Tattoos have become more and more popular over the years. The stigma of having a tattoo has gone down and even professional environments are becoming more accepting of tattoos. But one thing that not very many people want to talk about, is what happens when you regret that fresh ink.
There are many reasons why a person may want to get a tattoo, some reasons are more personal, while other are spontaneous. However, some people may later realise that they are left with a tattoo that they desperately want off their body.
Lee Horton, a certified laser technician for Legacy Tattoo in London, Ontario, believes that tattoo removal can help people reclaim their body from a bad tattoo experience.
“I always say, there’s just as many reasons for removing a tattoo, as there was for getting the tattoo in the first place. Lots of stuff that people think they want at the time, but down the road, their life changes and maybe it doesn’t really suit them anymore.
The process of getting a tattoo lasered off is much longer and more expensive than receiving one.
“A lot of the misconception about tattoo removal is that the laser does all of the work. Laser only does about 20 percent of the work when it comes to tattoo removal. The laser’s job is to break ink particles down under your skin into pieces that your body can effectively manage and move.”
Horton says he sees clients from any age, but mostly older clients. Some tattoos are more commonly removed than others.
“I see a lot of script. So script can be anything that’s done in writing, someone’s name or a quote that they liked at one point. I see wording probably the most out of anything.”
Horton advises people that are thinking about getting a tattoo to get as much information as possible beforehand.
“Do your research. Look at people’s portfolios. Do not shop by price. People generally that are pricing things super low are either inexperienced or maybe they’re not even that good and the only way that they can get people in, is to have something so cheap that it is desirable.”
Legacy Tattoo is located downtown London on Richmond Street.