Following up on the success of the first series, Bodyshockers, presented by the lovely Katie Piper, returned to Channel 4 earlier this year for its second series. Aptly named, “Nips, Tucks & Tattoos“, Katie meets people regretting their procedures, and introduces them to others considering similar changes. Viewers were exposed to regrettable boob jobs, lip implants, stretched ear lobes, holes in cheeks and drunken facial tattoos; take it from us, there was plenty to wince at!
Just like the first series aired early last year, interest in tattoo removal soared as a direct result of the programme. The Google Trends graph below clearly shows the huge spikes in “tattoo removal” search engine interest on the days that Bodyshockers aired.
We were fortunate enough to be asked to appear on the programme to carry out treatments on our clients with our popular PicoSure laser. We treated three lovely ladies, all with different and unique stories attached to their tattoos, which can be seen on the programme. If you missed the series on Channel 4, don’t worry as it’s being repeated on E4 over the next few weeks. Keep an eye out for episodes 3, 4 and 5 to catch Andrea’s handy skills with the PicoSure laser!
The rise of ‘tattoo regret’ & laser tattoo removal
For the past ten years, laser tattoo removal has been on a steady rise in countries all over the world. Here in the UK, a study by the British Association of Dermatologists in 2012 revealed that a third of people who have tattoos regret them. Just less than half of those would have them removed. In Australia, a study by Mccrindle found that 34% of people with tattoos have regret to some extent. 14% of these people have commenced or looked into tattoo removal. And in America, spending on tattoo removals is still growing and is expected to hit $83.2 million in 2018, keeping pace with growth in the overall tattoo industry, according to research firm IBISWorld.
Image source: MarketWatch
The growth of the tattoo industry and tattoo removal is a trend that Bodyshockers have helped to raise the awareness of. Programmes like Bodyshockers are helping people think more long-term when it comes to tattooing and body modifcation. In an interview with The Belfast Telegraph, Katie Piper importantly reminds us how big of a decision going under the “ink needle” is:
“We’re losing perspective of how invasive and permanent these things are. The person we are in our teens and 20s isn’t the person we’re going to be for the rest of our lives. And their career aspirations might not be the same for the rest of their lives.”
Inevitably though, with age, people change and so do their opinions. What once was sexy, may be deemed ugly twenty years later. And, as long as their is regret, there will always be a laser tattoo removal specialist on hand!
Recent laser technology advancements
Developments in laser technology to remove tattoos more easily and with as little scarring as ever has been a key driver of growth for removal services. The PicoSure Laser, as featured in Bodyshockers is the biggest development in the history of laser tattoo removal technology.
PicoSure by Cynosure is the first and only Picosecond aesthetic laser approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Before PicoSure, tattoo removal was carried out by way of nanosecond technology, which relied on photothermal action. These lasers have a higher risk of leaving visible scars where the tattoo used to be. But now, thanks to PicoSure’s PressureWave Technology, targeted ink is shattered within the skin and removed naturally from the body. The risk of scaring with PicoSure is extremely minimal.
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