June 2009 Blog Archive
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
A High School Principal's Bans Tattoo Ridden Magazine
Students at Orange High School in Orange County, California are in for a
shock. The school's principal has banned hundreds of copies of the school
magazine which had a cover adorned with a large tattoo in Old English Script
on a man's back. The principal denounced the magazine and said he was
banning it because the tattoo was gang-related and article inside was
inappropriate.
The OC Register reported on the story, "Students in an advanced journalism
class put together Pulp magazine as an end-of-the-year project. The cover
story reported that a number of seniors had gotten tattoos and explored the
symbolism behind some of the inked images, editor-in-chief Lynn Lai said. It
was titled, "Tattoo Mania. The front cover illustrated the story with a
computer-enhanced image of a man's back tattooed with Old English letters
and a picture of the school's mascot, a panther."
The principal's magazine ban has caused uproar among students, who are no
protesting that their rights have been violated. This comes on the wake of
many recent controversies surrounding teenagers and tattoos at schools.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
What Parents Think about Tattoos
When I was teenager, tattoos were still considered a taboo for parents,
family members and in many cases society in general. Has the tattoo taboo
shifted, or are we still seeing distraught parents? Nowadays it seems as if
when a teenager gets body-art against his/her parents will, the parents have
an easy outlet to get rid of it - tattoo removal. With tattoo removals
becoming more readily accessible and cost-effective, parents may be in luck
and less heartbroken when their son or daughter comes home clad in tattoos.
A parent blogger from the Norwich Bulletin said, "Tattoos, which seem like
such a drastic step - and one with potentially harmful health consequences -
could be revisited for a stricter age limit, as drinking was when it was set
at 21. At 21, people are young adults who are entering the workplace, and
less likely to be swayed by wanting to be part of a group identity, but are
rather guided by the person they have become."
However some parents would like to see the tattoo age increased to 21, much
like the drinking age. For many feel their children are not mature enough at
18 or even 19 to get a tattoo.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Possible Tattoo Bans at School
In the past few months a number of government agencies, police force and fire departments have been implementing tattoo bans for employees. Many are being urged by employers to hide their visible tattoos or get them removed. In fact the trend appears to be spreading to some school districts. In one situation a young boy has been barred from coming to school because of his five visible tattoos.
AsiaOne News said, "The school's student handbook states that the school does not allow students to have tattoos and, should a student be caught with one, he or she can return only after starting laser treatment to remove it. But the boy is adamant that he has done nothing wrong. 'If tattoos are not allowed in school,' he said, 'why then is there no minimum age (for getting a tattoo)?"
Such stringent rules have yet to be the norm among most school districts, but the potential does exist.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Tattoo Caution
Tattoo artists are cautioning people interested in getting a tattoo to be sure of cleanliness and credibility of the parlor and artist. Health officials in Canada have told the press that there has been a recent case with a tattoo parlor that used unsterilized tattooing instruments, nor were the artists using antiseptics. The disturbing news is now forcing health officials to take more stringent action against tattoo parlors and health guidelines.
The Canadian Press said, "A veteran tattoo artist says people should be very careful and ask lots of questions about cleanliness and safety before baring their skin for a tattoo. The warning comes after customers of Zipp's Tattoo parlour in Edmonton were urged to get tested for HIV and hepatitis after it was closed due to unsanitary conditions."
A number of states in the US have also taken initiative to implement more regulations against tattoo artists and parlors with hopes of eliminating health issues and not allowing minors to get tattoos without the guidance of their parents.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Mainstream Tattoos
The tattoo industry in recent years has become wildly popular and mainstream. As celebrities like David Beckham and Megan Fox make tattooing the 'it' trend, parlors are spurring up as are younger demographics. It has been seen that tattoo parlors are opening up in more mainstream locations, whereas a few years ago you would only see them in dodgy corners and lower socioeconomic locations. Now mainstream malls and popular family spots have tattoo parlors on every corner like a Starbucks.
For example in Tampa Bay according to St. Petersburg Times in Florida, "Perhaps the surest sign: They've come to an upscale shopping district and even a mall near you. FAT Ink - the acronym stands for fashion, art, tattoo - opened last week in an 1,100-square-foot space near Macy's in Westfield Citrus Park, with plans to open another in Westfield Brandon in four to six months."
Tattoo shops in retail locations is showing how the industry both for tattooing and removal is becoming widely accepted.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Tweeting a Tattoo Revolution
Now if you thought Twitter was a fad, a trend of the minute for today's ADD ridden impatient Gen-Ys you may be wrong. Twitter has not only revolutionized the voice of the young Iranian community yearning for freedom, but it is becoming a tattoo artist's revolutionary dream as well. Inked up tattoo artist Thomas Pendelton TVs new stud is getting Tweets from fans asking him to tattoo their Twitter username.
Wired said of this new phenomena, "To qualify, Twitter users must follow Pendelton then tweet @ThomasPendelton with hash tag #A&EWed10 stating why (and where) they want their Twitter handle permanently inked onto their body."
Pendelton has said he will be announcing the tweeting tattoo winner on TV this coming Wednesday at 10pm on his show Tattoo Highway.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Dire Need of Tattoo Removal
A Belgian teenager seems to be in dire need of tattoo removal, after she fell asleep while getting a tattoo and ended up with 56 tattoos all over her face. The teenager is now suing the tattoo artist who did it to her. The young girl is the ideal candidate for tattoo removal, especially since she has told papers that she is mortified to walk outside her house.
News.com.au reported on the tattoo-clad teen, "Kimberley Vlaeminck, 18, was left sporting 56 black stars of various sizes on the left side of her face, from nose to ear and brow to chin. "When he started the tattooing I didn't want to feel the pain and so I went to sleep. I had got up at five in the morning," she said. "I woke up when he was starting to tattoo my nose and I saw what he had already done. I counted 56 stars, it's frightening," she told the Flemish daily Het Laatste Nieuws."
She also told reporters she would be undergoing laser tattoo removal to get rid of the 56 stars. The dispute between the teen and the tattoo artist is heating up as well, he claims she was awake the entire time and consented to the facial tattoos.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Tattoos and Solving Crimes
In some cases it's a good thing that people do not have their tattoos removed. An automatic system for matching and retrieving tattoos is said to help investigators and law enforcement to solve crimes. Law enforcement often times take photographs and note of people's tattoos and scar that can aid in identifying the criminal later in line-ups or with witnesses.
SPIE reported on the tattoo biometrics, "A wide variety of biometric systems have been developed for automatic recognition of individuals based on their anatomical (e.g., fingerprint, face, and iris) and behavioral (e.g., signature and gait) characteristics. Despite tremendous technological progress, there are many situations where primary biometric traits are either not available or are difficult to capture, or where the quality of the sensed images is poor. In such cases, 'soft' biometric traits such as height, sex, eye color, ethnicity, scars, marks, and tattoos can assist in identifying a person."
In some cases tattoos can be helpful tools and removal is in fact detrimental to such things.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Nationwide Growth
Over the past few weeks there has been much news surrounding the booming tattoo removal industry. However, at that time much of the growth was circulating around large US cities like New York, Chicago and LA. But now the tattoo removal industry has also begun to thrive nationwide. As the jobless rates increase and people find it more competitive to find a job, tattoo removal becomes an option many deem as necessary to compete in the workforce.
News 9 in Oklahoma said, "The Oklahoma City-based company specialized in the removals of tattoos, and has seen an increase in people wanting to remove permanent ink on their body."Right now we have a young man coming in who's in law school. He has a tattoo on his hand and he just thinks his opportunities may be a little better when he goes looking for work," said Ball."
Now employers have not vocalized their disdain for body art, however job seekers still believe removing their tattoos will dramatically increase their chances of getting the job over say a tattoo-clad competitor. If this is the case, as the recession delves deeper and unemployment peaks past 10%, we may see the tattoo removal industry flourishing.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Tattoo Blues
If you are concerned about financing a tattoo removal procedure, tune in for we may be able to get rid of your tattoo blues and you can get some return from your investment. Many people are faced with the problem of having an old tattoo they want erased for a number of reasons ranging from employment to regret. But sadly many feel they can't afford a tattoo removal procedure. Now there may be an upside to spending on such laser treatments; your return of cost may be a new job. And such perks in a downturn are essential.
Want to know the cost?
The York Daily Record said, "Tattoo removal by specialized, high-intensity lasers is increasingly popular and often the most effective method, experts say. But complete removal may require eight to 12 painful sessions, and price varies depending on the size of the tattoo and the ink colors used. The average cost per square inch locally is $50 to $100 or more a session. "A tiny cross the size of my baby pinky fingernail would be $25 a session, for example," said Hillary Lebouitz-Schaefer, a medical aesthetician and president of Lebo Skin Care in York Township."
For those for you worried about job stability or simply the competition surrounding employment, it may be a wise choice to remove that visible tattoo. For many workplaces are urging employees to get rid of them or lose their jobs.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Visible Tattoos OK at some Workplaces
In the US a number of states have jumped on board the anti-visible tattoo clause. From government organizations, fire and police departments a number of places frown upon employees with tattoos. However, in Canada the rules are changing. A judge has sanctioned against banning visible tattoos on the job. More specifically the case is about a daycare facility that was hoping to ban employees from any form of tattoos. However this caused a huge uproar in the community because in today's society tattoos have lost their stigma and aura of negativity.
The Globe and Mail in Canada said, "Tattooing nowadays is a phenomenon that cuts across all levels of society," he wrote. "If it was once associated with delinquents, that's no longer the case." The daycare's policy forced an employee with a tattoo of a butterfly or flower on her forearm or calf to wear pants or a long-sleeved shirt, even while working under a hot summertime sun, he wrote. "This is, in the opinion of the court, ridiculous and outrageous." The daycare will still have the right to prohibit inappropriate tattoos including those expressing violence."
Unlike the past, today tattooing has become more readily accessible and normal among younger demographics. This is due in part to tattoo removal entering the marketplace, which takes away the permanent aura associated with tattooing in the past.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Tattoo Removal Program
A tattoo removal program in and around Sacramento, California will be helping people erase their past and move forward with the chance of a new job and no tattoo. As we are in the midst of an economic downturn, securing employment is quite the crafty and tumultuous task. Employers are looking for the most competitive potential employees, and that being said many feel tattoos are not the best choice for hiring someone.
The Daily Democrat said of this initiative, "The Regional Tattoo Removal Program is accountability based and requires each participant to complete 24 hours of community service and demonstrate participation in one of the following areas: employment, vocational program or school.Removal Program to provide free tattoo removal services to people desiring to disassociate themselves from the gang lifestyle and increase their educational and career opportunities," Ancheta said.
The program is being run through the Northern Regional Tattoo Removal Program.
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
Buyer's Remorse? Don't Fret
For those of you questioning your tattoo, whether it is a mark of the past and your youth, or simply you want some change you are in luck. The current economic downturn has in fact bred more tattoo removal clinics and more people seeking out the procedure. Some industry observers believe the unemployment rates and the competitive job market is leading to more people regretting their body-art. In saying so, clinics around US cities are booming and people made redundant are lining up by the droves to remove their tattoos.
KBMT News an ABC affiliate reported, "For people with visible tattoos, the struggle to get hired may be a little more difficult. That's why many American's are deciding to get their tattoos removed to help their job prospects. It is estimated that over 45 million Americans have tattoos and around 17% of those people end up regretting it."
Similarly some people believe that as tattooing becomes more popular so too does removal. Many people impulsively get tattoos while traveling or out partying. And according to some reports tattoos among teenagers and twentysomethings are also increasing.
Monday, June 08, 2009
Tattoo Removal Profits in Recession
Tattoo removal clinics have seen an influx of patients with the increased number of people who are unemployed. Industry observers say that as jobless rates increase, and in fact surpass 9.5% nationwide, many will be opting to remove their body-art. As the industry becomes far more competitive candidates feel they must remove their visible tattoos. In fact some agencies and government organizations are encouraging, nay forcing, employees to remove their body-ink.
ABC News affiliate said, "For people with visible tattoos, the struggle to get hired may be a little more difficult. That's why many American's are deciding to get their tattoos removed to help their job prospects.It is estimated that over 45 million Americans have tattoos and around 17% of those people end up regretting it."
Friday, June 05, 2009
Baby-Boomers and Tattoo Removal
The tattoo removal industry is said to be booming in the US, and according
to some clinics it's because of the aging baby-boomer population. Many are
opting to remove their marks of the past, the body-art that no longer looks
quite as exciting as it did a decade or two ago, or has lost it's edgy touch
as grandchildren and kids come into play. Years ago tattoos had a stigma
attached to them, which is why boomers still feel the taboo and the negative
association and feel it is time to get them removed.
For those of you boomers out there looking to remove your travel tattoo or
your twentysomething blunder, then you need not fret tattoo removal clinics
and procedures are readily available and at your disposal. Laser tattoo
removal takes a few sessions, and is a wise choice when it comes to removal
as pain and time are fairly minimal.
Friday, June 05, 2009
Tattoo Removal Waiting List
Tattoo removal for former gang members has been a California initiative
which has drawn much scrutiny and press in the past few months. Now reports
from various locations in California have come out saying in fact that some
clinics have massive waiting lists and they keep growing. Some government
funded tattoo removal clinics offer free removal for former gang members
looking to erase their past.
ABC in Fresno, CA said, "A grant is funding a state-of-the-art tattoo
removal machine to help gang members get jobs when they're serious about
leaving the lifestyle. 151 people are already on the list to get tattoos
removed. But there is a catch; you have to be willing to give back to the
community while undergoing the treatment."
The removal will be donated free of charge as long as the person committed
to the removal gives back 20-hours of community service for as long as their
treatment lasts. This is generally a few months time, as laser removal
sessions require 6-7 times over the course of a couple months.
Friday, June 05, 2009
Tattoos for Scars
For years there has been negative stigma's associated with tattooing, but a
new breed of tattoos have emerged onto the market, and these are not for
your typical customers. Women who have recently undergone some sort of a
breast surgery like mastectomy are known to be getting tattoos over their
scars on their breast. Not true to popular belief these tattoos over scars
do not hurt more than getting a tattoo anywhere else, likewise first hand
reports say the tattoos changed their perspective on sexuality and
self-esteem as they felt feminine again post-mastectomy.
The Examiner reported, "The tattoo changed my mastectomy scar into my
shield," says Pam Huntley, Ms. Huntley and *many women are choosing a more
unconventional route after mastectomies-- tattoos*. Any good tattoo artist
will work with you on a custom design over a period of time."
It is important however to go to a very trained tattoo artist with scaring
tattoo experience. The custom designs aren't difficult, but they do require
bringing the scar into the design and thus require a bit more finesse and
skill.
Thursday, June 04, 2009
Upscale Tattooing
Farewell to the traditional tattoo parlors that were adorned with tacky neon
signs and loud art on the front door. Say hello to Tattoo Clubs, the new
breed of tattoo parlors making their mark in Hollywood. These new studios
are hoping to break down the stigmas and taboos associated with tattooing
and tattoo artists in the past. They are chic, clean and a place of
business, and did I mention celebrities?
The Los Angeles Times said, "Fashionable salons can further help to dispel
the notion that tattoo parlors are the domain of low-rent districts."Our
goal has been, from the very beginning, to remove the stigma of what people
had thought of tattoos and tattoo artists, that they're kind of dirty, tough
guys [working on] convicts, bikers [and] military guys overseas," Bennington
says. "Our goal has always been to elevate the image of the tattoo industry
as a whole."
This particular shop in LA's trendy miracle mile is situated between a
cookware store and art gallery, part of Tinseltown's most coveted rental
areas. As tattooing gains ground and even prestige, this may call for more
tattoo removal clinics as well, because we know that increased tattooing
also turns into more people searching for removal.
Monday, June 01, 2009
Make-Up Tattoos
The tattoo industry is moving from traditionally tough or artsy crowds to
housewives going cosmetic. No this is not the usual discussion about tattoo
taboos, instead the industry is moving forward in a time of downturn towards
a more lucrative demographic - middle aged women and even thirtysomethings.
For those of you sick of applying your lip liner, eye liner or even eye
shadows, some tattoo artists and cosmetic clinics are offering more
permanent make-up options by using tattoos.
News.com.au said, "Unlike regular body art tattoos, the cosmetic variety
uses a subtle colour palette and aims to naturally enhance assets. The
procedure adds coloured pigment to the second layer of the skin - unlike a
body tattoo which is added to the third layer - to ensure the results have a
soft, muted tone. "We call it permanent make-up because you don't apply it
every day. But it's not permanent as such, it's semi-permanent," says
cosmetic tattooist Michele Curran."
From removal techniques to semi-permanent ink, the tattoo industry is making
massive headway in a dwindling economy. People young and old seem to be
paying for tattoos whether they are for cosmetic purposes or in fact for
removal of their young past.
