Tattoo removal makes lost love hurt

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Love can hurt. Hearts break and relationships fade away long before the ink on a body part does.

For June brides, as well as a few grooms, it can be awkward when a tattoo spells the name of your true love, circa 2003, and that name doesn't happen to match the person you are joining in holy matrimony in 2014.

What to do?

Some are heading to places such as On Second Thought in Springfield and Under My Skin Tattoo Removal in Ozark to wipe themselves clean of unwanted tattoos.

But make no mistake: Laser removal comes with a cost.

On average, about $750, says Brian Kent, who owns On Second Thought. And it stings like a broken heart.

"I wish I could say something different," Kent says. But it hurts.

"The good news is that it only hurts as I hit it -- not after we hit it."

Ben and Christen Burgess chose the wedding-band tattoo. After a whirlwind romance of five months, they married in the gazebo outside the Ozark courthouse in December 2011. Their first act as husband and wife was to get inked by a Springfield tattoo specialist.

"We wanted a symbol of forever," Christen says.

The tattoo was Christen's idea, Ben says.

"It was totally his idea," she says.

Regardless, the two are now getting a divorce. Ben, 36, lives in Stone County, south of Nixa. He is having his ring tattoo removed via laser. He's had one treatment. Cost: $45. He expects it will take two more.

Ben says he wants it gone because his marriage is basically over and the band is putting a crimp in his dating. Women keep asking the pesky question: Are you married?

Make this clear, he tells a reporter: "I'm single and ready to mingle."

Christen, 32, has no intention of removing her wedding-day tattoo.

"It is part of my life," says Christen, who lives outside of Ozark. "I regret some of the situations, but I don't regret the ink. It is just a part of who I am and where I have been."

DeAndra Karcher's wedding is Oct. 11. She has been under the laser to remove a butterfly tattoo that she had put on her ring finger years ago to cover up a prior tattoo -- the name of her ex-husband: CHRIS.

But now she wants the whole dark glob gone by her wedding day. She has had two laser sessions ($50 each) and has two or three to go.

Karcher, 39, lives in Rockaway Beach with husband-to-be Adam Monroe, who is OK with the tattoo, she says, as well as the eight others she has.

For Stacy Patterson, 28, of Willard, the "tribal sort of thing" tattooed on the middle of her back 10 years ago is not a reminder of a former relationship.

"Honestly, I am just tired of it," she says. "Over the years, I fell out of love with it. It was a poor choice."

Kent, owner of On Second Thought, says removing a tattoo typically takes eight to 10 laser treatments -- with a minimum of four weeks between them to allow the skin to recover. Sessions last less than 30 minutes. The cost depends on the size of the tattoo, color of the ink, age of the person and age of the tattoo.

Black is the easiest to zap away; blue and green are tougher to remove. The older the person, the longer it takes for the skin and body to recover between treatments. The older the tattoo, the easier to remove, because it likely has faded.

He says the most common tattoos he removes are, as mentioned, names of former lovers and wedding bands. In addition, he says, many job applicants for law enforcement or food service find it easier to find employment without the ink.

One client came to him after scarring herself by trying in vain to remove a tattoo with bleach and a wire brush, he says. It hurts and doesn't work.

Amy Kern, who owns Under My Skin Tattoo Removal, said customers are from all walks of life, from doctors to tattoo artists wanting to erase the canvas to try something new.

Kern says removal usually takes three to six sessions at a cost of $45 per square inch. She says a typical session under the laser lasts five to 10 minutes, with a minimum of a month between treatments.