Rethinking your ink? More people turning to removal after experiencing ‘tattoo regret’

A tattoo artist uses a laser to remove a tattoo from a client.

Tattoos have been in fashion for many people for years now and many who have them are happy with the choices they’ve made.

But there are some who may have so-called tattoo regret and if you do it’s getting easier to have them removed.

At Tony Tonez Tattoo studio in Mississauga, not only does Tonez create vibrant tattoos for his customer, he also used lasers to remove them.

Tonez says there are many reasons why someone may want to have a tattoo removed.

“With the technology now, you are able to remove a pre-existing or old tattoo that you may regret or you have life changes or career changes as well” he said.

Comedian Pete Davidson of Saturday Night Live fame recently revealed he had removed almost all of his tattoos.

While on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Davidson said he’s been “burning them off.”

When asked by Fallon if having them removed is painful Davidson replied: “Yes, it’s horrible.”

Davidson said he had about 200 tattoos and had gotten rid of most of them telling Fallon that he might keep “two or three, but I’m trying to clean slate it.”

Davidson claims that removing most of the tattoos from his body has cost him about $200,000.

To remove tattoos, a laser is used to break up the ink beneath the skin.

The price and amount of time to remove a tattoo will depend on its size, depth, and the colours used.

Removery is a tattoo removal company operating in Canada, the United States, and Australia with five locations in the Greater Toronto area.

It’s CEO Tom Weber says while 15 to 20 per cent of their customers remove a tattoo so they can get another one, others are looking to make a fresh start.

“It typically revolves around change. a relationship change, such as you have an ex-spouse and the relationship doesn’t work out, something may have been misspelled or you got one at 20 years old and at 35 or 40 it doesn’t resemble who you are” Weber said.

And while the laser can be painful, there are numbing creams that can help lessen the painful sensation, which has been compared to a rubber band snapping on your skin.

Clients usually need to wait about four to six weeks between treatments, so removing a tattoo can take as long a year, requiring 6 to 12 visits.

Black ink is generally easier to remove than other colours and some skin types are better suited to for complete removal of a tattoo.

Most services will give you an idea of how long and how much removing a tattoo will cost.

“The vast majority of people once it’s done (removed) it’s on to a new life and a new beginning, a reset. Everyone is happy by the time it is over,” said Weber.

Because removing a tattoo can cost thousands of dollars, customers can pay up front, however but some tattoo removal locations will also let you pay as you go or use monthly payment plans with financing options.