06/01/2026
The saying goes, "The tide rises for all boats," but sometimes that shift happens quietly. Growth isn’t always about being loud; it’s about refusing to stay stagnant….
Today, we pushed through over 75 applications across California, Texas, Florida, Alabama, North Carolina, & Georgia. Looking at the data, something shifted so far this year.
Historically, our desk would be flooded with requests for cover-ups. But this year, we are seeing a spike in requests for tattoo removals & scar revisions- so far.
This isn't a quick or easy process. Unlike a cover-up, which can often be done in a couple of sessions, laser removal is a lengthy process that can easily require up to 10+ sessions, with healing time between each sessskon-especially when dealing with multiple pieces. But there is a painful beauty in actively choosing to trust that process. It is the physical unmaking of a past chapter to clear for a new one.
Why the sudden shift from hiding ink to erasing it?
*Look at the placement*
A vast majority of these applications are for tattoos on the face, neck, or hands. While society has embraced tattoos and they have become more common over the years than not having them, the reality is that visible "above-the-collar" ink carries heavy stigmas, judgment, and sometimes large barriers to employment.
When you cannot secure stable, living-wage employment because of visual bias, the systemic domino effect is devastating.
The Employment Barrier: Studies show that over 60% of human resource managers explicitly state that visible tattoos negatively damage an applicant's chances of securing a job.
The Recidivism Connect: For justice-impacted individuals trying to successfully reintegrate, a lack of employment is the primary driver of recidivism.
Did you know that Criminology research shows that individuals with highly visible tattoos (face, head, neck) who are released from incarceration or from abusive situation can face work exclusion, often leading to re-incarceration or going back to “their old life” up to two years faster than those without visible tattoos?
Tattoo removal isn't a cosmetic luxury for the people filling out these applications. It is an economic necessity. It is a literal dismantling of a barrier to a safer, more stable life.
To everyone currently sitting under the laser, doing the slow, patient work to rewrite their story: Keep going. Trust the process.
