One in five Americans has a tattoo—yet among those who don’t have one, 54 percent say they tend to think of people with tattoos as being “more rebellious,” according to a recent Harris poll.

That sentiment may have a lot to do with why removing tattoos is fast becoming as common as getting them is.

There is another factor in the increasing popularity of laser tattoo removal: a greater number of people are getting inked these days. Only 14 percent of Americans had tattoos in 2008, whereas 21 percent have them now. It’s a double-edged sword: on one hand, the more people who get tattoos, the more socially acceptable they’re becoming; on the other hand, the more people who are flocking to tattoo parlors now, the more people there are out there who are getting tattoos that they will regret later.

For most, the biggest tattoo-related concerns they have are also job-related. Given that more than half of people out there without tattoos associate inking with a “bad boy” (or “bad girl”) image, what does that mean for you if you’re job-hunting and have a tattoo in a prominent place? Will it affect your chances of getting hired?

The answers to those questions vary, of course: they can depend on what kind of place you’re seeking to work in, who’s conducting your interview, and more. For many, though—especially considering the current work climate, in which jobs are few and far between—risking losing a career opportunity over having a tattoo on their forearm, neck, or other visible area is simply not worth it.

Luckily, due to the technological advancements we’ve made in laser tattoo removal over the past few years, tattoos are no longer the enduring time-stamps they once were. If you have a tattoo that you’d like to get rid of, contact us here at the San Francisco Plastic Surgery & Laser Center. With our cutting-edge lasers, we can remove even multiple-color tattoos gently and efficiently, so you can stop trying to hide your ink with long sleeves and high collars—and get on with your life.