Tattoos - who gets rid of them and why

Jul 22 2008

According to a new report women are far more likely than men to have a tattoo removed and the suggestion is that they are motivated to do so by the social stigma associated with tattoos and negative comments from others.

A team led by Myrna Armstrong of Texas Tech University visited tattoo removal clinics in Arizona, Colorado, Massachusetts and Texas to find out who was getting rid of their tattoos and why.

Tattoo removal is a miserable experience where repeated laser treatments are used to remove the ink and layers of skin are subjected to pulses of light from the laser to break up the tattoo pigment; it can be painful and a local anaesethic is sometimes used.

Over several weeks the body's scavenger cells remove the treated pigmented areas but more than one treatment is usually needed to remove all of the tattoo.

Apparently about one-fourth of adults age 18 to 30 have a tattoo, and while the vast majority of individuals who are tattooed are pleased with their skin markings, the popularity and prevalence of tattoos often mean that dermatologists are increasingly hearing stories of regrets and requests for tattoo removal.

{IMAGE}It is thought that around one-fifth of tattoo wearers are dissatisfied with their tattoo, although only about 6 percent seek removal.

A survey of 196 individuals who visited one of four dermatology clinics for tattoo removal in 2006 questioned 66 men and 130 women with an average age of 30; they answered 127 questions about demographics, obtaining their tattoo and their motivations for seeking removal.

The researchers say their answers were then compared with responses to a similar survey conducted in 1996 and in both the studies, a shift in identity occurred, and removal of the tattoos centered around dissociating from the past.

In 2006 the reasons for getting a tattoo included to feel unique, independent or to make life experiences stand out.

The main reasons listed for wanting a tattoo removed included just deciding to remove it, suffering embarrassment, lowering of body image, getting a new job or career, having problems with clothes, experiencing stigma, or marking an occasion, such as a birthday, marriage or newly found independence.

The 2006 survey also found that participants were more likely to be women who were white, single, college-educated and between the ages of 24 and 39 and though the women were pleased with their tattoos initially, changes in their feelings over the following one to five years occurred.

Men too reported some of these same tattoo problems leading to removal, but there appeared to be more societal fallout for women with tattoos.

The researchers say societal support for women with tattoos may not be as strong as for men, and rather than having visible tattoos, women may still want to choose self-controlled body site placement, even in today's contemporary society.

For those tempted but unsure about a lifetime commitment to a tattoo, Armstrong suggests a new type of tattoo ink that can be easily erased.

The report is published in the July issue of Archives of Dermatology.