For Teen Vogue, by Andrea Navarro.
Photo: FilmMagic
Tattoos can be everlasting memories, or they can eventually become huge regrets. People get inked for a ton of different reasons -- from an impulse decision to something very personal. Either way, there may come a time when you just don't want that tattoo anymore, but the removal options are limited.
Those who choose to go through a laser tattoo removal process will not only have to spend a ton of money, but there's also a huge time commitment. The only other options are getting more ink to cover them up, or using a ton of makeup to hide them. A team of New York University students and graduates are looking to change that with their latest project.
Seung Shin and Seung Anthony Lam started their company, Ephemeral, to develop a tattoo ink that won't last forever. Seung Shin told Washington Square News that the dye molecules in Ephemeral tattoo ink are small and confined in a special capsule. With Ephemeral tattoos, all an artist has to do is retrace the ink with a tattoo gun filled with their special removal solution.
Shin hopes to influence the tattoo industry sooner, rather than later. "Five years down the road, I hope we've substantially dented the tattoo industry, its culture and its future," he said. "I hope to see a lot more people with ink," he added. If in five years we're able to erase our tattoos and lose that fear of commitment, there's no doubt tattoo shops will see a growth in customers.
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