Kristen Kelo drives about 60 miles from the eastern part of Connecticut to Federal Hill in Providence frequently to attend her next session to get a tattoo from her younger years removed.
Kelo, an accountant in her 40s, said it’s not that she doesn’t love the colorful tattoo of flowers on her arm with the initials of her sisters etched in, it’s just that she’s outgrown it.
Dr. Richard Rosol, owner of TattooMedics Inc. on Atwells Avenue in Providence, said that’s exactly the typical clientele that he’s used to.
“Most of the time, people don’t regret the tattoo but they are just done with it,” said Rosol, who said he’s busier now more than ever after reopening when elective surgeries were allowed to resume in Rhode Island amid the COVID-19 pandemic. “People are coming out of quarantine and they hate their tattoos even more.”
Rosol, a physician who use to work in pediatrics in a rural part of Maine, is seeing new patients each week who range from women in their 40s looking to erase faded tattoos from their 20s, to others looking to replace ink with new art, or finally excise their ex’s name from their body, and even gang-related and prison tattoos that are typically found in highly visible locations on the body that could impact employment status.
Rosol said many laser procedures to remove tattoos in Rhode Island are done in the back of tattoo parlors without numbing agents and aren’t conducted by a medical professional, but TattooMedics is different.
“There’s no down time. I bandage them afterwards … and I’ve never seen a single infection,” said Rosol, who prescribed numbing cream for most procedures. He injects anesthesia in cases where the tattoo is on a part of the body that’s hard to numb.
Rosol said removing a tattoo can take up to two years and anywhere from five to 20 treatments, depending on the depth of the ink.
“We make it a positive, transformative experience instead of about regret. Our customers are still getting tattoos and we are just saying it’s OK to change your mind on a tattoo that you once loved,” said Enrico Cittadino, who has been an office manager for TattooMedics for nearly five years after leaving the beauty industry.
While Kelo plans her seventh session with Rosol, she said it will “always” be worth it to drive out of state to remove her ink.
“I have heard the horror stories. Many places in Connecticut don’t have an up-to-date laser and it will leave scarring. Others don’t even have the numbing cream,” said Kelo. “I’ll go to Dr. Rosol for as many sessions as it takes.”
OWNER: Dr. Richard Rosol
TYPE OF BUSINESS: Tattoo removal shop
LOCATION: 266 Atwells Ave., Providence
EMPLOYEES: Two
YEAR ESTABLISHED: 2015
ANNUAL SALES: $150,000-$250,000
Alexa Gagosz is a PBN staff writer. Contact her at Gagosz@PBN.com.