Tattoo Removal Rises As Body Art Becomes Workplace Issue

In this wobbly job market with jobs hard to come by for even people with the indispensable qualifications, it was found that employers adopted a skeptical attitude towards people with tattoos and showed a marked prejudice in hiring them. So much so that people with tattoos are seriously considering removing their body art.

Even though tattoos have gained wider social acceptance, given that many celebrities adorn them, it was not too long ago that it was associated with only hoodlums, gangs and other similar groups. Moreover, in ancient Japan and Rome, tattoos were used to mark known criminals.

According to The Patient’s Guide, a website comprised of 25 specialized publications dedicated to skin care, laser tattoo removal has increased 32 percent over the past year. People opting for tattoo removal said that inability to get employment was the main reason for it.

According to a report from Philly.com, employers preferred clean-cut candidates who adhered to formal and traditional systems of attire and adornment, and people with visible art work on their bodies, were a strict no-no.

Dr. Jen Mundt of Delete Tattoo Removal in Phoenix said that between 20 and 22 people come to her seeking removal of their tattoos for potential jobs. “The trend I’ve noticed the most is usually college students who have finished their education, and it’s a mistake they made a few years ago, and they’re looking for a job,” Mundt told ABC News.  “And, people who have lost their jobs and are trying to get back into the workforce and gain an edge.”

Mundt said that her client’s primary concerns were with visible tattoos, especially those on the wrist and the neck. “A lot of businesses have a policy that does not allow tattoos that are visible,” she said. “Sometimes you can’t have them at all.”

She said that one of her clients, Gregory Barkley, said his boss told him that his tattoo would be the image the outsiders would carry of the company and its workers.

“He didn’t like that too much. He didn’t like me to be recognized or the company to be recognized that way.” Barkley admits that people used to allude to him as “the guy with the tattoo.” Since then Barkley has got Mundt to remove the tattoo and is happy about it.

Mundt says she uses laser treatment to eliminate tattoos and she works for a hour at a time on a tattoo. A guy normally manages to get rid of his tattoo within ten sitting, set over a period of six weeks. She said that the person suffers excruciating pain which would be unbearable, without the use of a numbing agent, which she injects under the skin, prior to the treatment.

“The pain is like a really hot band snap with hot burning grease on the end of it,” she said. She said different tattoos attracted different prices, but could be as much as $200 per session. I know its high, she says, but the unemployed should look upon it as an investment to their future. “It’s like going back to school, yes you can go into debt, but removing your tattoo might help you get along further in your career,” she said.

Tattoo Removal Rises As Body Art Becomes Workplace Issue