It would cost One Direction £68,000 and 75 YEARS to remove their tattoos

Tattoos might be skin deep, but you’ll need pretty deep pockets if you decide to have them removed later on, according to new research.

Luckily for One Direction, who have covered their bodies in ink, they've earned $75m (£47m) this year alone. 

A clinic has analysed the body art of the four tattooed members of world-famous boy band One Direction and found that - should the boys ever regret going under the needle - it would cost them almost £68,000 collectively to make their tattoos just a ‘Midnight Memory’.

Zayn Malik’s body art has become a hot topic amongst his fans, but removing his famous tattoos - including a cartoon design of fiancée Perrie Edwards - would set him back over £31,000, the most of all the bandmates. 

Because it’s necessary to wait at least six weeks between removal sessions, which normally last around 40 minutes, Zayn wouldn’t be tattoo-free for 38 years.

Harry Styles has undergone quite the transformation in the last four years, abandoning his squeaky-clean image. But should Styles regret the rock-and-roll look, he will have to fork out £19,250 and spend more than 100 hours under the laser. And it would take him a total of 17 years to achieve a blank canvas.

If Louis Tomlinson decides he’s over his tattoos, he will need to find time in his hectic tour schedule for more than 100 removal sessions, over a 12-year period, at a cost of £11,894. Liam Payne, who has the least ink of all the boys, would still need to spend almost two full days (44 hours) in the chair for 66 individual sessions over eight years.

Perhaps this news will put Niall Horan - the only tattoo-free member of the band - off having any body ink.  

Although the 1D boys might still love their tats, clinics are witnessing a 52 per cent increase in the number of tattoo removal enquiries in the past six months across the UK, with the cost of removing a small, black and white tattoo starting at around £400. 

A spokesperson for WhatClinic.com, who commissioned the research, said: 'Body art is a lifetime commitment but people change and, sometimes, the symbols we once wore proudly become something of an embarrassment. Ink also ages and degrades along with our skin, so it may not look as good decades later.

Ink-free: The One Direction boys have dramatically changed their image since finding fame with the boyband in 2011

'While the technology to remove ink is improving, this is not a great reason to rush any tattoo decision or to take risks with the artist. Always look at the previous work of the actual artist, not just the shop, and be sure to check the standards of equipment and hygiene.

'It's also worth knowing that factors like colour, position and size make a significant impact on the cost and ease of removal - just in case you end up regretting your decision.'

Wayne Tatzapa, founder of London-based tattoo removal specialist, Discardead Soho, added: 'The time needed to remove a tattoo varies according to the individual, as do the chances of wiping out all trace of the design. Skin type, the colour and location of the tattoo, scarring and the degree of density will all make a big difference.

'The laser technology used to remove tattoos has come on leaps and bounds in the past few years and the introduction of a state-of-the-art laser called PicoSure means tattoos can now be removed in a third of the time of a normal machine.

'Most people don’t realise that removing tattoos can take months or even years, because laser sessions should be at least six weeks to three months apart to get the best results and minimise the risk of scarring and other side effects.'

Source: Dailymail