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Tattoo regret can be costly, painful
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH ^ | 03/10/2008 | Doug Moore

Posted on 03/11/2008 3:21:00 PM PDT by newgeezer


Cosmetic surgeon, Dr. Edmond Cabbabe, uses a laser during Fadi Mouhanna's first treatment to remove a tattoo from his arm at Cabbabe's office near St. Anthony's Hospital.
Nothing says "I love you" quite like permanent ink injected into the skin.

But as tattoo artists and divorce rates show, love doesn't always last. A tattoo, on the other hand, is everlasting.

... Once the name goes into the skin, the relationship often goes south.

And when that happens, tattoo regret can set in. Laser tattoo removal, in fact, is a growing business, and doctors say it will continue to expand as tattoos continue to move into the mainstream.

Television shows such as "Miami Ink" have given greater profile to the artistry of tattoos. The star power of celebrities — from Beyonce to Britney to the Beckhams — emphasize that tattoos are no longer found just in biker bars, military barracks or prison yards.

National surveys suggest as many as 32 million American adults have at least one tattoo. And women are getting them at roughly the same rate as men.

With an increase in the number of those getting inked also comes a rise in regret — a boom for dermatologists. Removing tattoos has jumped from under 1 percent of their business to as much as 10 percent in the last decade, said Dr. Elizabeth McBurney of Slidell, La., who taught the first laser technology course for the American Academy of Dermatology 25 years ago.

Dr. Jennifer Holman, chief resident in the Dermatology Department at the University of Missouri, said the peak demand for tattoo removal hasn't arrived yet. "I think it's coming 10 years down the road."

(Excerpt) Read more at stltoday.com ...


TOPICS: Health/Medicine; Society; Weird Stuff
KEYWORDS: divorce; laser; skin; tattoo; trampstamp
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Comment #21 Removed by Moderator

To: B Knotts

Or tramp stamps.


22 posted on 03/11/2008 4:11:16 PM PDT by Doomonyou (Let them eat lead.)
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To: Yehuda

23 posted on 03/11/2008 4:15:01 PM PDT by Alouette (Vicious Babushka)
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To: Doomonyou

Heard that one before, but never heard the other one. LOL


24 posted on 03/11/2008 4:23:37 PM PDT by B Knotts (Calvin Coolidge Republican)
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To: newgeezer

Tattoos...a permanent reminder of a passing fad.


25 posted on 03/11/2008 4:49:58 PM PDT by AlaskaErik (I served and protected my country for 31 years. Democrats spent that time trying to destroy it.)
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To: AlaskaErik
Tattoos...a permanent reminder of a passing fad.

The fad passes, the fade goes on forever.

26 posted on 03/11/2008 5:35:48 PM PDT by Paul Heinzman
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To: imahawk
"Nothing says trash quite like a wing tatoo above a girls behind."

The ones that look like scroll work but actually say "Insert ***** here" when viewed through beer googles?

27 posted on 03/11/2008 6:03:39 PM PDT by Eagles6
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To: imahawk

Tramp Stamp.


28 posted on 03/11/2008 6:09:48 PM PDT by Delta 21 ( MKC USCG - ret)
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To: newgeezer
I have been trying to figure out for years how to invest in tatoo removal for all these foolish people who have mutilated themselves--can you imagine what happens to these tats as people gain weight? LOL.
29 posted on 03/11/2008 6:13:25 PM PDT by Mamzelle (Time for Conservatives to go Free Agent)
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To: TightyRighty

That’s going to give me nightmares tonight.


30 posted on 03/11/2008 7:42:03 PM PDT by PAR35
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To: Alouette

“You shall not make any cuts on your body for the dead or tattoo yourselves “


31 posted on 03/11/2008 7:53:45 PM PDT by PAR35
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To: Mamzelle

Actually you can now buy tattoo removal creams at lots of tattoo parlors.

Someone beat you to it.


32 posted on 03/11/2008 8:31:33 PM PDT by SlapHappyPappy
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To: Doomonyou

Wow, thats funny.Have’nt heard that one.


33 posted on 03/11/2008 9:07:29 PM PDT by HANG THE EXPENSE (Defeat liberalism, its the right thing to do for America.)
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To: Delta 21

LOL,so true.


34 posted on 03/11/2008 9:08:51 PM PDT by HANG THE EXPENSE (Defeat liberalism, its the right thing to do for America.)
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Comment #35 Removed by Moderator

To: newgeezer

Most tattoos, when age takes its toll, will turn into specimens for the Rohrshach test.


36 posted on 03/12/2008 5:02:46 AM PDT by N. Theknow (Kennedys: Can't drive, can't fly, can't ski, can't skipper a boat; but they know what's best for us)
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To: TightyRighty
Is it still going to be attractive

It wouldn't be attractive in the first place.

37 posted on 03/18/2008 10:58:23 AM PDT by wideawake (Why is it that those who call themselves Constitutionalists know the least about the Constitution?)
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To: the invisib1e hand
I have 22 tattoos and don't regret any one of them. I will always love my tattoos because I put a lot of time and effort into them. They symbolize more then words could ever say. But I guess the ignorant don't appreciate art in any form.
38 posted on 04/19/2008 8:27:27 PM PDT by artistk
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To: artistk
Yeah, I guess not. But keep inking up, I'm sure you'll convince them.

And it's such a unique and individual form of self expression.

I think I was about 12 when I decided that it was what was in my heart that mattered. I figured I'd make my life a billboard, not my freaking body. But hey, that's just me, and I guess you could call me an animal, some sort of half-evolved creature. An unenlightened barbarian.

BTW, did it take you a month to come up with that razor sharp and oh-so-spot-on critique?

39 posted on 04/19/2008 8:34:26 PM PDT by the invisib1e hand (to love New York is to love humanity.)
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