Demand For Laser Removal Soars As Tattoo Fashion Fades

[CVX]

By David Smith
The Observer - UK
8-8-4

Tattoo in haste, repent at leisure. The fashion for permanent body art fuelled by stars like David Beckham and Britney Spears has dragged another trend in its wake: demand for treatment to remove it.

Lasercare Clinics, which claims to be the UK's leading skin laser provider, has recorded a 40 per cent increase in tattoo removals over the past two years. Last month alone it received 500 enquiries, more than double its former average. Almost two thirds of customers are women aged from their mid-20s to 50.

The tattoo that seems like a good idea at the time, but wasn't, was exemplified last month when Julie Thomas, from Lancing, West Sussex, spent £40 on a five-inch tattoo of Winnie the Pooh for on her upper right arm. The 15-year-old, well below the legally required minimum age of 18, later admitted she bitterly regretted the deed and had cried every day since.

'We've seen a dramatic increase in people coming in for removals in all our clinics,' said Jane Lewis, regional director of Lasercare. 'Tattoos are very fashionable now you see celebrities with them. A lot of people who get henna tattoos like them and think they'll have a real one.

'We are seeing a mixture of people. Some had a tattoo when they were younger but have now got on the career ladder: they are executives who can't wear a short-sleeved shirt around the boardroom table in summer because of what it will reveal.

'There are also women for whom a tattoo was hip when they were young but who now feel people tend to look at them and be judgmental. Kids decide the name of the boy they loved last week is not the name they want anymore. We also see minors brought in by their parents the day after a tattoo.'

Laser therapy is the most effective form of tattoo removal. It works by matching the laser light to the colour of the tattoo ink. The laser breaks down the tattoo ink pigments, resulting in a gradual fading of the tattoo. The painful process typically requires six to 12 treatments, depending on the size and colours involved, each costing £55-£155. Black, blue and red are the easiest colours to remove while green, yellow and purple are the most difficult.

Tattoos are more popular than at any time in their history and one in eight Britons is estimated to have one, more than any other nation in Europe. Beckham has a full gallery, including a garish winged cross design on the back of his neck, while fellow England footballer Wayne Rooney recently had a large blue Celtic cross installed on his shoulder. Among those who have lived to regret it are Patsy Kensit, Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp, who had the names of old flames on their arms.

Sonia Amerigo, manager of the Cheshire Private Clinic in Stockport, said: 'We can't keep up with the trend. We get various people of all ages, from businessmen who want to wear shirtsleeves to young women who want to take their ex-boyfriend's name off. Despite David Beckham and other celebrities, I think tattoos are actually becoming less socially acceptable.'

Dr Sandeep Varma, a consultant dermatologist at Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham, who has researched people's motives for removals, added: 'There has been an explosion in the number and types of lasers available. It's a booming business: if people keep coming back for 10 or 20 treatments they can spend £800 to £4,000.'

Louis Molloy, owner of the Middleton Tattoo Studio in Manchester, whose clients have included David Beckham, Roy Keane and Ronan Keating, said: 'I owned a laser clinic for a few years and I found the majority of people wanted removals of tattoos which were self-inflicted or which had no thought whatsoever put into them.

'In David Beckham's case every piece of work he had done had meticulous planning. The one on the back of his neck was two years in the preparation. I put him off and warned him there would be a negative reaction from some people, but if he's wanted it for two years and done that much planning it's highly unlikely he'll regret it.'

Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004

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[maritori]

Thank God that people have a way to remove unsightly tattoos. I have never undestood it and never will. I think that temporary tattoos are kind of fun, but permanent ones are another issue all together. I would be pleased to know that the fad is fading.