The start of the new year, for many, represents a call to action, a time for resolutions and fixing life’s annoyances, from outside and within, whether setting financial goals, starting a new career, or working on one’s appearance.

Wherein the past, physical improvement may have meant a nip and tuck, a laser treatment for wrinkles and sun spots, or committing to old-fashioned exercise, these days it also can mean exorcising tattoos that no longer hold meaning.

At Q Laser Center, esthetician Raleigh Taufer of Seriously Awesome Skin has been performing laser treatments for 12 years, introducing laser tattoo removals a year ago due to demand. "A lot of people have been coming in. During the new year, you always see an increase in people wanting to make that change," he said.

Although Taufer also delivers laser hair removal treatments and such skin procedures as microdermabrasion, facials and peels, "It’s gotten to a point where some days all I do is tattoo removals. There’s a demand for it because people will always be getting tattoos. A lot of people come in with the ‘drunk tattoo’ they get because they were partying or they went to Vegas.

"I see a lot of names of ex-wives, ex-husbands, a lot of wedding bands. A lot of times, people will come in with their new significant others, who have a pleased look on their face while it’s being done.

"Or it could be that they’re trying to get a job. I see a lot of people when Hawaiian Airlines is holding interviews and callbacks because they have a dress code where you can’t have any visible tattoos."

Tattoos, which just a few decades ago were associated with sailors, bikers and the counterculture, have become mainstream. A 2010 Pew Research Center study found that about 40 percent of adults ages 18 to 29 have at least one tattoo. A 2012 Harris Interactive Poll revealed that 38 percent of adults ages 30 to 39 have tattoos.

But that doesn’t mean body art is acceptable to all. A lasting stigma is reflected in the continued reference to women’s lower-back tattoos as "tramp stamps."

Beth Busch, executive director of Job Quest/WorkForce, which presents a number of local job fairs — the next taking place Jan. 22 at Blaisdell Center — said, "In the days of 3 percent unemployment, job seekers and employees were given a little more latitude where tattoos and piercings are concerned. Today, although unemployment is going back down, employers still feel confident that they can dictate the grooming standards they want and attract and retain good employees."

At a time when clear branding is crucial for businesses, many employers don’t want to see tattoos reflecting personal religions or beliefs that could make customers uncomfortable. "It’s mainly a matter of maintaining a professional appearance," said Clifford Jamile, director of employee relations for Hawai‘i Pacific Health, which for 10 years has had a policy of having employees cover up tattoos while on duty.

All that should make any ambitious individual think twice about tattoo placement or whether to get one at all. The Harris poll revealed that 20 percent of those who get tattoos end up regretting it.

But, like it or not, tattoos are here to stay, Taufer said.

"A lot of people in their late 30s, early 40s, after they get a tattoo removed, aren’t interested in getting another tattoo again. But people in their 20s come in saying, ‘Oh, it’s something I got when I was 18, but I outgrew this one and want to get another one.’ It’s like a way of life."

Although 18 is the legal age for getting a tattoo without the consent of a parent or guardian, Taufer said he’s had many clients come in with DIY tattoos on their hands or arms from when they were bored teenagers. One 16-year-old came in "because he’d gotten ahold of a tattoo gun and went crazy with names and islands. His tattoos didn’t look that bad, they looked really well done, but his mom was horrified."

TAUFER, who’s also a victim of a bad tattoo, said he’s lived with it for two years but is going through the removal process now that laser technology has improved.

"The technology has come so far in the last 10 years. If you look at old YouTube videos you’ll see people wrapped with gauze, seeping blood red. Now, it just ends up feeling like a really bad sunburn."

Q Laser uses Quanta DNA Laser Technology that utilizes short pulses of high-intensity light "that only goes after ink in the skin. I can shoot it at my hand and nothing happens. It’s looking for pigments and breaks them up."

One pulse will turn a colored area white, and eventually the white fades out and the tattoo rises as the skin swells. "It looks as if you had just gotten the tattoo because the energy gets into the ink and shatters it," Taufer said. After that, the ink molecules are flushed away through the body’s lymphatic system.

Although many assume a smaller tattoo is easier to get rid of, Taufer said there’s no telling how long the process could take.

"The experience for each person is different. There’s so many variables. It depends on the health of the person’s lymphatic system, what kind of ink was used, how heavy-handed the artist was. They could have really been pushing the ink deep into the skin."

He said it’s especially difficult to eliminate hand-done Polynesian tattoos done via needles tapped with wooden mallets. "That’s when you find pockets of ink deep in the skin," he said.

Curving his fingers around his own left ring finger, he said: "This part, any bony part, is gonna hurt. People think if they have something small on their finger or on their ankle, it’ll be fast, but actually it’ll fade faster if it’s closer to your core, closer to your cleansing system."

The procedure doesn’t come cheap: $99 for 1 square inch of treatment. Even a simple kanji phrase can require five treatments. Removal is a slow process, considering one must wait six to eight weeks between treatments to allow the body time to absorb old ink and recover.

When considering removal, he suggests going only to a licensed facility. Taufer said he’s heard of underground operations that go over a tattoo with a tattoo gun loaded with sour milk or other cocktails "that are completely unsafe and unsanitary."

At Hawaii Plastic Surgery Associates, Dr. Todd Mirzai said the process does break down the skin, making the individual susceptible to infections. "There may be some bleeding, so they have to be aware of how the area is prepared before the procedure and cared for after the treatment," he said.

Clients must also take it seriously. "It’s important that they avoid going back into the ocean or swimming pool too quickly," Mirzai said.

There are some inks that cannot be removed with a laser. Mirzai said metallic ions in cosmetic tattoos, like lip and eye liners, will turn darker, rather than lighter.

And according to Taufer, "Anything neon, white or bright yellow reflects laser light. It sounds barbaric, but the only thing to do then is go to a surgeon and have the tattoo cut out."

According to Taufer, the tattoo business is evolving to use inks that react faster to the laser-removal process. "It’s a step in the right direction for the medical industry and tattoo industry to work together to make it a little easier for people," he said.

He’s currently working with a woman who was branded by a man. "I think it was a prostitution thing. Nothing shocks me. I don’t judge people," he said.

"I really enjoy what I’m doing, and enjoy the outcome. You’re really helping somebody turn their life around and that’s a good feeling. They feel relieved and happy because every time they come in, they’re erasing something from their past that they really don’t care to think about anymore."

Mirzai said, "What I really like to do is educate," He said the fact that getting rid of a tattoo is much more difficult than getting one might cause people to think, "Maybe I don’t really want this. Maybe I want to try something different, like a temporary henna tattoo."

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Q Laser Center is at 1138 Bethel St.; call 524-1237.

Hawaii Plastic Surgery Associates is at 1907 S. Beretania St. Call 952-9779.