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"Getting a tattoo may seem like no big deal, but it's actually a lifelong commitment. Teen Vogue reports.Lindsay Lohan has a Marilyn Monroe quote. Evan Rachel Wood has a verse of Edgar Allan Poe's poetry.... Getting a tattoo may seem like no big deal, but it's actually a lifelong commitment. Teen Vogue reports.\n\nLindsay Lohan has a Marilyn Monroe quote. Evan Rachel Wood has a verse of Edgar Allan Poe's poetry. Sienna Miller, Zo&amp;amp;#xEB; Kravitz, and Gisele B&amp;amp;#xFC;ndchen all have stars. Jessica Alba has a pink bow. Model Jessica Stam has Chinese characters, while Chanel Iman has a clothes hanger on the back of her neck. Lately, it seems like the must-have accessory isn't a killer pair of shoes or a hot new gadget--rather, it's something much more, well, skin-deep: a tattoo.\n\nOnce reserved for war veterans, biker gangs, and heavy metal bands, tattoos have gone entirely mainstream, showing up not just on notoriously edgy entertainers like Angelina Jolie and Amy Winehouse but also on seemingly girl-next-door types like Hayden Panettiere, Hilary Duff, and Brittany Snow. \"Nowadays, it's like there are more celebrities my age with tattoos than without them,\" notes Natasha, a nineteen-year-old college sophomore in New York City. What's behind Young Hollywood's tattoo obsession? \"People are short-sighted,\" says Manhattan dermatologist Heidi Waldorf, M.D. \"It's the same reason we see so many young actresses smoking and tanning--they look at the short-term gain rather than the long-term cost.\" Casey Gallagher, M.D., a dermatologist and tattoo-removal consultant in Boulder, Colorado, believes that starlets often use tattoos as a means of standing out: \"They could be trying to make a personal or political statement. Or they might even be getting tattoos to win press coverage.\" Undergoing a painful procedure (tattoos are made by injecting ink through needles into the dermis, the second layer of skin) just for attention may seem silly, but it's not such a wild notion: Lily Allen set the blogosphere abuzz after Twittering about her new tat, and Rumer Willis debuted her intricate ink at a party. Rihanna--who's rumored to have more than ten tattoos--made a statement when photos of a tiny gun tattoo under her right arm appeared on MySpace in late March, after her breakup with Chris Brown. The pop singer also made headlines in July when she was spotted needling tiny umbrellas on three people in Manhattan.\n\n\"Unlicensed tattoos are more common than you think,\" says plastic surgeon Robert A. Guida, M.D., one of New York City's top removal specialists. \"You'd be surprised how many people get them in college dorm rooms or fraternities and sororities.\" According to local law, Rihanna could be hit with criminal charges--up to three misdemeanors and hefty fines. But there's also the plethora of safety issues involved: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported cases of methicillin-resistant staph infections among recipients of tattoos from unlicensed artists. And Guida says DIY tattoos can be the trickiest to remove, as ink often permeates deeper than it should into the skin (into the layers of subcutaneous fat), and the quality of ink tends to be inferior, often containing impurities that are harder to erase with lasers. Hopefully, Rihanna's devotees won't follow her example and start branding their friends. But a celebrity's influence over their fan base can be powerful. \"I wanted one after I saw Scarlett Johansson's,\" says Holly, a nineteen-year-old Chicago native who had a setting sun inscribed on the inside of her wrist. \"I think of Scarlett as a style icon, so I decided on a design that's similar to hers.\" It's one thing to take wardrobe or hairstyle inspiration from your idols, but tattoos, Waldorf emphasizes, are permanent. She advises any teenager considering a tattoo to ask herself, \"Do you still wear the same makeup or clothing styles you wore a couple years ago?\"\n\nGallagher notes tattoo remorse--or tattoo rue, as it's been called--is commonly caused by a breakup, a design blunder, or simply growing up. Many tattoos cost less than $100 and often take only about fifteen minutes to apply, but getting rid of them is much more complicated (not to mention painful). \"The process is time-consuming, since you can need up to ten sessions, and far from perfect,\" warns Waldorf. \"Lasers are not erasers. Even if you get a tattoo removed, you may be stuck with a faint outline of the design or unsightly scarring.\" While celebrities can afford the pricey removal packages (which often cost between $900 and $3,000), many outside of Hollywood cannot. And less expensive methods of tattoo removal that aren't medically recommended are no less painful--dermabrasion involves scraping and sanding the skin, and surgical removal entails a surgeon cutting the tattoo out of the skin and stitching the edges back together (both procedures tend to leave scars). Doctors urge that girls shouldn't underestimate the permanence and seriousness of tattoos just because removal technology exists. Tattoos are risky, period. \"Recipients are potentially susceptible to acquiring blood-borne infections,\" Gallagher says. Hepatitis C, hepatitis B, tetanus, tuberculosis, and even HIV can all be transmitted through unsanitary or reused needles. Some people are allergic to tattoo pigments (especially red ink) and develop itching, redness, or inflammation that can last until the tattoo is removed. Plus, it's been reported that tattoo ink can contain chemicals like lead, copper, chromium, and lithium--which aren't exactly things that you want under your skin. \"If I could do it over again, I would think twice about the tattoo I got,\" says Marissa, now 26, who acquired a complicated lower back tattoo after seeing Drew Barrymore's several years ago. She's been saving up for a removal package but has been told that the chances it will fully vanish are slim. \"Do you really think you'll want the same tattoo in five or even 25 years? Trends are ephemeral, but tattoos are not.\"\n\n *Names have been changed."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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