A lot of people don’t really give proper consideration to the fact that tattoos are, pretty much by definition, forever. For those people, good news arrives in the form of a new type of tattoo ink that is more easily removed by laser treatment; the ink itself is water soluble, and is encased in tiny balls of polymer which can be dissolved by a single laser treatment rather than seven or eight.
Now, perhaps I’m biased from being a tattoo collector and body-mod enthusiast, but this strikes me a product filling what should be a non-existent niche. As any responsible tattooist worth their needles should tell any prospective customer, if you’re going to take long enough to think about using a special ink in case you decide to get the tattoo removed in a few years time, you probably shouldn’t be bothering to get the tattoo at all. [Image by ElvertBarnes]
if you’re going to take long enough to think about using a special ink in case you decide to get the tattoo removed in a few years time, you probably shouldn’t be bothering to get the tattoo at all.
Word to that.
The culture of Japan is such that tattoos are still seen as denoting a yakuza gangster, so many places won’t let you in with a visible tattoo – especially my favorite place, the hot springs. In addition, tattoos aren’t allowed in workplaces. I know if I had one, my current workplace would probably fire me.
So I could see a market for this in some places. When I move back to the States, I’d like to get a tattoo, but if I ever return to Japan (chances: likely), I’d probably need to get it removed to fit in socially.