Do you have a tattoo?

If you were interviewing someone with a tatoo for a job in the corporate world, would it put you off? Celebrities have made tattoos a glamous fashion statement and Generation Y can't get enough. But it's different in the corporate world - top recruitment agencies advise applicants to cover them up because they are a definite no no.

Matthew Sammut 21, a fitter/welder from Fairfield got his first tattoo last week - a colourful replica of the video game Street Fighter which now covers his right arm from shoulder to wrist. It took 5 hours and cost $750 and he said it hurt like hell. But he's happy and says it looks cool and because of his occupation, it won't affect his job prospects.

So what happens if at some point in the future you decide you want to have it removed? Lasers are the most common way to get rid of a tattoo and work by targeting the ink with pulses of highly concentrated light that break the ink into tiny fragments. But it can't be done in just one treatment and the more treatments you have, the more damage you do to your skin which can cause painful blisters and scabs that lead to scarring. Experts say that technology has advanced to a point where scarring is now minimal, sometimes even non-existent but this can vary depending on the situation. Not only is the treatment very painful but it's expensive. A large, professional tattoo in colour could cost thousands of dollars to remove and the effectiveness of the removal still isn't guaranteed. It's unlikely that a tattoo chosen by a 16 year old will still be a desirable fashion statement when that individual reaches middle or old age. The hard part is trying to convince the young.