-I- Newest tattoo trend?

Newest tattoo trend? Removal

ALBANY, New York (AP) --At 23, Alexandra Baker figures it's time to get
rid of the spider on her ankle.

The tattoo was inked on in college -- one of seven on her body. But
Baker's outlook has changed somewhat. The spider is something to hide
rather than exhibit. So it's coming off, along with two little fairies
on her chest.

"I can't stand having them anymore," said Baker, who lives in New York's
Hudson Valley. "It's just not how I want to portray myself anymore."

Baker is not alone. Doctors say tattoo removals are becoming more common
at a time when people frequently sport butterflies on their ankles or
barbed wire around their biceps.

"There are a number of people who did this and have said 'Geez, this is
not what I want.' What seems really great at age 17 or 20 may not seem
so great at age 30," said Dr. Brian Kinney, a Los Angeles plastic
surgeon and spokesman for the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic
Surgery.

Whole article at: 
www.cnn.com/2003/HEALTH/12/01/tattoo.removal.ap/index.html

Rick
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