We’ve been off for a week or so over the Christmas and New Year period but, unsurprisingly, the celebrity tattoo stories just keep on coming. Here are a couple of tabloid favourites.
Justin Bieber tattoo makes headlines
Justin Beiber Jesus tattoo
Justin Bieber has shown off a new Jesus tattoo on his calf while with friends on a Los Angeles beach. The large tattoo – based on Rubens’ Ecce Homo painting – is the second of Bieber’s religious tattoos following the small tattoo of ‘Jesus’ written in Hebrew on his ribcage which caused a stir when it was first reported last year.
While in the UK the legal age for getting a tattoo is 18 regardless of whether parental consent is given, in the US there is no nationwide federal law instructing the age at which a person can get a tattoo. Some states stipulate the age of consent at 18 but others set no minimum age for tattooing, requiring only written permission and/or the presence of a parent or legal guardian at the time of inking.
Bieber is only 17 years old but his father’s own interest in tattoos suggest that the tattoo was condoned by his parents.
Last year we blogged about Peaches Geldof’s numerous tattoos – the first of which she got when she was only 14 years old – and her desire for tattoo removal. At 22 she now regrets the freedom granted to her by her father, stating categorically that “fourteen year old girls should not be allowed to have tattoos.”
When it comes to tattoo removal in the UK, the law is somewhat more nuanced than that which rules the application of tattoos. Whereas it is illegal for a person under the age of 18 to get a tattoo, The Gillick Ruling asserts that under 18s can make their own decisions regarding medical treatments regardless of parental consent, or even knowledge, as long as the person is deemed legally competent to make that decision.
At Laserase we are bound by Care Quality Commission regulations which set out clear guidelines that enable our clinics to consult from the age of 8 and to treat from the age of 11. Compliance with these guidelines means that all our consultations and treatments are fully in line with UK law.
Is Billie Piper removing her tattoos?
Before Christmas, speculation was rife that actress Billie Piper has opted for tattoo removal to get rid of a wedding band inking dedicated to her husband.
'Mr Fox' tattoo wedding band
Piper first revealed the small ‘Mr Fox’ tattoo around six months ago and although the two remain happily married, she has been vocal in her dislike for a previous tattoo that she got to honour the date of her marriage. Referring to the couples matching tattoos; she has been quoted as saying: “It’s disgusting. We were in Mexico and both so drunk. I look at it and think, ‘God that’s vulgar.’” With such a profound dislike for her other tattoo it would not be surprising if Piper did elect for the removal of tattoos at some point but reports have also suggested that the ‘Mr Fox’ inking, as pictured here, has merely been covered up by make-up for the role that she is currently playing on stage.
And finally…
The Guardian last week reported on the rise of laser tattoo removal in Spain with competition for jobs being cited as one of the major reasons. The whole Eurozone has been impacted by economic instability but Spain has the highest unemployment rate in the EU at around 23%. The young have been particularly hard hit with unemployment reaching heights of nearly 50%. In this environment, any potential edge over fellow jobseekers is required and removing tattoos that will hamper progression in the civil service, customer facing roles or executive careers is seen as a positive step. One Barcelona clinic is cited as having seen an 81% increase in tattoo removal in the ‘last few years’.
While the amount of tattoo removals varies year on year in our 13 clinics across the country, some Laserase clinics have seen tattoo appointments increase by up to 30% from 2010-2011 despite contractions elsewhere in the cosmetic and medical treatment industry.
