You are on page 1of 1

Katy Pape, Paulette Waltz, Nicole Cvetnic, Barry Blitch CCTP 506 - Section 2 21 March 2012 Final Project

Proposal Tattoos derive some of their mystique from their permanence: getting one is a commitment to a certain image and to what that image represents to the person involved. While tattoo removal is now feasible, the technology is still expensive, time-consuming, and inexact. Despite this, the tattoo removal business remains robust (Tattoo Removal Business Booming, npr.org). Tattoos have a rich and varied history. Europes oldest known mummy, discovered in 1991, lived over 5,000 years ago (Keller et al., Nature) and the tattoos covering his back and legs are still visible today (Dorfer 1023). The mummified bodies of ancient Egyptian women often indicate tattooing. Historians speculate that these were meant for medicinal purposes, perhaps to facilitate childbirth (Lineberry, Smithsonian.com). As European explorers made their first contact with the new world, they often kidnapped and brought back native people with tattoos, who were curiosities in the courts of Europe. This drove a trend and by 1898, Harmsworth Magazine estimated that one in five English gentry had been tattooed (History of tattooing, Wikipedia). Over the course of this project, we will develop a historical timeline of motivations for getting a tattoo, the members of society who have been most likely to be tattooed, and the possibilities (if any) that existed for tattoo removal. A tattoo is drawn by inserting pigment into the dermal layer of a persons skin, bypassing the skins top layer (How Tattoos Work). This relatively simple procedure is remarkably durable. It is nearly impossible to completely remove a tattoo and leave no mark at all. Numerous factors determine what the effectiveness of a tattoo removal treatment will be. There are more than one hundred different types of inks in use today, which can be removed with varying levels of success (How Tattoo Removal Works). Other variables include how long ago the tattoo was applied, the skill of the tattoo technician, the location of the tattoo, and the individuals ability to heal. The current techniques for tattoo removal run the gamut from extremely painful and intrusive to somewhat painful and intrusive. One option is dermabrasion, where the skin is sanded down past the layer where the tattoo has been injected. Another is excision, where the tattoo is literally cut out of a persons body, with the skin then stitched back together or a skin graft filling in the missing area (How Tattoo Removal Works). Given these somewhat gruesome options, it is not surprising that the most popular method is laser tattoo removal, which involves no cutting, scraping, or sanding. We propose to present a basic description of all of these types of tattoo removal but will delve further into the technological specifics of laser tattoo removal. In our video presentation, we plan to interview a doctor specializing in tattoo removal who can present us with information about the process itself. As the reasons for getting a tattoo have evolved, so has the need to remove them. For instance, tattoos are often used by gangs to mark members. Gang leaders exploit the permanence of the imprint to make it difficult for members to defect. This has lead to a benevolent use of tattoo removal: a non-profit in East LA that will remove such tattoos from ex-gang members seeking a clean slate (Ex Gang Members Look for Fresh Start Sans Tattoos, npr.org). In our video presentation, we plan to talk to the doctors performing this surgery and with some of those who have taken advantage of their pro bono service. As we explore the historical context, technological development, and philanthropic use of tattoo removal, we will keep in mind the basic question of why people choose to get tattoos and what factors influence their decision to have a tattoo removed. Three in ten people with tattoos say that having a tattoo makes them feel sexier (Harris Interactive). Twenty-five percent of people who choose to have a tattoo removed do so because they have ended the romantic relationship that their tattoo celebrates (Tattoo Removal Business Booming, npr.org). These statistics hint at what we expect is a great variety of context surrounding modern day tattoos and their removal.

You might also like