Wow. Wouldn’t you pretty much consider anything that promised such impressive results? 100% Freedom. Zero Regret is the slogan for Freedom-2, a company that in the fall will release a new kind of ink that renders permanent tattoos a lot more temporary.
According to a 2003 Harris Interactive poll, 16 percent of American adults and 36 percent of Americans age 25-29 had at least one tattoo. Four years later, those numbers may be even higher, since tattoo fever has hardly subsided (on 43 Things alone, close to 13,000 people have listed “get a tattoo” as a goal). In addition, the Harris research revealed that 17 percent of all “tattooed Americans” regret it. (See: Johnny Depp’s “Winona” tattoo.)
The problem, of course is that tattoo removal hurts—both the epidermis and the pocketbook. What’s worse, even after ten or so painful and expensive laser sessions, there may still be bits of ink that just won’t budge. This is where “Freedom-2″ hopes to make inroads. From the website:
Tattoos have an impact unlike any other personal adornment because they exist in a unique position between the self and others…. Freedom-2 honors and respects the tradition of tattooing and the importance of body art in human culture…. However, we also recognize that life circumstances change and your desire for new body art may cause you to want to remove all or a part of an existing tattoo…. Freedom-2 inks are engineered, independent of color, for efficient and effective laser therapy removal leaving your skin clear and ready for new body art.
Apparently the technology is the same used for certain medications and “scratch and sniff” perfume ads—something called “microencapsulation.” What it means is the ink is encapsulated in tiny polymer beads (1-3 micrometers in diameter). These microcapsules are strong enough to hold a permanent tattoo, but if your love life changes or you’re feeling disenchanted with “Mom,” a single laser treatment will cause the capsules to burst, et voila! The ink (which is less toxic than standard tattoo ink) is then absorbed by the body, and the tattoo fades away.
I’m not sure that’s *exactly* 100% freedom, zero regret (for starters, there’s no word on how expensive a Freedom-2 ink tattoo would be), but it does seem to offer a better option for people whose “forever” turns out to be “eh, not so much.”
Photo credit: tattooedfolk on Flickr.
When I was in kindergarten we’d draw on ourselves with Magic Marker. Temporary, non-toxic, and smells like blueberries.
I think this idea and technology is great—to a point.
To me, it comes down to an inability to commit. Americans, or humans in general… seem to be unable to commit to anything from their spouse, to their career fields, to a hair color or even to a tattoo… certainly some of those are less permanent than others… but still—the lack of commitment is the problem, not the permanence of the things we choose to do in our lives. The simple solution is to think things through, take your time making decisions when you can and then deal with it.
I have tattoos. I loved all of them at one point. Some of them— now i can do without. BUT, none of them are so heinous that I cannot stand having them. That is because I did in fact carefully think about those pieces BEFORE getting them tattooed.
I encourage others to do the same.
No Fear. Winona Forever.
[...] into these time travelin’ donuts. One time around the track and we’re deciding *not* to get that tattoo, another and we’re waiting for a better reason to have sex, or maybe thinking twice about [...]
I got my tattoo because I wanted it to be a part of me forever. I put a lot of thought into it and picked something that represented who I am now. I know I won’t always be the same person, but I got the tattoo so I could look back and never forget this part of myself. For me the permanence was most of the point.
Tattoos are there forever. That’s a lot of the allure behind them. You’re making a commitment to a statement or belief. If you can just make it disappear it becomes just as shallow as the next thing.
Objective tattoo removal information about laser, tattoo removal creams and cosmetic acid tattoo removal at http://healthyskinassociation.org.