Tattoo remorse can be pretty awful. Perhaps you’ve broken up with the loved one whose name you had lovingly (if even painfully) etched on your skin. Maybe the design seems a bit too youthful and you’ve just outgrown your body art.

Thankfully, you can have your tattoo lasered off. Maybe you’re just craving some new space. Some people have the art removed to replace it with something they like even better. The bottom line is removing tattoos can be costly, uncomfortable and time consuming.

Many dermatologists specialize in removing them and some laser hair-removal centers even add this specialty to their list of services.

There are no hard statistics on tattoo removal, but Catherine A. Kniker, a senior vice president for Candela, a laser manufacturer, calculated that Americans might have 100,000 laser tattoo removal treatments this year.

So, even if you are craving a sweet little butterfly on your ankle today, it doesn’t have to remain there for all your tomorrows. [sources: The New York Times, Fitness RX]