“It’s likely that, over time, many people who have tattoos will regret having them for various reasons – fashions change, tattoos fade with age, health concerns, falling out of love etcetera,” muses “Whimsy” columnist CLIVE WILLIAMS. 

A TEENAGE friend of mine, George, used a razor blade and fountain-pen ink to tattoo his girlfriend’s name on his lower leg, but she eventually ended up living with a local crim who threatened to take George’s leg off if he didn’t remove the tattoo. 

George took the safe option and, like me, joined the Army. 

When I was in my 20s, tattoos tended to be class-associated. In the Army some soldiers and NCOs had tattoos, but commissioned officers didn’t. If you saw an officer with a tattoo, it was because he was a “knife and forker” (an officer who had worked his way up from the ranks). I don’t recall ever seeing a female soldier with a tattoo.

Some tattoos have always been specific to a social environment. For example, prison tattoos are used to show gang membership, offences committed, time served, and may have other hidden meanings, depending on the country. 

In the UK, four dots tattooed across the knuckles are substitutes for ACAB (All Cops Are Bastards).

Today it’s not uncommon for anyone to have a tattoo, often emulating movie stars such as Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, or sports identities such as footballer David Beckham or boxer Mike Tyson. While tattoos are now widely accepted, neck, head and hand tattoos are probably guaranteed to limit one’s employment options.

What then classes as a tattoo? 

Tattoos are a form of body modification made by inserting tattoo ink, dyes, and/or pigments, either indelible or temporary, into the dermis layer of the skin to form a design. Tattoo artists create these designs using several tattooing processes and techniques, including hand-tapping traditional tattoos and using tattoo machines. 

Most colour options are available, but black remains the safest option. Blue and green inks with copper phthalocyanine pigments are safe, too. Other colours may contain toxic chemicals and mercury. The reds are perhaps the worst choice because they can contain toxic iron oxide and cadmium.

It’s likely that, over time, many people who have tattoos will regret having them for various reasons – fashions change, tattoos fade with age, health concerns, falling out of love etcetera. 

How hard is it to remove them?

Today it’s often possible to remove tattoos, fully or partially, with laser treatments. Carbon-based pigments, or iron-oxide-based pigments can be removed more completely than inks of other colours. 

Laser tattoo removal is said to be more painful than getting the tattoo. The standard modern method is the non-invasive removal of tattoo pigment using Q-switched lasers. 

A Q-switched laser is a versatile laser that offers different wavelengths to target a variety of skin conditions. Different types of Q-switched lasers are used to target different colours of tattoo ink. Typically, black and other darker-coloured inks can be removed completely, while lighter colours, such as yellows and greens, are very difficult to remove. 

There are a number of factors that determine how many treatments will be needed and the level of success one might expect. These include the age of the tattoo, size of tattoo, ink density, ink colour, skin colour, location, and depth at which the ink was applied – and whether it was done professionally or not. 

If you plan to get a tattoo, be very clear with your instructions to the tattooist. Wayne went to get a tattoo on his back and asked the tattoo artist to do a red Indian. Halfway through Wayne said: “Don’t forget to put a big tomahawk in his hand.” 

The tattooist said: “Hang on, mate, I’ve only just finished doing his turban.”

Clive Williams is a Canberra columnist