What do you do when your partner is ancient history and your tattoo of his or her name is still fresh? FYI talks to tattoo artistes to find out how long forever really lasts

Beckham's done it. Angelina. Pam Anderson. And Halle Berry.

One could fill a book with the names of celebs who sport tattoos of their lovers. And then another one with those who have had them removed with laser or had it covered up with a different one.

Says Kevin Andrade, tattoo artist and owner of Shoryuken, a tattoo parlour in Oshiwara, "Almost 60 per cent of the work I do are cover-ups of older tattoos.

And at least 10 per cent for covering up names and initials." The trend has become so common that certain tattoo artistes now even refuse to tattoo names and initials of partners and spouses.
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"We avoid names since it takes a lot of thought and hard work to tattoo over design," says Kevin.

In 2008, actress Deepika Padukone tattooed boyfriend Ranbir Kapoor's initials on her nape. She didn't get it erased after they spilt

Shaadi aur tumse?

"We once had a young girl come in to get a guy's name tattooed.

After chatting with her for a bit we realised that she was getting a male friend's name tattooed only to dissuade her parents from marrying her off to someone else," says Arun Ronald Alva, of Al's Tattoo and Body Piercing Studio in Mumbai's Bandra.

But break-ups aren't the only reason for re-inks. "A client had a badly done tattoo of the devil with a tail and trident. To her mom it looked like Hanuman with his mace.

Months later, when the mother finally saw through her ruse she was sent to us to get a "proper" tattoo," recalls Kevin.

The High Price of Heartbreak

Besides being tedious and not always an entirely effective procedure, tattoo removal costs a pretty penny.

"Because it's text, it tends to show through patterns and takes several hours of cover-ups," says Kevin.

Depending on the design, tattoo removal can cost upwards of Rs 7,000.

Removal by laser also comes with its share of pitfalls.

"It takes at least three to four sittings done every six weeks to remove a tattoo," says Dr Jaishree Sharad, Cosmetic Dermatologist and vice-president of Cosmetic Dermatology Society of India.

Even after three to four sessions, each costing anywhere from Rs 1,500 to Rs 3,000, the tattoo might not be completely removed. "After two months (of getting the tattoo done) the pigments tend to go deeper into the dermis.

Colours like blue, black and green are easier to remove, while reds and yellows are more stubborn," says Sharad.

"What happens sometimes is the tattoo goes but the shadow remains," explains Sharad. As do other kinds of shadows.

"I know of someone who didn't get his girlfriend's name removed even after breaking up with her. After spending four years with one person, they might have earned some of your skin," says Kevin.

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