Whatever the motivation for getting a tattoo, many people are now choosing to erase their unwanted body artwork with the latest laser technology, writes Eoin Burke-Kennedy
Someone once said that the world was divided into two kinds of people: those who have tattoos, and those who are afraid of people with tattoos.
The distinction, however true, is being blurred by the emergence of a new hybrid in the form of those who once had tattoos but have had them removed.
The reasons vary from wanting to escape the past to simply no longer liking the look of them. Either way tattoo removal has become a standard cosmetic treatment with clinics offering the latest in laser technology to erase them.
"Most of our clients will tell you quite openly that they were young and foolish when they got their tattoos and they totally regret them," says Aisling Holly from Advanced Cosmetic Surgery in Dublin.
The most common reason cited by women for wanting them removed is their upcoming wedding, Holly says.
The removal of amateur tattoos such as names, crosses or dots on the hands is more common among men, she says.
Holly says the clinics have witnessed a significant rise in the numbers of people both having and enquiring about tattoo removal.
There is no reliable data on the number of Irish people who have tattoos, but a recent US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) report estimated that around 45 million Americans had a tattoo.
The FDA based its findings on a Harris Interactive poll conducted in 2003 which found that 16 per cent of US adults had at least one tattoo.
However, the figure rose to 28 per cent in those aged between 30 and 39, and to 36 per cent in those between 25 and 29. The poll suggests that tattoos have become increasingly trendy with younger age groups.
The cost of laser treatment depends on the size of the tattoo but sessions, lasting anywhere between five and 40 minutes, are usually priced at around €80 to €100.
Patients describe the treatment as similar to having an elastic band flicked at the skin repeatedly and it can leave the skin red and sore for a short time.
Amateur tattoos may be removed in four or five treatments at monthly intervals while professional artist tattoos may require up to 12 sessions.
The effectiveness of the laser depends on the depth and colour of the tattoo.
Consultant plastic surgeon with the Mater and St James's Hospital in Dublin, Mr Denis Lawlor, explains that the ink particles in a tattoo are too large for the body's immune system to remove naturally.
"By passing a laser light through the tattooed area, the ink can be broken into smaller particles, which the body can then remove," he says.
"The down side is that the laser is not selective in what it targets and so the natural pigment or melanin in the skin is going to be affected as much as the dye the tattoo artist put in."
"Depending on the colour of your skin, you are going to have a contrast with the surrounding area and because of the reduced melanin you are talking about having to use a sun block in that area for the foreseeable future," he says.
Lawlor uses laser treatment to remove accidental tattooing in road accident victims who have been marked by friction with the road and roadside grit.
But he remains sceptical that the procedure can remove all traces of the tattoo.
"Laser has a limit to where it can penetrate and if the tattoo artist put it in quite deep, it may not reach it."
He recommends having small tattoos surgically removed which he insists is much simpler and cheaper.
Lawlor is also concerned by the unregulated use of lasers in cosmetic clinics. "No safety guidelines or inspections are enforced in these places and the personnel are often inadequately trained," he says.
Currently there is no regulation on tattooing in Ireland or the European Union and parlours can set up without a licence and are not obliged to work within any health and safety guidelines.
Mr Paddy Donohoe, owner of Body Shock tattooing and piercing studio in Temple Bar, Dublin said he would welcome the introduction of legislation to regulate the industry.
In particular he would like to see an age limit brought in and guidelines governing the sterilisation of equipment.
"Some establishments just don't take the same precautions when it comes to sterilisation and they use the same implements over and over again."
Although there have been no incidences of people contracting Hepatitis C or HIV from unsterilised equipment, Donohoe admits the potential is there and it needs to be tackled.
His advice to people think of getting a tattoo is to ask about the sterilisation procedures and check the artist's portfolio.
Or, as they say in the trade, think before you ink.
l The Health Service Executive (HSE) says: "Tattoo removal is currently not covered by the public health system in Ireland, unless it is deemed clinically necessary."
A HSE spokesman told The Irish Times that within the public health system, consultants refer patients for all surgical treatment based on their clinical assessment of need.
He said: "Plastic surgery is a specialty within a number of public hospitals where the nature of the work carried out is restorative in nature."
'It was a bit of a disaster'
Martina Madden (31) from Dublin admits she pretty much regretted getting it the minute it was done.
"It was a bit of disaster. My friend put me up to it. The design did not come out well and it was badly done."
Martina had had the black outline of an elf tattooed on her right-hand shoulder blade to mark the occasion of her 18th birthday.
"I want it off because it really restricts what I can and cannot wear.
For example, I am going to a lot of weddings this year and I can't wear strapless dresses because I don't want anyone to see it."
She says the treatment has already begun to break the tattoo down and they've told her it is not going to take many more sessions.
"It's not that painful. I suppose it would only be about the same as getting a tattoo done."
"Your tastes change and so does how you dress and I think it just looks a bit tacky when you get older. I would pay pretty much anything to have it removed."