Regrettable ink is more common, new technology allows for easier removal

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Regrettable ink is more common, new technology allows for easier removal
March 27, 2011
By Peter Panepinto
Carroll County Times

Whether a client wants to get a tattoo removed because of a job promotion, a divorce or because the art is bad, Hillary Lebouitz-Schaefer has pretty much heard it all.

She is the president of the Lebo Skin Care Centers, which specialize in tattoo removal through laser treatment at their two locations in Hanover, Pa., and York, Pa.

One of Lebouitz-Schaefer's clients had a portrait of his ex-wife's face tattooed on his upper arm and later turned her into Medusa after the couple divorced. His new wife can't stand it, so he's getting it taken off.

Another client had his wife's name, Ana, tattooed on him but then the couple divorced. He had it changed to Diana for his new girlfriend but they split up as well. Now he's dating another woman named Ana, so he got the "D" and the "I" removed.

"I was shocked in the beginning but now I hear these stories constantly," said Lebouitz-Schaefer, who often gets clients from Maryland.

Fading tattoos, bad artwork, breakups and job searches are triggering some people to get rid of their tattoos through laser removal treatment.

According to a 2005 study in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 24 percent of the general U.S. population had a tattoo and 17 percent of those considered having it removed. About 5 percent had their art covered with a different tattoo design.

‘Erasing a mistake'

Dr. Steven Snyder, of the Dermatology Laser Center and Medi Spa in Owings Mills, has been in the tattoo removal business since 1984. He was the first doctor to offer the practice in Maryland, and the second person in the country to use the MedLite laser to remove tattoos. The laser offers the greatest number of wavelengths for more color removal, he said.

Snyder said he's had patients from all 50 states, 20 foreign countries, and 50 of the top tattoo artists in the country are clients of his. Snyder said he even has patients from Europe and Japan. Snyder has removed more than 60,000 tattoos, he said.

"Popularity in removals grew because people realized they can erase a mistake," Snyder said.

In the past, most of his clientele was patients ranging from 40 to 60 years old who were dissatisfied with their tattoos. Now, most of his patients are younger.

Though a lot more people are getting tattoos, some change their mind years later and want them removed. The reasons vary, he said.

Snyder has a lot of patients trying to get in the military and they have to remove face and neck tattoos so they can get in. One of his clients had a tattoo with the word "than" spelled with an "e."

Lebouitz-Schaefer, who has been in the business about eight years, said her clientele is diverse.

"There are so many different clients, and some of the most regrettable are high school students that got words on their fingers and people with gang-related tattoos," she said.

Snyder said he appreciates the art, but he doesn't have any interest in getting tattoos of his own.

Lebouitz-Schaefer has her own tattoo that she regrets. At 24, she got a black butterfly with tribal symbols surrounding it tattooed on her lower back. The tribal symbols have been removed, and the 34-year-old is currently in the process of getting rid of the butterfly.

"I was young and dumb," Lebouitz-Schaefer joked.

The removal process

Removing a small tattoo could cost $50 per treatment or up to $2,000 per treatment for a full arm of art, she said. It takes between eight and 10 treatments to fully remove a tattoo. Removing a 2-by-2- inch tattoo could cost about $250 per treatment, she said. Treatments are scheduled every eight weeks and take about one to two minutes per session, she said.

By shining the laser over a tattoo, it breaks down ink in to lots of little pieces under the skin, she said. The ink slowly exits the body through urination and the ink could still be leaving the body up to six months after a treatment, she said.

The tattoo removal process has been gaining popularity through word of mouth and people are realizing it really works, Lebouitz-Schaefer said. Many think the laser may leave scars but that's not the case, she said.

"It depends on the equipment but it is very rare with the type of lasers we use," Lebouitz-Schaefer said.

Snyder said he's removed homemade tattoos in addition to professionally done tattoos. Homemade tattoos could be removed with one to four treatments because they are done with less ink, he said.

The new generations of lasers remove more colors and are more specific in wavelengths. He used to remove a lot of homemade tattoos and old-style tattoos such as dull-colored battleships. Now, he removes more vibrant, multicolored tattoos on younger people. Snyder said the cost to remove tattoos has remained the same since he began.