It is one of the few businesses that have boomed despite the crisis. More and more Portuguese are getting tattoos – with new body art parlours sprouting up here, there and everywhere. But, in a portrait on the growing industry, Diário de Notícias reveals that there is another aspect to the Portuguese population’s passion for decorating their bodies. An exponential number of clients are deciding they have made a big mistake.
“The number of people seeking tattoo removals is growing,” Américo Figueiredo, president of the Portuguese Dermatological Society told the paper. “And I have no doubt that in the next few years, this number will continue to increase.”
Telling DN that he advises people “to get a piercing” instead of a tattoo – “as these can be removed easily” – Figueiredo adds that the biggest trouble with tattoos is not with the permanent variety, but the temporary ones offered by “people from North Africa”.
The inks used, he explained, can often cause allergic reactions.
The advice is “think hard” before opting for a tattoo – though all are agreed, the future will see many grandparents sporting ‘weird and wonderful’ body art.
