The price of being trendy
By Cynthia E. Brodrick • Bankrate.com

So you're thinking about getting a tattoo. Cool. Or maybe even a few holes pierced in unusual places.

If you're into it, then the pain would be worth earning your friends' admiration. And your mom is sure to hate either one -- which makes it even better, of course.

But be careful -- that hole in your nose could also turn into a big hole in your wallet. Your doctor could end up smiling all the way to the bank when that ring gets ripped out of your eyebrow or your tattooed wrist clashes with your banker's suit.

Now, now, I'm not saying don't do it -- but don't do it on a whim. Whether you choose a tattoo or a pierced tongue or both, you're making a statement. Just make sure it doesn't affect your bank statement later on. Take a moment to consider the potential price you'll be paying down the road for a cool look today.

Is it art?
A ring through your eyebrow or a dragon tattoo on your calf may be hip. But, believe it or don't, not everyone you meet will see it that way.

Some folks may be looking at you as a potential employee. Your nose ring or wild tattoo may tell a potential employer exactly what you hoped -- that you're a rebel, that you color outside the lines, that you do things differently (just like all the other people who do it). Unless you're getting a job in the music biz or as a tattoo artist apprentice, body art won't be the most useful investment for your career.

"People start to make impressions before you open your mouth. Whether or not you like it, you're going to have to hide it," explains Los Angeles psychologist Robert Butterworth. "If you're selling mutual funds or talking to people about undergoing chemotherapy, tattoos or body piercing may not be the thing to do. They certainly wouldn't let me on 'Nightline' with a ring in my nose."

Torn earlobes? Holy Mike Tyson!
Even after you weigh the potential negative impact on your future career, the part that creeps me out is the potential damage to your body. Dr. Joshua Fox has seen not only torn earlobes, but also damage to other pierced body parts -- such as belly buttons and tongues -- in his role as director of Advanced Dermatology Center for Laser and Cosmetic Surgery in Fresh Meadows, N.Y.

"It gets damaged when someone pulls on it, or people pull on it themselves or it gets caught on something. Or people are allergic to the posts. There are a thousand and one complications," says Fox. I asked him about the tear that scares me the most: the tongue. "I haven't seen that many complications with the tongue," he says. "I see more cases of belly button."

Belly button damage may be most common to Dr. Fox's patients, but it is one of the easiest to heal, he says. "Belly buttons heal themselves nicely. But a torn earlobe can cost $350 to $650 to repair. It's a bit more delicate surgery."

Judy Cook, practice administrator at Dermatology Consultants in Dallas, says that board-certified dermatologists can charge as much as $800 to repair both earlobes. Your health insurance may or may not cover the repairs.

When your eyebrow, bellybutton, ear or any other part gets ripped and you're looking up doctors in a hurry, here's a hint. Look under dermatology, rather than plastic surgery. In general, plastic surgeons are not interested in such low-rent repairs such as torn ear lobes when they can be making thousands on an augmentation.

Despite the scarring, the cost and the pain, Fox says most people don't regret getting pierced even after something gets torn.

"The kids that do it are committed to it," he explains. "Even when their mom is standing there, saying 'I told you this would happen,' the kid still feels he was right. I wish they did regret it. It would be a learning process. But kids generally don't tell their friends what happened. It's not cool to say not to do it."

So if you're committed to that brass ring through your nose, what can you do to prevent a visit to a scowling doc with a Porsche payment coming due?

The key to preventing damage is "avoid trauma, keep the area dry and clean the piercing regularly," says Dr. Fox "People with allergy problems should go ahead and use stainless steel instead of nickel-based metals."

Erasing memories and tattoos
Tattoos are a lifelong commitment -- and therefore are often a romantic gesture for a relationship. Think of such lovey couples as Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson, Dave Justice and Halle Berry, Roseanne and Tom Arnold. Oh wait. They all broke up -- and probably paid big bucks to get their tattoos removed. Poor Tom Arnold had to get Rosanne's entire face removed from his chest. Youch! And double youch -- you can bet he spent a couple thousand of his divorce settlement to get that done.

"There's a whole cadre of plastic surgeons making a living off of taking tattoos off people, removing evidence of old relationships," says Butterworth.

You may have spent less than $100 getting your girlfriend's name etched on your bicep, but now she's gone. I don't know how much you'll be spending in booze to erase the memories of your relationship, but you can expect to spend hundreds -- or even thousands -- to remove the tattoo.

At Dallas-based Dermatology Consultants, you're looking at paying $350 to $400 per treatment for a tattoo the size of a tennis ball. Kathy Villa, a cosmetic consultant with Dermatology Associates of San Diego County, says it will cost you $400 and up per session, and most tattoo removals require multiple sessions. Professional tattoos are the most difficult to remove because the ink goes deeper.

"Amateur tattoos aren't as deep. And they use black ink, which is easiest to remove," says Villa.

"Sometimes it may require the use of two or three different lasers to get out some of the new colors found in tattoos today," says Dr. Fox. Tattoo treatments range in cost from $200 to $500 per session. Amateur tattoos usually can be removed in about three sessions while professional tattoos generally require five to seven treatments, he says.

A rose is not a rose is not a rose
Speaking of amateurs, their tattoos may require removal even if the relationship is going strong. If you don't check out the qualifications of Joe the tattoo "artist" beforehand, you could wind up with a bad-looking tattoo. Shoddy craftsmanship can leave you with a fuzzy tattoo, uneven lines, or even scarring. What looked like a lovely rose in the book may resemble a red blotch with green leaves on your behind.

Unlike damage from body piercing, tattoo removal is generally not covered by insurance. So if the bloom is off your blotchy romantic rose, now's the time research removal methods and look for a good dermatologist.

"Make sure that the doctor has done a lot of them because we've seen people who've been badly burned," warns Cook. She explains everyone has access to lasers, but not everyone can apply them expertly. Ask the doctor how many removals they've done.

--Updated: Oct. 10, 2002