Tattoos have become more accepted in mainstream culture. They used to have a more negative stigma, being associated with outlaws and dangerous individuals. Now, it seems that self expression is a more important driving force.
Even the celebrity world is embracing tattoo art. And many of these icons also choose removal procedures like everyone else who changes their mind at some point in their lives. It is estimated that 10% of people in the United States have at least one tattoo. And half of them regret it.
With these stats, it should be no surprise that celebrity tattoo removal is quite common. This is particularly true after a breakup if a star has tattooed the name of a significant other. Here are a few examples:
Marc Anthony
Marc Anthony had tattooed the name “Jennifer” on his right wrist. According to the Hollywood Reporter, he underwent laser tattoo removal before filing for divorce from his celebrity wife, Jennifer Lopez. It was not a complete success. So he has tattooed an image of the Statue of Liberty over the remains of the old tattoo. This image represents his new significant other, Shannon de Lima.
Angelina Jolie
After breaking up with Billy Bob Thornton, Angelina Jolie tried to remove his name and dragon symbol from her upper arm. Since it was still visible, she decided to cover it up with geographical coordinates of her childrens’ birthplaces.
Johnny Depp
Another famous celebrity tattoo removal story involves Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder. Depp had a tattoo on his upper arm which read, “Winona Forever.” After their split he decided to keep most of the tattoo, but changed it to “Wino Forever.”
Charlie Sheen
Here is another typical example of celebrity tattoo removal. Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards were married from 2002-2006. He had her name tattooed on his left wrist. Likewise Denise had tattooed Charlie’s name on her ankle. After their divorce, he and Brook Mueller became a couple. In addition to getting rid of his “Denise tattoo,” he promised her that he would also remove the rest of his thirteen tattoos.
Other Examples of Celebrity Tattoo Removal
Besides break ups and divorces, stars have other good reasons for removing tattoos.
Britney Spears
During the phase when Britney Spears was interested in Kabbalah, she had Hebrew letter tattooed on the back of her neck. In 2008, media sources were aware that she had the tattoo removed. Her reasons remain unclear.
Miley Cyrus
Pop celebrity Miley Cyrus has been seen outside laser tattoo removal centers. Various sources believe that she is having her tattoos removed because of her fiancé, Liam Hemsworth. According to rumors, he does not like the appearance of tattoos and would probably not want her to set a bad example if they should have children.
Marc Wahlberg
Marc Wahlberg is over his bad boy image. The celebrity deeply regrets getting inked. And he has been very diligent about getting tattoo removal procedures. To deter his kids from making the same mistake, he takes them along so they can see how painful the process is.
Final Note:
Celebrity tattoo removal is probably more common than most people realize. Like everyone else, they were probably very excited when they first got their tattoos. But feelings and attitudes do change with the cycles of life. So these examples will hopefully encourage people to really think carefully about getting tattoos. Although it is possible to have them removed by laser, the process is often very lengthy and difficult.
Learn how tattoo removal works.
Celebrity and non-celebrity patients choose tattoo removal procedures for different reasons*