Tattoos may no longer be forever, but removing them is no picnic

Sydney Morning Herald

3 days ago

Claire Coulstock, a lecturer in dermal science at Victoria University, says while tattoo removal technology has become more sophisticated, 'there are still limitations. Especially with certain skin types that are more naturally pigmented'.
Limitations in wavelengths also mean that not all tattoos – particularly those with thicker lines – can be entirely eliminated.
Other factors, including a tattoo's age and colours used, affect how long it takes to remove ink, but it can take anywhere from three to 20 sessions, and several years, for one tattoo to fade completely.
'Not just the ex's name'
Kelly Swift, owner of Swift Tattoo Removal in Melbourne, has been working in the industry for more than a decade. During this time, she's witnessed the increasing popularity of tattoo removal, which she says has risen in lockstep with the growing ubiquity of tattoos.
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In 2023, 30 per cent of Australians had tattoos, compared with 20 per cent in 2018, while about one in four people expressed regret over a tattoo, with almost half of that cohort going on to have one removed or camouflaged.
Swift says clients' motivations for tattoo removal vary, but more people are opting for removal when they find a tattoo no longer aligns with their aesthetic, rather than removing a tattoo that may prohibit employment opportunities or that are tied to a bad memory.
'It's not so much the ex's name any more. People just want a new style,' she says.
Jess Buxton, owner of Buxton Tattoo Removal in Sydney's inner west, says evolving trends are key drivers of business.
'In the '90s, heavy tribal tattoos were on trend. A lot of people are removing those now. A lot of cultural appropriation stuff as well, like Polynesian sleeves, with people not realising that they mean things.'
Her clinic, which is housed inside a tattoo studio like Swift's, also helps clients fade tattoos to then be covered over.
'In the '90s, heavy tribal tattoos were on trend. A lot of people are removing those now.'
Jess Buxton, owner of Buxton Tattoo Removal in Sydney
Swift thinks the practice's increased accessibility may also have made people more lax about getting a tattoo in the first place.
'I get messages from people the day after they get their tattoo, and they're like, 'I made a mistake',' she says.
Swift highlights the tattoo removal process can be time-intensive and expensive.
Jason Erwin, Australian director of operations for global tattoo removal chain Removery, sees the procedure's rising popularity as part of the rise in cosmetic treatments.
'It's normalising it as part of any beauty treatment,' he says. 'Laser hair removal has been on the market for a good 20 years, and tattoo removal has only been on the market for around nine years.
'We've really seen an exponential increase in treatments, over the past three years in particular.'
He agrees that laser tattoo removal can be a long process. Many prospective clients – particularly those hoping to erase an ex's name or remove a tattoo before a wedding – expect fast results.
'It's not a quick, easy fix,' he says.
Life changing
But while more people are opting to erase ink that simply doesn't suit them any more, for some, removing a tattoo can be genuinely life changing.
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In 2019, Amanda McKinnon founded Fresh Start, a program that offers free tattoo removal to those who aren't able to access or pay for it. Eligibility criteria include survivors of domestic violence or immigration detention who may have been forcibly tattooed, those recently released from incarceration looking for a fresh start, ex-gang or bikie members and those with offensive or hyper-visible tattoos.
'I had a number of clients who disclosed fairly traumatic circumstances around why they got the tattoo, but it was just unachievable for them to access tattoo removal because of the pricing,' says McKinnon, who has been working in the industry for more than a decade through her practice LaserTat in Adelaide.
One of the first of its kind in Australia, McKinnon's studio last year partnered with tattoo removal studios in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth to deliver the program nationwide.
An unregulated industry
There is no national regulatory framework to oversee tattoo removal operators in Australia, with regulations varying state by state. Tattoo removal operators in Queensland, for example, require a licence to practice, whereas those in NSW and Victoria do not.
'Anyone can buy a machine online and start messing people up,' says Swift, who advises people to choose a clinic using medical grade machines, with good 'before and after' photos, and to avoid those who promise results in a short period of time.