Most people cannot put a price on their regrets. But clerk Michelle Tan, 23, could. Hers cost more than $1,000.

Eight years ago, when she was 15, she did something she later wished she had not done - she got herself a palm-sized tattoo of the Chinese goddess, Guan Yin, on her back.

A month ago, she had it removed. Her relieved parents were only too happy to foot the more than $1,000 bill at Dr Valentin Low Aesthetic & Laser Clinic, where she had her tattoo erased.

'I've grown up and I feel having a tattoo is ugly and bad for my image,' she says. 'Having a tattoo gives others the impression that you're a bad person.'

She blames her mistake on peer pressure during her schooldays in Malaysia.

'It seemed stylish at the time and my friends had tattoos, so I decided I wanted one, too. I didn't think of the consequences,' says Ms Tan, who is now a Singapore citizen.

There are many people like her who want their tattoos removed, despite the increasing popularity in Singapore of TV shows about tattoo artists such as Miami Ink and LA Ink. Aesthetic clinics say they have seen a slight increase in tattoo removal cases.

Dr Lee Mun Heng, a physician with special interest in aesthetics and laser surgery at Starcap Medical Group, says he used to see up to four cases a month. Now he gets about five or six cases a month.

Tattoo-removal patients range from teenage students to working adults in their 40s. The younger ones usually regret what they have done, while others remove the tattoos because they have faded or because they do not want their children to see them.

Dr Lee says there may be more people who want to remove their tattoos but do not do so because of misconceptions.

'We have noticed a slight increase at the clinic, but the issue here is to educate the public about tattoo removal. I have seen some patients who have tried to either burn their tattoos away or apply caustic solutions, resulting in terrible scars. People should know where they can find help to remove tattoos safely.'

At the inaugural Singapore Tattoo Show held recently at the Singapore Expo where he gave a talk on tattoo removal, he realised that many people are still unaware of how safe and simple the procedure can be.

'People have had bad experiences and so they are afraid of it. But that was more than 10 years ago. Modern equipment is very good and suitable for Asian skin,' he adds.

In the past, dermabrasions, surgical excisions and skin grafts were used to remove tattoos, all of which left conspicuous scars.

Now, it is done by a laser that breaks up the pigments of the tattoo, which are then carried away by the body's white blood cells.

Each session lasts between 10 and 30 minutes. One session may be all that is needed to erase a small tattoo, while deeper-set or bigger ones will require several visits.

Dr Jane Yong of Stellar Medical Aesthetic Clinic says: 'Amateur tattoos usually require five to eight treatments, spread over a period of seven months to a year, whereas professional tattoos may require more than 10 treatments.'

One session costs more than $100, which means the entire process could cost thousands, including consultation, medication and follow-up visits.

The use of anaesthesia varies according to the size and location of the tattoo, but doctors say the removal still hurts more than getting a tattoo.

The wound can take up to a week to heal and a scar may form.

Dr Patrina Wong, medical director of LinC Aesthetic Clinic, explains: 'The result of the laser treatment is an area of swelling and redness, which takes about three to five days to subside.

'There may be pin-point red spots that also last the same amount of time. The area is reviewed two weeks later to see if another session is necessary.'

Despite improvements in tattooremoval, doctors warn patients to be discerning when choosing a clinic for the procedure, because the new method involves the use of laser.

Associate Professor Lim Thiam Chye, head of the Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery at the National University Hospital's University Surgical Cluster, says he has patients who want tattoo scars removed.

These scars were caused by improper tattoo removal, perhaps done by unlicensed or incompetent physicians.

He says: 'Consult a registered plastic or laser surgeon who can make a proper assessment and do a decent job of removing the tattoo.'

frankiec@sph.com.sg

'I've grown up and I feel having a tattoo is ugly and bad for my image.'
MICHELLE TAN, 23, a clerk who had a tattoo done on her back when she was 15. She removed it a month ago

This story was first published in thesundaytimes on Jan 18, 2009.