments are safe and reliable while other methods can be dangerous and ineffective.

This article will provide some of the common ways of removing tattoos, both using lasers and other methods that include home tattoo removal treatments. Each of these treatments come with risks and costs.

Common Reasons why People Decide to Remove a Tattoo

A poll conducted in January 2012 by Harris Interactive reported that 14% or 1 in 7 of the 21% of American adults who had a tattoo regret getting one. Of the respondents 20% stated that they were “too young when I got the tattoo”, 19% stated that “it’s permanent and I’m marked for life”, 18% said that they “no longer liked it”.

The most regrets came from those who got a tattoo when they were young and in their late teens or early twenties with half reporting that they suffered embarrassment. Common reasons why people change their mind can be a change of job, problems with clothes, or a significant life event causing someone to regret having the tattoo.

Also the type of tattoo can be an important factor as to why some people want a tattoo removed.

Gang tattoos can make it harder for an individual to find a job or tattoos signifying a relationship with a spouse, girlfriend or boyfriend can be a problem if the relationship comes to an end.

How Do Typical Laser Tattoo Removal Work?

Older laser removal methods involved continuous-wave lasers that used a high energy beam that ablated the target area, destroying surrounding tissue structures as well as tattoo ink. However this treatment tended to be more painful and likely to cause scarring.
The Gold standard of laser tattoo removal is Q switched Nd-YAG lasers as these lasers are more flexible and can target different colours of tattoo ink depending on the light absorption spectra of the tattoo pigments. The laser breaks down the tattoo pigment so that they can be absorbed by the body. It is one of the least invasive and safest way of removing tattoos, but the procedure can be costly and involve multiple sittings of usually 4-5 for complete clearance of the tattoo. While it is possible to see immediate results, in most cases the fading occurs gradually over the 7–8 week healing period between treatments. Q-switched lasers are reported by the National Institutes of Health to result in scarring only rarely. Areas with thin skin will be more likely to scar than thicker-skinned areas.

The success of even Q switched lasers depend on a number of factors, including the ink color, skin color and the depth at which the ink was applied. Dark colored ink, particularly black tattoo ink can be removed completely using Q-switched lasers while the lighter color such as green and yellow are still very difficult to remove.

Tattoo laser treatment can be expensive so not everyone can afford it which is why some have turned to procedures that can be performed by themselves and there are many websites offering various tattoo removal methods.

However are these safe?

Home Tattoo Removal

When it comes to Home tattoo removal or DIY tattoo removal there aren’t many options available that are safe or effective. You may have read some home tattoo removal methods online but these are rarely effective or can lead to infection or scarring. However, for small tattoos that aren’t too deep you can purchase.

Microdermabrasion
Home tattoo removal or DIY tattoo removal usually involves microdermabrasion rather than dermabrasion. Microdermabrasion is less invasive than and so can be performed without local anaesthesia at home.

Tattoo Removal Using Dermabrasion

A more cost-effective non-laser tattoo removal procedure is dermabrasion. Dermabrasion is an exfoliating technique that uses instruments that remove the outer layers of skin. Dermabrasion is not recommended if you suffer from burn scars, suffer from bleeding disorders or keloidal scars. It should be performed by someone trained and under local anaesthesia and for best results may involve more than one session.
[image here]
[Figure showing tattoo on the back of a patient after 3 sessions of dermabrasion]

Dermabrasion stimulate the production and growth of new skin tissue. The healing process after dermabrasion usually takes about two weeks after the procedure, but some redness may persist up to three months You may experience a temporary burning sensation, redness including swelling and itching after the procedure. You can expect some bruising and swelling following the treatment, and some bleeding and weeping from the wounds. You will experience quite a lot of pain and the area is left feeling numb or with a tingling sensation. You should take great care to avoid infection which can occur after the top layers of the skin have been removed.

In a study conducted by J Muhammad, male patients with decorative skin tattoos who underwent layered dermabrasion, the success rate was remarkable with high satisfaction rate by all patients with post-operative hypertrophic scarring rate less than 9%.

Unfortunately, sometimes permanent scaring can sometimes occur, and if you have a darker skin color you may experience discolouration of the skin. However, Dermabrasion if done with adequate postoperative scar skin care treatment can result in complete removal of the tattoo with minimal scaring of the skin.

Salabrasian

With the mechanical or salabrasion method of tattoo removal, the incidence of scarring, pigmentary alteration (hyper- and hypopigmentation), and ink retention are extremely high

Conclusion

How to Flip Money Online, What is it and is it Legit?

How can I Flip Money, What is Money Flipping and is it Legit?

Like me you’ve probably been tempted by get rich schemes or quick ways of making money online which involve sending money to a stranger or investing your money in an online business and receiving a quick Return On Investment (ROI). These schemes usually target people who are struggling to make ends meet and need some extra money, fast.

However Money Flipping advertised through Social media sites such as Instagram, Twitter or Facebook are SCAMS. In this post I will discuss how the scam works and some legit ways of making money online that involve putting in some extra time and effort.

What is Money Flipping?

Flipping is a term used primarily in the United States to describe purchasing a revenue-generating asset and quickly reselling (or “flipping”) it for profit – usually real estate and initial public offerings (IPOs) which involves the sale of stock. This is perfectly legal.

However Money Flipping online usually refers to a scam involving social media. You’ve probably heard of the Nigerian Prince scam right? It’s similar to that and is one of a variety called an advance-fee scam. It usually involves promising the victim a share of a larger sum of money, in return for you sending a smaller up-front payment, which the scammer requires in order to obtain the larger sum.

How you Flip Cash Online

You may have seen their ads where money flipping is advertised on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook and offers to help you double or triple your money or even turn hundreds of dollars into thousands. If that sounds too good to be true, that’s because it is.

Scammers claiming you can flip money online may suggest you make a payment through Western Union, Money gram, or Paypal. Alternatively, they may try to obtain your banking details by getting you to visit a website. They usually entice you into separating with your money by showing you images of pretty women holding wads of cash or flashy cars complete with lots of fake testimonials about how easy it is to make money, or they will show you a fake video of someone who benefited from the scheme and is counting the cash.

They will often claim to take advantage of quirks in the monetary system to leverage additional cash or claim to be able to hack Western Union, Green Dot or Money gram and double or triple your cash by manipulating the amount of money in their computer system. Don’t fall for it.

If you agree to go along with the scheme, they may ask to contact you via telephone or whatsapp. Once the scammer has your card details or you’ve made the payment, you get un-friended or blocked on the social media platform, and all communication is lost. Your money gone.

There’s a new variation on the flipping money scam. In the past, the scammers asked you to send the initial payment via prepaid debit card or wire transfers. However nowadays the victim isn’t asked to send money but to instead mail their physical debit card to the scammer as well as their PIN, so that a check can be deposited into their account. They are told that they will receive a percentage of the money made from the check to compensate for their trouble.

If you send them your debit card, you will often see a large deposit in your account. This will be followed by a large withdrawal. Unfortunately, the deposited check is a fake and you are left owing the bank money when the check comes back as a fraud.

The BBB is one of several consumer-protection agencies warning of the scam. Authorities in several other states also have posted warnings about flipping cash. The National Consumer League also warns about the scam on their website at fraud.org.

Tips to Avoid Online Scams

Do a quick search of the service or scheme using a search engine and add the keyword scam to the end. For example, “Western Union Money Flip Scam”. You could also search their username and phone number. Chances are others have posted about the scam.
Do not respond to anyone asking for your bank account information or pin or someone who wants you to send them your debit card through the post. Also don’t send money to strangers using Western Union or Money gram.
Do not assume your friends are sharing or liking scam posts as their accounts may have been hacked.
Check out the company’s website and make sure the content is up to date, that they have a business registration number, licensing information and an actual address.
Don’t fall for easy or quick money-making schemes and remember that if it was that easy to make money online everyone would be doing it.
If you feel that you have been a victim of a scam you should file a complaint with fraud.org

Legit ways of Flipping Money Online

Hopefully by now you realize that earning money online takes hard work and that there are no quick and easy ways of flipping money. Here are some ways of making money online that require some time and effort but will usually pay off in the end.

Domain Name Flipping
However you can still make money online by flipping website domain names. This can involve purchasing a website a sought-after domain name, holding on to it and selling it at a higher cost. To increase the value of the domain it can help to associate it with a website so that the domain has Doman Authority before reselling it. You can make a significant profit from doing this, but it takes time. A tip is to purchase short snappy domain names as these tend to sell for more. Also avoid domain names with hyphens as these are considered spammy.

Website Flipping
This is similar to Doman name Flipping except the emphasis is on the website traffic rather than the domain name itself. You want to choose run-down or low-quality websites that are already receiving some search engine traffic as this demonstrates that the website is not penalized by the search engines. You then want to increase the search engine traffic to the website and resell it for a profit.

Cryptocurrency
Another way of flipping cash is to invest in cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, and others to make a profit. Investing in cryptocurrencies has resulted in one of the highest return on investments ever. Had you invested only $10 in June 2011, your current ROI would approximate over 60,000%. That’s over $6,000 in just a few years. Perhaps instead of buying that luxury watch or pair of shoes, why not invest that money in cryptocurrency instead.
My advice would be to not invest more money than you’re willing to lose and to diversify your portfolio across multiple assets such as stocks, commodities, bank deposits etc.

Selling Products Online
You can sell products online whether it’s through eBay, Etsy or Amazon for a quick profit. You can start by selling some of your own possessions whether they be clothing, jewellery or household goods, and then move onto buying and selling profitable items to ‘flip’ for profit. This is known as retail arbitrage and it is surprisingly lucrative. These are typically sold on Amazon or eBay. This can yield quick cash, depending on the prices and demand for your items. You also can promote your items on social media, to direct customers to your products online.

Two indispensable and powerful tools that allows you to search for sale and clearance deals near your zip code and sell them for profit are BrickSeek and Tactical Arbitrage.

Affiliate Marketing
If you have a significant social media following, or you own a website or blog you can sign up with companies to promote their services or products and earn commission based on the number of sales you make. Be sure to promote high quality products or services that will provide value to your customers.

A great affiliate to join is wealthy affiliate. It’s free to join and ideal for those getting started in affiliate marketing so you can become financially independent. If you’re looking for a 100% legit way to make money, it provides the best training online along with the most helpful and friendly community online, with all the support to get you building your online business. They will show you everything you need to know to become a successful affiliate. They will even help you create your own website, provide up-to-date step-by-step training, keyword research, and you can join their online community and get professional help.

I’m with Wealthy Affiliate myself and I believe it’s the best program out there, hands-down. It actually shows you how to do affiliate marketing the correct way so you can create profit straight from home.

Kyle and Carson are the owners and have years and years helping newbies get started and pointed members in the right direction.

WA is here to stay and is just improving every single month. It does work, but only if you’re willing to put in the work yourself! The reality is that it isn’t easy to earn a living online unless you have the right knowledge.

Join Wealthy Affiliate for Free

What is Usertesting and is it Legit?

Is UserTesting Legit and How do I Get a 5 Star Rating?”

If you’re thinking of signing up with UserTesting I suggest you read this review. I’m not an affiliate for UserTesting. It’s just my honest opinion of the site. I’ll also offer some tips on getting a 5 star rating.

What is UserTesting

Website owners often wonder what a visitor thinks when they visit their site for the first time and it can be difficult to know unless you actually observe what a visitor is doing.

That’s where UserTesting comes in. UserTesting allows site owners see how visitors interact with their site so they can fix problems or improve the user experience. It also allows you to get paid for visiting a website, completing some tasks, and recording your feedback as you use the site.

It can be fun and satisfying providing feedback on a site and express the typical annoyances you encounter, while getting paid in the process. According to UserTesting, some major companies have used UserTesting including Airbnb, Expedia, Facebook, Intuit and even Walmart.

How does UserTesting Work

When you signup you should use your PayPal email address.

You will then need to download some screen cast software called installusertesting-v2.0.exe. This isn’t malware so don’t worry, nor will it record your face. It’s only so they can record your screen while you’re carrying out the test. Once you’ve completed a user test, it then uploads a screen cast, complete with your audio once you’ve completed the test.

When you start you will get a prep or setup test to makes sure you qualify. It can then take a few days for them to review your test and you will not get paid. Once you get approved you can start user testing sites. If you pass you will get a rating. The higher the rating the higher the likelihood you will get more tests.

The tasks usually take about 20 minutes to complete and during the whole process you provide a running commentary, effectively thinking aloud so the site owner gets a good idea of the user’s experience.

You get $10 every time you provide your feedback if you’re testing the site from a PC or laptop, and $15 if you’re interacting with the site using a mobile device. You should get paid 7 days after taking the test.

What can you Expect from UserTesting

Let’s keep it real. You’re not going to build a sustainable business from this program. In fact it’s unlikely you’ll even make the equivalent of a full time income.

Why?

The tests are very sporadic and you can even go for a few weeks without any tests. Plus, I think it has become somewhat over-saturated by users hoping to earn a living from the program, only to discover there just isn’t enough supply. With so many testers it’s hard to remain qualified without getting a few low stars and then getting rejected for future tests.

You can also waste time taking long surveys before the test, only to find you’re not qualified. You can also spend a lot of time looking for tests that you’re qualified for. The amount of tests you receive depends largely on your demographics and your diligence to check for them.

However, that doesn’t mean you can’t earn a quick $10 or $15 bucks in a few minutes once a test becomes available and you’re qualified to take it.

The key question is whether you qualify. Some site owners want only users in a key demographic to complete the test. The requirements for the test can be so strict, you’ll be lucky to take a test once a week. If you’re a student or unemployed, well then you may not get any tests! If you are not full-time employed in exactly the industry they are looking for, you will not make any money or there won’t be many tests available.

I’ve checked out the feedback ratings from others and based on my own experience I’ve provided the best and worst thigns about UserTesting below. Please note that while you may have seen low ratings on other sites this may be partly due to the disappointment of not achieving 5 stars.

UserTesting Pros

Fun & Satisfying – It can be fun providing your opinion and getting paid in the process. It can also be quite satisfying helping to improve the web by exposing problems with a site so the web owner can fix it
Good Pay – Unlike survey sites where you earn very little for your time spent, at least with User Testing you can earn $10 or $15 bucks within a few minutes once you qualify for a test.

UserTesting Cons

Not Enough Work – The amount of tests you receive depends largely on your demographics and your diligence to check for them. Even if you obtain good ratings for your assignments you can still have a hard time finding enough work, probably because of too much demand and not enough supply of work from web owners.
Wasted Time – A lot of time can be spent looking for a tests you qualify for and then requiring you take a survey before you encounter the test, effectively collecting information from you for free, only to then discover you don’t qualify because you’re not from the industry they’re looking for.
Very high Bar – I think this has a lot to do with over-saturation of the business. With so many testers it’s hard to remain qualified without getting a few low stars and then getting rejected for future tests. Also the requirements for the test can be high. If you’re a student or unemployed it’s unlikely, you’ll get many tests at all.
Can be Disappointing – Some have complained that UserTesting makes it appear as if there’s work available, only to find there’s little you qualify for once you’ve signed up – a kind of Bait and Switch
Unfair Rating System – Ratings sometimes seem arbitrary, unfair and can significantly affect your ability to find future work. With clients reviewing the workers, there should really be a second grader, such as User Testing. Also the companies who use the tests to improve their sites often never rate which can make it harder to find new tests when you’re starting out. It’s important to get a 5 Star rating. If you have a rating lower than 5 stars it’s very likely you won’t get any more tests and you won’t be able to make any money.
Mobile App Problems – Some have complained that the mobile app can be a bit buggy, automatically closing during the middle of a test or not uploading the video. This can be a problem as you cannot restart. However I believe this problem has now been fixed.

What can you Reasonably Expect to Earn?

With User Testing the pay is pretty good at $10 per test with each test lasting around 20 minutes. So if you could complete three tests within an hour, you would earn around $30 for an hour’s work.

However…

This assumes you would have enough work and unfortunately unless you fit a specific demographic, the work can be fairly sporadic and also depend on where you live and what tests are available at the time.

UserTesting Tips and Advice

Read the Tasks Carefully – Make sure you fulfil all the demands of whatever test you’re doing. This seems obvious but so many people forget to stick to the tasks which appear in the upper right-hand side of the screen. You should still provide a running commentary, particularly when the site is loading or while you’re navigating the site but your main focus should be on completing the tasks.
Take note of the time – Stick to the time limit on the initial practice test or you can end up with a poor rating.
Narrate Every Step of the Way – You should narrate every step of the process. So for example if you’re testing a site you might say “I’ve clicked on an image and it’s taken me to a new page”, or “I see I need to be a subscriber to download this”. Take time to verbally explain why you chose your answer. The more you explain what you’re doing and what you’re expecting, the more useful it will be for a customer.
Speak out Loud – No one can read your mind so provide a running commentary of your thoughts. Also keep asking questions and adding comments to explain what you’re thinking. The more you explain why you do things and what you’re expecting, the more useful your video will be for the customer. Even while a page is loading, have a running commentary of your thoughts but try to keep the comments relevant to the context such as the load time or user experience.
Good Sound Quality – Be sure to invest in a decent microphone and try to get one that has noise cancelling abilities if there is background noise. Having a good microphone where your voice is clear can go some way on ensuring you obtain a 5 star rating.
Relax while you’re doing the Tests – It’s best to come across as authentic and not robotic, so don’t feel you can never punctuate your speech with an “um” or “er”. Try not to get anxious and worry too much about impressing the listener. You should try to have some fun and not be a perfectionist.
Use the Pause Button – While you should try to prepare for everything before you start the test there will be times when you’re interrupted by someone or your phone rings. It’s perfectly acceptable to use the pause button occasionally. You can even pause to collect your thoughts but try not to do this too often and make sure to state that you are pausing to think. Just make sure you restart from where you left off so the transition is seamless.
Do some Research – Do some research on what testers are expected to do or say during a test so you pass on your practice test and get paid for the tests that follow.
Keep the website in the background Best to keep the website in the background so when a test becomes available you can select it. If you don’t keep it open chances are you will miss the majority, if not all the tests.

Conclusion

You’re not going to get rich doing this, or even earn a full time income, but it can earn you a bit extra pocket money. Just keep the program in a tab in the background and if you have some free time you can go ahead with the test.

I think sites like UserTesting have become saturated with testers, which is why its become harder to find tests that you qualify for, even if you belong to the right demographics and you have good ratings. Many have complained about the arbitrary nature of the rating system which means that you can be rated low even if you follow the instructions and complete the tests. It’s as if UserRating is looking for an excuse not to pay you.

It would appear as if UserTesting is carryout out free market research in the guise of qualifying questions – asking questions such as your income income, age, what products and services you use only to find you don’t qualify.

Let me know in the comment section your experience of UserRating and whether you think it’s worth signing up.

[author-details=Simon Hough]