Tattoo today, gone tomorrow

SUMMIT COUNTY - I was 19, and it seemed like a really good idea at the time. I decided to go alone, because I didn't want anyone there to talk me out of it.

When it was all over, I was changed - permanently. A small blue star on my lower back surrounded by a black sunburst remains as proof. But hopefully not for long.

People have probably regretted getting permanently inked as long as tattoos themselves have been in existence, but tattoo removal technology has improved by leaps and bounds over the years.

While I don't regret my youthful indiscretion, I don't feel like I need a tattoo anymore, so I'm shooting for the most recent form of erasure, laser tattoo removal. Though still a pricey option, it's the least invasive of the removal procedures, which can include dermabrasion and excision.

Finding a removal location in Summit is difficult, though, and none of them (usually dermatologists) have lasers.

Advanced Dermatology in Frisco does tattoo removal but only via excision, which involves cutting out a tattoo and stitching the skin back together. For larger tattoos, multiple procedures or a skin graft from another part of the body may be required.

Dermabrasion is an option that involves "sanding" away the top layer of skin. Complete removal from dermabrasion isn't likely.

For laser removal, Curtis Haggerty, a tattoo artist at Purple Lotus in Frisco, said he usually directs people to Denver.

Lorenzo Kunze, medical educator and former owner of the Rocky Mountain Laser Clinic in Denver, said his clinic treats 12-15 patients a day seeking tattoo removal.

"We were the first ones on the block to do it," he said of the family-owned business, which started doing tattoo removal via excision and other early methods in 1985. "But the laser machines have gotten better and better over the last four years. Now, they don't even break the skin."

Kunze recently sold his business after 34 years because of an increased interest among medical doctors to get involved in the procedure.

He said anybody could perform tattoo or hair removal until last year (though everyone who performs the procedures at the clinic is a Certified Laser Specialist and has undergone training at the Rocky Mountain Laser College). But Colorado is now one of a handful of states with laws about doctors being on staff and within 30 minutes of a tattoo removal clinic, according to Kunze. Dr. Jeffrey Raval, a facial plastic surgeon and ear, nose and throat doctor, now presides over the clinic.

"Doctors never wanted to do tattoo and hair removal before ... until they realized the money (that was in it)," he said.

I told Kunze that two years ago a dermatologist told me I could get an estimate of what tattoo removal would cost by multiplying the cost to get my tattoo by 20. That's $1,600.

"That used to be the case, but now, if you have a tattoo the size of a golf ball, it will cost around $400 to $500," Kunze said.

He added that a homemade tattoo may only cost $200 to $300 to remove, and older tattoos are easier to get rid of.

"We have people come in that have just gotten them the day before ... and we have to tell them to wait (for it to heal)," he said.

According to surveys Kunze read from the University of Texas, more women get rid of tattoos than men mainly due to lifestyle changes as women get older.

Extreme lifestyle changes, like leaving a gang, can cause some to want to rid themselves of emblems. However, former gang members don't always have the means to pay for the removal. The Rocky Mountain Laser Clinic removes their tattoos for free as long as they are 18 or younger and under the supervision of a counselor.

"We help them get rid of tattoos, so they don't have that stigma the rest of their lives," Kunze said.

The clinic also has a lot of tattoo artists who send people to it so the clients can get a clean slate for a new tattoo.

Some people with tattoos may opt for the generally less expensive measure of just having their tattoo altered or covered up instead of removing it.

"They might have gotten a tattoo when they were younger and more reckless, but ... now they realize more what they want," said Brett Caldwell, owner of Purple Lotus in Frisco.

People sometimes come to Caldwell looking to have tattoos altered, covered or improved. Former lovers are a popular tattoo to have covered.

"I'll warn somebody before they get a name tattooed ... unless it's your kid or parents or dead friend or something," he said. "I think it's a jinx ... it's just bad mojo."

While working in Tennessee, Caldwell had a client who got a girlfriend's name tattooed.

"Before the name even healed, he wanted to cover it up."

Actor Johnny Depp opted to turn his "Winona Forever" tattoo he got while dating actress-turned-shoplifter Winona Ryder into "Wino Forever," which some may argue isn't much better.

As for me, I don't think the blue star and black sunburst will be with me much longer, and hopefully, I'll have Dr. Raval's laser to thank for that. Unfortunately, though, I only have myself to thank for the fact that it's there in the first place.



Jennifer Harper can be contacted at (970) 668-3998, ext. 13622, or at jharper@summitdaily.com.