Do you rue your tattoo on Valentine's Day?

Having a permanent reminder of your lover's name emblazoned on a significant body part may be the ultimate declaration of love for Valentines Day, but with many affairs ending before the ink is dry, once a relationship crashes and burns many people are left with the humiliating decision of what to do with the permanent reminder of not-so-endless love. ‘Tattoo Rue' is particularly common in Tinseltown: Pamela Anderson famously choose to have the tattoo of Tommy Lee's name on her finger in favour of a wedding ring, Angelina Jolie commissioned numerous pieces of body art proclaiming her love for Billy Bob Thornton and at the height of their romance Roseanne and Tom Arnold proudly sported cheek to cheek versions of each other's names. But all were left with unwanted reminders of their failed love affairs.

At Laserase , the country's largest tattoo removal specialists, the run up to February 14th sees a huge increase in enquiries from people seeking to have names of ex-lovers removed in order to rid themselves of reminders of failed relationships. Bookings in February are double those of the rest of the year. Laserase spokesman Jonathan Sherill explains: ‘Whilst many people in the UK are continuing the trend of having their current beau's name inscribed in ink forever, it seems that many more use Valentine's Day as the inspiration to seek advice on removal. Our clinics see a huge increase in patient bookings during early to mid February and this year Valentine's Day itself is booked out across the country with over 50% per cent of treatments booked being for the removal of names.'

According to the British Journal of Dermatology, 75% of people who have gone under the needle eventually regret their decision and seek advice on removal after an average of 14 years. Unsurprisingly, names are at the top of the ‘unwanted' list. Recently engaged to Sienna Miller, Jude Law is surely regretting his ‘Sexy Sadie' tattoo, whilst Johnny Depp famously had his ‘Winona Forever' tattoo altered to ‘Wino Forever'. Most recently, the demise of Brian and Kerry McFadden's marriage has left both with painful reminders etched onto their bodies.

But according to Dr Helen Fernandez, a clinical specialist for Laserase , names are one of the easiest tattoos to remove. As she explains, ‘ Tattoos of this type are often small to medium sized and are often one colour, making their removal relatively straightforward. Many people think of laser tattoo removal as costly and ineffective, but a simple pair of initials or a discreet name could cost under £100 to remove.”

Laserase are the country's largest tattoo removal specialists and offer the only clinically proven method of removal: Q-switched laser treatment. Since 1991, Laserase have carried out over one million treatments in the UK . To commiserate with ex lovers on St Valentine's Day and to celebrate 14 years of tattoo removal, Laserase are offering five lucky winners the opportunity to have an unwanted name removed free of charge. To win, send us a picture of your tattoo and explain why you want it removed. All entrants will be offered a free consultation and the winners will have their ex-partners disposed of without a trace!