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In the News

The tattoo erasers

Some who are inked have regrets. That’s where lasers come in. New technology is making the removal process easier, and more commonplace.

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Ken Saler, a 61-year-old, semi-retired real estate maverick, has reinvented himself. His Advanced Laser Tattoo Removal office in the District has a steady stream of customers, all trying to dial back their everlasting tributes. Dozens of similar tattoo-removal businesses are opening across the country.

Matt McClain / FOR THE WASHINGTON POST

Ken Saler uses a Quanta Q-Plus laser on Wayne Stokes, 34, of Baltimore, during a tattoo removal treatment at his office. Stokes wants to remove ink from his face and neck; he said he started getting tattoos when he was 16 to project a tougher image.

Ken Saler uses a Quanta Q-Plus laser on Wayne Stokes, 34, of Baltimore, during a tattoo removal treatment at his office. Stokes wants to remove ink from his face and neck; he said he started getting tattoos when he was 16 to project a tougher image.

Matt McClain / FOR THE WASHINGTON POST

Ken Saler uses the laser around the eyes of Wayne Stokes. When the laser hits the body, parts of the skin turn red and then frosted white. The ink crystallizes into smaller particles that will be removed by the immune system.

Ken Saler uses the laser around the eyes of Wayne Stokes. When the laser hits the body, parts of the skin turn red and then frosted white. The ink crystallizes into smaller particles that will be removed by the immune system.

Matt McClain / FOR THE WASHINGTON POST

'People ask me every day, 'Why did you do it? Why did you put yourself through that pain of tattooing your entire face?' ' Wayne Stokes says. 'I've realized I don't have to keep that trauma on my body.'

"People ask me every day, 'Why did you do it? Why did you put yourself through that pain of tattooing your entire face?' " Wayne Stokes says. "I've realized I don't have to keep that trauma on my body."

Matt McClain / FOR THE WASHINGTON POST

The tops of Wayne Stokes's hands spell out 'suffering' when he holds them side by side.

The tops of Wayne Stokes's hands spell out "suffering" when he holds them side by side.

Matt McClain / FOR THE WASHINGTON POST

Ken Saler works on the neck of Dave Adams, 36. 'Tattoos were viewed as forever,' Adams says. 'But now I like the idea that I can treat the skin like an artist can treat a canvas.'

Ken Saler works on the neck of Dave Adams, 36. "Tattoos were viewed as forever," Adams says. "But now I like the idea that I can treat the skin like an artist can treat a canvas."

Matt McClain / FOR THE WASHINGTON POST

Ken Saler, left, talks about the tattoos on Dave Adams. Adams wants three removed: a Star of David, a Hindu yantra and an upside-down cross.

Ken Saler, left, talks about the tattoos on Dave Adams. Adams wants three removed: a Star of David, a Hindu yantra and an upside-down cross.

Matt McClain / FOR THE WASHINGTON POST

Ken Saler uses a laser on Lizeth Pleitez, 30, during her tattoo-removal session. 'It was a homemade tattoo done at a party,' Pleitez says of the large pink flower on her lower back.

Ken Saler uses a laser on Lizeth Pleitez, 30, during her tattoo-removal session. "It was a homemade tattoo done at a party," Pleitez says of the large pink flower on her lower back.

Matt McClain / FOR THE WASHINGTON POST

Ken Saler puts a bandage over Lizeth Pleitez's lower back tattoo. The removal process could take up to 10 sessions. According to the Pew Research Center, more than 40 percent of Americans between the ages of 26 and 40 have at least one tattoo.

Ken Saler puts a bandage over Lizeth Pleitez's lower back tattoo. The removal process could take up to 10 sessions. According to the Pew Research Center, more than 40 percent of Americans between the ages of 26 and 40 have at least one tattoo.

Matt McClain / FOR THE WASHINGTON POST

FEATURED PHOTO GALLERIES

BALTIMORE, MD - MAY 18: Jockey Gary Stevens rides Oxbow out to the front of the pack on the first straight away during the 138th Running of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md., on Saturday, May 18, 2013. (Photo by Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post)

Oxbow wins and infield fun at Preakness Stakes in Baltimore

Oxbow put D. Wayne Lukas in the record books again with an upset of Orb in the Preakness Stakes on Saturday, giving the Hall of Fame trainer...

New York Yankees' Travis Hafner bats during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals Sunday, May 12, 2013, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

MLB power rankings

Barry Svrluga assesses the best teams in Major League Baseball through Thursday.

WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 13: Many seminary graduates are choosing not to become pastors. Rebecca J. Cole received her Master of Divinity and is becoming a community organizer on Capitol Hill. She hugs another graduate after the ceremony. The 2013 Commencement ceremony for Wesley Theological Seminary was held on May 13 at the Washington National Cathedral. (Photo by Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post)

Eager to minister, but not from the pulpit

An increasing number of divinity students who don’t plan to become pastors envision using their degrees to “minister” in a...

epa03704474 A Muslim woman at the ThetKalPyin temporary relief camp near Sittwe in Rakhine State, Western Myanmar, 17 May 2013. A total of 13 people were confirmed dead in neighboring Bangladesh as people began to return home from shelters, a day after Cyclone Mahasen hit the coast, officials said 17 May. EPA/NYEIN CHAN NAING

Photos of the day

Cyclone Mahasen, Texas tornadoes, puffin census, melting Swiss glacier and more.

LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 16: American Idol Season 12 Winner Candice Glover (C) is seen onstage during Fox's 'American Idol 2013' Finale Results Show at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on May 16, 2013 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Candice Glover wins 12th season of ‘American Idol’

The 23-year-old vocal powerhouse from St. Helena Island, S.C., tops competition in her third try.

US actress Claire Julien smiles on May 16, 2013 while posing during a photocall for the film 'The Bling Ring' at the 66th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes. Cannes, one of the world's top film festivals, opened on May 15 and will climax on May 26 with awards selected by a jury headed this year by Hollywood legend Steven Spielberg. AFP PHOTO / ALBERTO PIZZOLI (Photo credit should read ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP/Getty Images)

Eye on entertainment

Claire Julien, David Hasselhoff, Freida Pinto, Candice Glover, Martin Short and more.

**LOC IMAGE** Geo. Hamilton, Assistant Superintendent, Cambria Iron Mills house, Johnstown Flood, May 31st, 1889. (Photo by Ernest Walter Histed / Library of Congress)

The Johnstown Flood of 1889

On May 31, 1889, the South Fork dam that held Lake Conemaugh failed, and 20 million tons of water descended upon Johnstown, Pa. The flood claimed the lives of 2,209 people and spurred...

HACIPASA, TURKEY - MAY 5: Syrian refugee Hala ponders her life on the run on Sunday, May 5, 2013, in Hacipasa, Turkey. Three times this morning, the sounds of aircrafts were followed by explosions that shook the ground. Hacipasa, which sits just across the river border from Syria, is home of several hundred Syrian refugees who have been displaced by their home country's conflict. For a year, Hala and her family have been displaced from their home village in Syria because of violent conflict. After bouncing from village to village, fleeing bombings that seemed to follow them, the family crossed into Turkey six weeks ago. Initially, the family was deported back into Syria, where they lived in camps for internally displaced Syrians. But when the camps were bombed, the family was allowed to cross into Turkey. Hala said, 'The blood of the people who died in Syria, the martyrs, is our sad song, but nobody is listening.' (Photo by Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post)

Turkey faces a refugee crisis

More than 400,000 Syrians have crossed into Turkey seeking refuge from the conflict at home. Finding its resources stretched, Turkey is urgently appealing for international aid and...

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