More Women Remove Tattoos Than Men

About 6% of tattoo recipients will eventually remove their ink, and the great majority of those are women, a new survey shows. Although women make up about half of the body art market, 69% of those undergoing laser removal are female, reports the Washington Post. That may be due to the social stigma of tattoos for women or negative comments directed at them.

For men, tattoos are related to "a macho image, so we don't question it," said one of the study's authors. "But for women, having a tattoo seems to be a transgression of gender boundaries." The most common reason cited for tattoo removal was embarrassment, followed by decreased body image that affected clothing choice, and social stigma. (More tattoos stories.)