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Think Before You Ink: Tattoo Removal Services Skyrocketing In Popularity

by Amy Oshier September 28, 2022, 1:40 pmupdated September 28, 2022, 1:43 pm 24 Comments

You know the tale: tattooing the name of your forever love, only to find that the romance fades…while the tattoo does not. Or maybe it was some trendy symbol that made you feel like a cool girl, but now feels more embarrassing as a middle-age woman. It seemed like a good idea at the time!

For a multitude of reasons, people grow up and may have second thoughts about their ink. That modern clarity is leading more and more women to seek laser tattoo removal.

And there’s more of these regretful women than you think. According to a study published in the journal Archives of Dermatology, about one in four women who have a tattoo admit they would like a blank slate — as in getting rid of their tattoo.

Surveys suggest these women are most likely white and single, with some still attending college. Of these women, most were under the age of 39. What is also notable is that women are taking action quicker than in years past. On average they will remove the tattoo within ten years (down from 12 years around 2012 era).

Maybe the regret is directly tied to a specific type of tattoo? The group Removery, which is a world-wide leader in tattoo removal, curated a list of the most-erased tats. Topping their list (unsurprisingly) is tribal-inspired tattoos, followed by the Southern Cross and then finally butterflies. Also high on the list were foreign words and phrases, men’s names, and the infinity symbol.

If you are certain you want to say toodles to your tattoo, there are a few things you should know. Chief among them is that it is not as easy as you think. It’s not painless either. Where it may take an hour to get that tattoo, it could take months to a year to remove it.

It also helps to understand the procedure. Using a laser is the most common way to get rid of an unwanted tattoo. While a tattoo artist uses needles to create a design that is meant to be permanent, a laser works by breaking the ink into tiny fragments which are digested or absorbed by the body. Both procedures sting (the skin and the pocketbook), so body alteration of any kind is not something to take lightly.

Be forewarned that laser removal is done in sessions, with breaks in between to give the skin time to heal. It’s not cheap either. The American Academy of Plastic surgeons report an average cost is $423. That of course can jump in price for larger, more colorful or elaborate designs.

If there is something to take away from all of this, it’s to think before you ink.