To take a deeper look about how people feel about their skin markings, researchers analyzed data from two surveys - 1996 and 2006 - of people undergoing tattoo removal procedures at four dermatology clinics in Arizona, Colorado, Massachusetts, and Texas.
While the 1996 study had posted a positive result with up to 83 percent of the individuals tattooed were pleased with the end result, only 6 percent of the dissatisfied lot had second thoughts and went in for removal procedures.
For the 2006 survey, lead author Myrna L. Armstrong, a professor in the school of nursing at Texas Tech University's Health Sciences Center, in Lubbock, Texas and her team questioned 196 patients averaging 30 years of age who visited dermatology clinics for tattoo removal.
While over 50 percent had gotten their tattoos between the ages of 16 and 23, the basic impulse that drove the craze could be categorized broadly into feeling unique for 44 percent; feeling independent for 33 percent; and a portrayal for life experiences for 28 percent.
But regardless of motivation, a striking 69 percent women versus 31 percent men were reverting to tattoo removal, researchers highlight.
While for 57 percent patients their tattoos were now a cause of embarrassment, 38 percent felt it lowered their body image. Another 25 percent women attributed their choice for seeking removal to more social stigma and negative comments.
Interestingly, about one-quarter of Americans ages 18 to 30 have a tattoo, and women constitute between 45 percent and 65 percent of the tattoo market.
"We saw that for women there is still some negative societal fallout to having tattoos", marked Armstrong. "This isn't a problem for men. Society supports men, because tattoos are related to a macho image, so we don't question it. But for women, having a tattoo seems to be a transgression of gender boundaries."
The researchers report their observations in the July issue of the journal Archives of Dermatology.
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