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Nearly all of those that have tattoos either have, or have had that one tattoo that turned out to be a big mistake. From an ex’s name to that design from a history long ago, the statistics for the tattoo removal business are staggering. Included in this post are some interesting interviews from people in the same situation, and some helpful tips to keep in mind just in case that tattoo becomes an annoyance.
Youthful Tattoos Turn Into Grown-Up Regrets
WCVBTV Boston
"You know the term tramp stamp, I mean it comes up all the time," said Shelley Scaletta, thinking about the tattoo she got at age 17.Scaletta's tattoo was an incomplete flame on her lower back that she thinks stood for burning passion or was it life? But now she's not so sure."My initial idea was that once I felt like totally complete with myself, I would complete the circle, but instead, it's getting wiped off," she said with a laugh.
Nearly half -- 49 percent -- of adults 18 to 29 have a tattoo and it's estimated that a new tattoo studio opens every day.But the tattoo removal business is booming too, as youthful decisions quickly turn into grown-up regrets. Of the 40 million Americans who've been inked at least once, one in six end up regretting it.The most common cause of tattoo remorse is a major life change, like a romantic breakup or new job, and more than half said that what was once cool is now embarrassing.After more than a dozen laser treatments at the Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary Laser Center, Scaletta's tattoo is finally gone. What took only a few hours to get, took several years to get rid of."It can take 15 to 20 treatments once every six to eight weeks," said Dr. Oon Tian Tan.The latest lasers go straight through the skin into the pigment, breaking it up for the immune system to absorb."It recollects again so you keep having to go back in, reducing these collections of pigment until eventually it disappears," said Tan.Too much, too fast can permanently scar the skin with ugly white or dark spots and texture changes.In rare cases, the laser leaves behind burn scars or an even darker tattoo."For people with darker skin, we have to be even more careful," said Tan.The best removals come when a tattoo is blue or black, but if that tattoo rose was abloom with color, you might be out of luck.Tattoo removals can cost hundreds to several thousand dollars."
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