JULY 6, 2022

Removing a permanent painful reminder from the body can be a way to set yourself free.

Sometimes tattoos are markers of milestone moments, happy memories or successes in our lives. Other times, they are the complete opposite and act as painful reminders or triggers that we’re ready to forget. Maybe it’s a reminder of a breakup, a bad time in your life or an impulsive decision you’d rather not see inked every day on your skin. And that’s more than okay. Nowadays thanks to laser tattoo removal, you can confidently make the choice to clear your ink and leave behind the idea that skin is nature’s most permanent canvas.

Here are a few of the initiatives helping to do just that:

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A clinic in Brazil removes a face tattoo done by a woman’s ex-boyfriend

A young woman was kidnapped and permanently marked in São Paulo, Brazil by her ex-boyfriend after she tried to leave him. According to the Daily Mail, “he forcibly tattooed his full name on her face, starting near the side of her right ear and ending on the side of her right chin area” against her will. She’s currently undergoing several removal sessions at a local clinic in Taubaté that is helping her erase the traumatic reminder as well as several other tattoos related to him. She describes the process as a “sense of relief, of happiness” to finally begin to feel free. Read more about it here.

ASLMS erases branding from traffickers.

The American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery (ASLMS) is helping give victims of sex trafficking the opportunity to remove unwanted branding given to them by their captors. A life-changing initiative, it gives these women the chance to clear unwanted markers from their traffickers ranging from names to barcodes, initials and symbols that were given to them against their will. Read more about it here.

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NAAMA gives communities a SECOND CHANCE

For some, there are certain tattoos that no longer represent the person they are today. They may have tattoos that are triggering or that take away confidence instead of inspiring it. They may have reminders of past memories, ex-lovers or friends, radiotherapy or gangs that are stopping them from moving forward with their lives. We created our Second Chances pro-bono programme to give people the opportunity to erase these painful reminders and start fresh with our tattoo-clearing technology.

Nicola discovered our Second Chances programme earlier this year when she wanted to remove a rose tattoo she got in 2008. “It was right at the beginning of my mental health starting to deteriorate. At that time, I didn’t know I had a mental illness. I was undiagnosed and I was struggling,” she recalls. “Now, the rose is a constant reminder of where I’ve come from. It’s not that I want to forget those days and pretend they never happened, but it’s something I’m forced to think about and remember seeing this tattoo. Having it removed would allow me to move from that time in peace.”

To nominate yourself or someone else for our SECOND CHANCES program, complete the submission form here.

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