heavy tattoo

Body art: Peaches Geldof has a total of 20 tattoos over her 19-year-old body

The lasers break down the dots of ink in the deeper layers of the skin and convert them into particles small enough to be carried off and disposed of by the immune system. But it is a drawn-out, laborious and risky process.

Leanne who lives in Twickenham, West London, was one of the first customers to sign up six years ago, when such centres became widespread.

'I don't think they realised how difficult it was going to be and how many sessions of lasering it was going to take,' she says. 'I was given a flat price to get rid of the first ones, but lasers burn you.

'It is excruciatingly painful, and they can't do too much in one go or you risk being left with scars and skin damage that can be much uglier than the tattoo you're trying to get rid of.'

Permanent disfigurement was a real risk when actor Frank Jakeman embarked on a similar process. A massive brown, yellow and green eagle on his chest had seemed the ultimate macho statement when he was 17.

Now, with his career starting to take off - he recently starred as the Sid James character in the Carry On film remake Off We Go Then - a heavy tattoo is the last fashion accessory he needs.

'People think you're thick if you have one,' he says simply. 'By the time I was 20 I didn't want it, but it has taken me more than ten years to get rid of it.' He has endured dozens of painful laser sessions with the most highly skilled cosmetic surgeons, but the green streaks proved immoveable and had to be cut out.

The delicate procedure involved cutting out several deep chunks of skin up to 4in long and half an inch wide, from his chest, and then joining the edges together with two layers of expert micro-stitching.