金融時報(bào):紋身的“后悔藥”

紋身的“后悔藥”

當(dāng)年輕的你去紋身的時候，你可否想過，人是多么善變，而紋身卻如此頑固。好消息是，新的技術(shù)已經(jīng)讓祛除紋身變得更加容易。但遺憾的是，即使是最尖端的技術(shù)也無法去掉所有紋身。對于紋身，有哪些“后悔藥”可供我們選擇呢？

測試中可能遇到的詞匯和知識：

remorse[r?'m??s] n懊悔，悔恨

stigma['st?ɡm(xù)?] n.恥辱，污名

linger['l??ɡ?r] vi.逗留，消磨

dermatologist[?d??rm?'tɑ?l?d??st] n.皮膚科醫(yī)生

pigment['p?ɡm(xù)?nt] n.色素，顏料

practitioner[præk't???n?r] n.從業(yè)者

premium['pri?mi?m] n.額外費(fèi)用，獎金

How to correct a taboo tattoo(672 words)

By Kathleen Baird-Murray

According to the British Association of Dermatologists, one in five British adults now has one or more tattoos. But how many of those will go on to regret them? Given that most people with tattoos get inked in their youth, at a time when no one can imagine love for a partner or a circle of barbed wire or Rebel Wilson’s Mexican Worm (as seen in Bridesmaids) ever fading, the potential for remorse is high.

The professional stigma lingers in many careers and cultures: one City of London broker tells me his colleagues get theirs done in areas that are easy to cover up, like on the wrist where the watch goes, or on “the butt cheek”.

“I’ve had people coming in to get tattoos removed because they have an interview for a Middle-Eastern airline,” says Dr Vishal Madan, president of the British Medical Laser Association, who specialises in tattoo removal using a laser, which is still widely considered the most reliable method.

The latest laser — the Picosecond — can reduce the time it takes to remove a tattoo: 15 sessions as opposed to 20, depending on size. But it’s still not 100 per cent effective. “It’s just not true to say all tattoos can be removed, as some salons will claim,” says Dr Madan.

Laser removal works by sending wavelengths of light in specific colours into the skin. The light is absorbed by coloured pigments in the tattoo, raising the temperature in the pigment to levels where the pigment breaks into particles that can be absorbed by white blood cells (macrophages). “The current lasers come in red, green — there is also one for black tattoos. But if you have orange, yellow-toned, or skin-toned pigments, you cannot remove these permanently.”

In the hands of the wrong operator, you can make your tattoo a lot worse. Critically, there is no regulation in the UK for the use of lasers in aesthetic treatments such as tattoo removal. As a practitioner, as long as you have the £120,000 or so for the machine itself, you can open a tattoo removal salon. When you consider that the side effects can include laser burns, blisters, scarring, colour change or ghosting — where the tattoo pigment has gone but you can still see the silhouette of the original — it’s all rather terrifying.

There is also the option of reworking the tattoo into something new, in the manner of Johnny Depp’s infamous “Winona Forever”, for then girlfriend Winona Ryder, which became “Wino Forever”. Or perhaps inspiration can be found in Tattoo Fixers — the reality TV show in which tattoo artists address previous mistakes. If you do try this, it’s recommended that you have one session of laser first to lighten up the offending tattoo, so that you have more options when it comes to covering it.

But perhaps the more sensible option is to ensure that your tattoo is never that big to begin with. Recent months have seen a rise in tiny tattoos, delicate inkings smaller than a thumbnail (such as actress Emilia Clarke’s bee design). Model Bella Hadid recently had a micro rose inked on the back of her left arm, her second minuscule tattoo this year by New York artist Jonathan “Jon Boy” Valena of West 4 Tattoo.

“Over the past few years there’s been a trend towards the tinier ones,” says star tattoo artist Mark Mahoney, whose Los Angeles studio, The Shamrock Social Club, has become famous for creating black-ink fine-lined elaborate-scale works of art on David Beckham and Depp, but is also responsible for Adele’s subtle initial “A”.

“Girls get three, four or five done as single ones in places like behind their ear. For a beginner, it’s the toe-in-the-water tattoo,” says Mahoney, who has a year’s waiting list, and is rumoured to be opening a pop-up at London’s new Mandrake Hotel later this year. “Not everyone can do them. The key is to keep them clean and simple — if they’re done right, they look good for ever.” Which, when you consider that a tattoo is for life, is a very long time.

請根據(jù)你所讀到的文章內(nèi)容，完成以下自測題目：

1.What percentage of adults in Britain have at least one tattoo?

A. Around 10%.

B. Around 15%.

C. Around 20%.

D. Around 25%.

答案(1)

2.According to the article, why do some people get their tattoos done on the wrist?

A. Tiny tattoos on the wrist is a more sensible option for tattoo beginners.

B. Tattoos on the wrist can be removed by picosecond laser permanently.

C. Tiny tattoos on wrist are increasingly popular in recent months.

D. Tattoos on the wrist are easy to be covered up by watch.

答案(2)

3.Which of the following options is widely considered the most reliable method to remove a tattoo?

A. Skin-toned pigments.

B. The Picosecond laser.

C. Reworking the tattoo into something new.

D. Raising the temperature in the pigment.

答案(3)

4.Which of the following statements is true according to the article？

A. The Picosecond laser can reduce the time it takes to remove a tattoo.

B. A yellow-toned tattoo cannot be removed by laser permanently.

C. People work for Middle-Eastern companies are not allowed to have tattoos.

D. Laser can remove the tattoo pigment but the silhouette is indelible.

答案(4)

* * *

(1) 答案：C. Around 20%.

解釋：英國皮膚科協(xié)會的數(shù)據(jù)顯示，在英國，每五個成年人中就有一人有至少一個紋身。

(2) 答案：D.Tattoos on the wrist are easy to be covered up by watch.

解釋：倫敦的一位經(jīng)理人告訴我，他的同事們都把紋身紋在容易遮住的地方，比如可以用手表遮住的手腕上，還有屁股上。

(3) 答案：B.The Picosecond laser.

解釋：激光仍然被廣泛視作最有效的祛除紋身方式，皮秒激光是最新的激光技術(shù)。

(4) 答案：A.The Picosecond laser can reduce the time it takes to remove a tattoo.

解釋：最新的皮秒激光技術(shù)可以縮短祛除紋身的時間。