HOUSTON — The body art business is a nearly $1.4 billion industry and it's growing, with 40% of people born after 1980 getting inked, according to the Pew Research Center.
However, the ever-increasing acceptance of tattoos has made way for another industry; one that tries to get rid of them.
Yuliana Basurto was 15 when she let a friend tattoo her upper shoulder.
“It’s a butterfly," Basurto said, "or what was meant to be a butterfly.”
The black ink tattoo is blurry and it's a decision she said she has regretted for 10 years. She has avoided wearing tank tops and short sleeves, trying her hardest to keep it hidden.
“I was just young and naïve, and I didn’t really think what I was doing.”
That's why she started researching tattoo removal in Houston. After some research, she settled on Premium Tattoo Removal near the Galleria.
Roland Peter opened Premium Tattoo Removal four years ago. Since then, he's removed tattoos from more than 700 Houstonians. Many of the tattoos he's worked on are invisible by the time he’s done.
Peter uses a very strong, very expensive laser.
"(The laser) breaks the pigment up into smaller particles, then the white blood cells, or actually, the microphages, are able to engulf the broken-up ink and basically, through your lymphatic system, you drain that ink out," he said.
Some tattoos are more difficult to remove. A client's skin tone, amount of ink, location and more all have to be accessed to determine the amount of treatments needed to remove a tattoo. Peter said tattoos with color are the more challenging to completely remove.
Cost is also a factor to consider. One session at Premium Tattoo Removal can cost anywhere from $95 to $450 per session, depending on the size. Most tattoo removals require four to eight sessions.
It's also not a pain-free procedure. Peter likens it to being snapped by rubber bands repeatedly. He says most of his male clients rate the pain as a 6 out of 10, whereas most women rate it at a 5.
“It's simply proven women just take the pain better than the men,” Peter said.
Peter said most tattoos can be completely erased and offers several before and after pictures as examples. He also includes pictures that show fading during the whole process.
There are several places that offer tattoo removal; however, Peter cautions that a person does their research and not all lasers or technicians offer great results. An improperly removed tattoo can cause significant scarring.
For more information about Premium Tattoo Removal, click here.