Laser Tattoo Removal Demographics Statistics 2026

What percentage of Americans have a tattoo, and how many regret one?

An Ipsos poll (August 2019, about 1,005 US adults online) found 30% of Americans had at least one tattoo, up from 21% in 2012, and 92% of tattooed respondents said they were happy with it. [3]

In ASPS's 2024 data, 84% of combined laser skin treatments (laser hair removal, IPL, tattoo removal, leg veins) were performed on women (2,623,375) and 16% on men (488,681). [1]

In ASPS's 2024 data, combined laser skin treatments by patient age were: 19 and under 7% (211,317); 20-29, 20% (631,318); 30-39, 29% (917,654); 40-54, 35% (1,093,794); 55-69, 8% (257,973); 70+ not reported. [1]

In ASPS's 2024 regional data, the Mountain/Pacific region (Region 5: AZ, CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, UT, WY, AK, CA, HI, OR, WA) accounted for 41% of combined laser skin treatments, 44% of nonsurgical skin tightening and 36% of noninvasive fat reduction. [1]

Pew Research Center (2023) found 32% of US adults have a tattoo, including 22% who have more than one. [2]

In Pew's 2023 survey, 24% of tattooed US adults say they ever regret getting one or more of their tattoos. [2]

Pew (2023): 38% of US women and 27% of men have a tattoo; 41% of adults under 30 and 46% of those 30-49 have one, versus 25% of those 50-64 and 13% of those 65+. [2]

A 2023 US cross-sectional study (Morlock & Morlock, Cureus; 3,033 adults) found 35.3% had a tattoo; factors predicting tattoo regret included more years with the tattoo, tattoos on the face, neck, hands, wrists or fingers, peer pressure, being impaired when tattooed, and a tattoo-related adverse event. [4]

What published research says

These numbers come from outside sources, not our directory; each one links to its source below.

• ASPS estimates 3,112,056 'skin treatment using lasers' procedures in 2024 (flat vs 3,101,772 in 2023); this single ASPS category combines laser hair removal, IPL, laser tattoo removal and laser treatment of leg veins. [1]
• ASPS reported 3,101,772 combined laser skin treatments (laser hair removal, IPL, laser tattoo removal, laser leg-vein treatment) in 2023, up 6% from 2,915,199 in 2022. [5]
• ASPS reported 199,945 laser tattoo removal procedures in 2020 (down 7% from 215,898 in 2019), the last year ASPS published a separate tattoo-removal count. [6]
• ASPS's average surgeon/physician fees for 2023 were $697 for combined laser skin treatments (laser hair removal, IPL, tattoo removal, leg veins), up from $582 in 2022. [5]
• ASPS's 2024 statistics are national estimates extrapolated from about 1,000 survey responses by ASPS member plastic surgeons plus CosmetAssure data (95% confidence, +/-4.62% margin of error); minimally invasive counts also include data from non-member dermatologists and otolaryngologists. [1]
• In a 2016-2017 multicenter US study of 511 cosmetic dermatology patients (JAMA Dermatology, 2018), 8 of 11 tattoo-removal patients (72.7%) and 19 of 22 body-contouring patients (86.4%) reported psychological or emotional motivations. [7]

What these numbers can't tell you

• Counts are Google Maps listings we classify as med spas, so they include dermatology and plastic surgery practices that offer med spa treatments and exclude spas without a Google listing.
• A treatment counts when the spa's Google listing or website names it, so a spa with an outdated menu can be over- or under-counted.
• We hold no patient records: every figure describes providers, their listings and their Google reviews, not who gets treated.

Medical disclaimer. MedSpaStandard is for education only and is not medical advice. Talk to a licensed provider about your own health, and check any provider's license with your state board.