Body art, such as tattoos and piercings, is a form of artistic expression but is not traditionally accepted in the professional world.Businesses such as Disney have strict policies on tattoos and piercings. According to Kristie Tauzin, director of career services, Disney workers cannot have a visible tattoo or piercing. Even tongue rings must be taken out.
“Too many people still see it as something out of the ordinary,” Tauzin said. Businesses deal with customers that are leery of tattoos and piercings, so they have policies against them in order to please the customers.
“You get to a point where you look at it like they are either going to accept you with a tattoo, and if they don’t, oh well,” Vic Pitre, apprentice tattoo artist with Randy’s Fine Line Tattoos, said. “It’s for love of the art, and you don’t really care what other people think.”
During interviews, however according to Tauzin, a first impression says a lot about a person and sometimes tattoos can give a wrong impression.
“Why hurt yourself in an interview?” Tauzin said. “Tattoos and piercings are more generally accepted now, but don’t be blatant about it in an interview. Once a person has the job they interviewed for, then they can learn how their boss feels about body art.”
There are ways to hide tattoos and piercings for job interviews and work. Holes from piercings can be held open by clear retainers-small plastic inserts that allow you to take out a ring but keep the hole open.
There are also ways to hide tattoos, either temporarily or permanently. According to Pitre, people who wish to keep tattoos hidden under their clothes request a “short sleeve” tattoo or a “T-shirt” tattoo.
“Short sleeve” tattoos stop at the elbow, allowing them to be hidden under a short sleeve shirt. “T-Shirt” tattoos are tattoos above the waist, elbow, on the back or chest. People also get tattoos above their knees, allowing them to be hidden underneath shorts.
Another option, other than hiding tattoos, is removal.. Lee H. Grafton, of Grafton Dermatology and Cosmetic Surgery, offers three forms of tattoo removal. Small tattoos on the stomach or below the belly button can be removed for about $600 but will leave a small scar. The most popular way to remove a tattoo, according to Grafton, is by using a laser.
“There are really two lasers we use, but basically each laser will target the pigment-especially dark pigment. The darker the tattoo, the better. The laser goes through the skin, hits that pigment and breaks it up, allowing the body to take the pigment away in the same manner it does an infection,” Grafton said.
Laser removal of a tattoo costs approximately $400 per treatment. The average number of treatments in the United States for one tattoo is eight, according to Grafton.
“It’s a lot more expensive to get them taken off than it is to get them put on,” Grafton said.
Besides lasers, the other way to remove a tattoo is by dermabrasion, in which a small wire wheel on a rotary tool is used to remove the superficial skin. A vinegar and water compound is then applied, which sets up an inflammatory reaction. A thick scab comes off, removing the tattoo.
“It’s pretty painful,” Grafton said, “but people want to do that because it is less expensive.”
According to Grafton, people also get tattoos removed when entering military service because recruits cannot have any tattoos that show while wearing a uniform.
Grafton also said tattoos of names are popular candidates for removal.
