Not quite temporary

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Not quite temporary
30 July 07
Amanda Strindberg
Cincinnati Post

RIVERSIDE, Cal. - John, he's long gone. And the fairy inked on your ankle - that just doesn't quite work well with your skirt suit and pumps at the office.

As the number of inked Americans continues to grow, so do those with tattoo remorse.

Lovers can come and go, but tattoos are permanent and often serve as unpleasant reminders of failed relationships, spur-of-the-moment decisions and youthful mistakes.

Catherine A. Kniker, a senior vice president of laser manufacturer Candela, estimates Americans have 100,000 laser treatments a year to remove unwanted body art.

"Most people can't see how their life is going to change in the next 10 years," said Brian Crank, manager and tattoo artist at Inland Empire Tattoo Studios' Riverside store. "Suddenly they get a career bump, and they no longer want their tattoo."

According to the Food and Drug Administration, one in four Americans between 18 and 50 years old are tattooed.

Many regret it.

About 50 percent of those with tattoos later want them removed, the American Society of Dermatological Surgery reports.

That process typically requires multiple laser sessions that can be costly, painful and not always successful.

But a company founded by a group of dermatologists is looking to change that with the first permanent, yet easily removed ink scheduled to be available this fall.

The ink is applied just like a regular tattoo, but instead of multiple laser sessions it can be removed in one session, said Martin Schmieg, chief executive of Freedom-2, the manufacturer of the ink. It will be available in black to start, with other colors to follow. The ink will likely cost more upfront, but will save hundreds if not thousands of dollars in laser treatments if the tattoo is removed.

"Our goal is to bring tattooing to everybody," Schmieg said. "It is already an accepted form of self-expression, but because of the very nature of tattoos, we predict there are a lot of fence-sitters that would consider getting one if they knew it wasn't something they would ultimately regret and were stuck with for life."

The new technology could have eased the removal process for tattoo artist Shawn Warcot, owner of Inland Empire Tattoo Studios, which has stores in Riverside, Rialto and Redlands, Cal.

Three and a half years and thousands of dollars later, Warcot is still getting laser treatments to remove his inked sleeves. It's not that he doesn't like the work, but he's anxious for a clean canvas so he can get art that "flows" better, he said.

While some tattoo artists are against the concept of the new ink because tattoos are about permanency, Warcot said he will consider using the ink in his stores.

"If it looks as good and works, that's fantastic," Warcot said. "Sometimes things change in your life. ... Tattoos are not easy to remove and it's painful."

Warcot describes the sting of the laser as similar to someone popping you with a rubber band.

"It hurts 10 times worse than a tattoo," he said.

The American Academy of Dermatology recognizes three ways to remove tattoos: lasers, dermabrasion and surgical removal.

The most common technique is laser removal, but even a single-colored tattoo can take multiple sessions and end up costing thousands, experts say.

The price can range from $900 to more than $5,000 depending on the tattoo size, location and ink.

"Certain colors are difficult to get rid of," said cosmetic surgeon and dermatologist Timothy Jochen. "The laser just doesn't target some colors as well."

The new ink, developed by scientists from Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard, Brown and Duke universities, works differently since the biodegradable dye is encased inside FDA-approved microscopic beads called polymer microspheres. Once the laser targets the tiny plastic sacs, they pop, allowing the dye to escape and the body to naturally expel the ink, Schmieg of Freedom-2 said.

"The secret is in the bead," he said. "Since the pigments are encapsulated into such a small area, the laser can cut them down easier."