Above: Artists at a New York City tattoo shop offer free coverups for clients in February 2024. (NEXSTAR) – Today’s tattoo-removal experts are quite adept at ridding their clients of all types of ill-conceived ink. But there are a few specific types of ill-conceived tattoos that they tend to treat more often than others. “A lot of times [the clients] share with us why they’re getting a tattoo removed,” Carmen VanderHeiden Brodie, the co-founder of Removery, told Nexstar. “There are actually endless reasons … but it’s been interesting over the last couple of years. Microblading, or brow tattoos, have become more popular for removal.” Tattoo removal: Does it work? Does it hurt? How much does it cost? Microblading, a semi-permanent tattooing process that can give the appearance of fuller eyebrows, began gaining popularity in the United States over the last few decades. But despite being designed to fade after a few years (for the most part), plenty of folks are apparently looking to “pluck” their microbladed-brows early. “One in seven calls we get are regrettable brow tattoos,” VanderHeiden Brodie estimated. “We can do them in one treatment, lots of times.” A woman undergoes a microblading procedure at a facility in Serbia. (Getty Images) Many other clients, meanwhile, are seeking to remove another (perhaps more clichéd) type of regrettable tattoo: an ex’s name. “Do not get names. It’s almost like the kiss of death,” said Jeff Garnett, the co-founder of InkLess Tattoo Removal in New York City. “Boyfriends’ names, girlfriends’ names, husbands, wives. It causes a lot of problems.” Garnett told Nexstar that his technicians frequently hear from clients who want to move on from a previous partner, but feel they are unable to “close that chapter” of their lives while wearing a constant, visible reminder on their body. Clients have even claimed that these tattoos have “messed with future relationships,” he warned. “We remove a lot of names,” he said. Along the same lines, VanderHeiden Brodie said Removery’s technicians are “often” asked to remove memorial tattoos — i.e., designs that were originally intended to honor their late loved ones. “In the emotion of the moment they’ll put [a memorial] tattoo on,” she said. “And as time goes on, then that outer reminder is not very comfortable anymore.” ‘Cybersigilism’ is a (divisive) new tattoo trend: What is it? Both experts agree, however, that a significant portion of clients are just “done” with their tattoos, either because they no longer suit their lifestyle or, sometimes, because they want to replace their subpar ink with better artwork. “For a lot of people, they just reduce,” VanderHeiden Brodie said. “They just lighten a tattoo so they can get more, or better work done.” “The quality of the old artwork … is nowhere near as good as the artwork that’s being done now,” added Garnett, who admitted to lasering away some of his older tattoos to start fresh. “So some people, they just love tattoos and are covered in tattoos, but they didn’t have today’s quality when they were getting the work. It’s a way of starting over, physically and emotionally." Removery's locations throughout the U.S., as well as InkLess' locations in NYC and Colorado, both offer free services for reformed gang members, victims of human trafficking, and cancer patients seeking to remove radiation dots. Clients can contact Removery and InkLess for more information.