When I turned 18, I got a tattoo. At least I had the good sense not to get a tramp stamp… and I made the smart choice of putting it below my bikini line so no one ever has to see it! It’s not that it’s horrible; it’s just uninspired and boring.
Since that fateful trip, I’ve spent countless hours thinking about how I could cover it up and what I would want permanently etched on my skin. I could not come up with anything. The thing is I think tattoos are awesome. When they are done by a talented artist, and they are on the beautiful canvas I like to call the human body, I see them as art. But, like many, my reservations have everything to do with the permanency of the process.
So… I am obsessed with the reality show Ink Masters, and before the best artists are separated from the mediocre, there are some shady looking pieces getting tattooed. This is my biggets fear! How do I know the person putting the tattoo on me is going to do a good job?! Everyone makes mistakes – even the best.
So, when I heard about these engineering students out of NYU that invented erasable permanent tattoo ink, I got excited. This is the solution! They named the stuff Ephemeral, and it’s basically a special ink that’s applied the same way as a regular tattoo. The only difference is there is a removal solution that you can tattoo over the ink and erase it! This is great for tattoo artists too. A simple mistake is no big deal now! You could even spell a word wrong and it wouldn’t matter. The only bummer is, to erase the tattoo you have to get tattooed again. It’s a lot better than the alternative, though – laser tattoo removal – painful and not 100% effective.
People in the business are saying this is the way of the future, and why wouldn’t it be? You could get tattoos without the fear of having it forever! If you’ve got the time, the pain tolerance, and the money, you could get different ink done for every stage of your life and any occasion that would be improved with a Japanese Koi fish! You could get every boyfriend’s name tattooed on you! That used to be the kiss of death for any relationship. Not anymore!
Feel like testing out a full back piece? Why not?! True, die hard tattoo lovers might think using erasable ink is a cop out, like it takes the excitement and rush out of the experience, but I, and probably anyone else that’s too chicken to get their entire body inked, think it’s amazing.
The invention of Ephemeral is only really a bummer for anyone with an old school tattoo that they hate. Even then, there’s always the option of a cover up. I’m just happy that I’ll be able to get more tattoos sometime in the future. I just have to keep telling myself to be patient. And if I ever get the urge to jump the gun and just get another one without thinking clearly, I’ll spend a few minutes searching through Instagram and quickly remember why I’m waiting!
Don’t think you want to wait? Check out these fails and think again!
https://www.instagram.com/p/BEjdX1tMz54/: This wolf is scared of that llama – yeah, in front of the moon, that’s a llama.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BEgtcmjlGfC/: I’m not a snake fan, but this thing is just an anatomical nightmare! Where is that weird tongue coming from and how many eyes does this thing have?!
https://www.instagram.com/p/BEdzLORmZWG/: Okay, this guy clearly has a great sense of humor, but do you want the Polo logo on your chest forever?!
https://www.instagram.com/p/BEZPjsnEwCb/?hl=en: This is the stuff of nightmares!
https://www.instagram.com/p/BEZPeiukwCT/: Yeah, this is going to look good when you are 70! And seriously how do you explain this to your mom and dad?!
Are you more willing to get a tattoo if you know the ink is erasable? What would you get? Do you have a tattoo you regret? What is it?
