There are 3 layers, an outer glass lens ($5) a digitizer (I bought both for $50) and an LCD. If your phone fully responds the touch it isn't too hard to repair just the glass lens, however I wouldn't recommend attempting to remove both the digitizer and the glass from the LCD.
The glass is easily removed with a heat gun and very thin wire, however the digitizer is like egg shell, the glue holding it onto the LCD is extremely strong, the distance between the LCD and digitizer is tiny, and the polarizing film on the lcd is easily warped by heat.
This means that wire constantly pops out when you try to get under it, and your only hope is taking something like a razor blade and chipping away from underneath the digitizer for several hours until it's all gone, and then removing the cable that attaches to the frame on the inside.
After finding the digitizer hard to get under, I made the mistake of accidentally going one layer deeper, removing the polarizing filter and causing minor damage to the LCD itself (It still showed a display after replacing the polarizing filter but there were pink lines coming down the screen in several areas due to the pressure)
It can be done, but it is more practical to replace just the glass, or the entire LCD assembly. Just thought I should let everyone know after heavily researching and then trying it for myself.