The prize? A free laser tattoo removal from Aesthetic Solutions, a provider of medical and aesthetic dermatology services located in Chapel Hill.
“We were thinking about Valentine’s Day and people who may have gotten a tattoo in their past that they regretted,” said Lauryn Colatuno, digital development manager at Chapelboro. “We thought that it might be a good gift for their new love.”
So for the first time ever, the two groups came together this year to host a contest with simple rules: Submit a picture of your tattoo and tell them why you want it removed.
Laura Taylor, education and advocacy coordinator of Aesthetic Solutions, worked with her office manager to coordinate the contest with WCHL/Chapelboro.
“The idea came about from talking about Valentine’s Day specifically and tattoos for romantic purposes,” Taylor said. “We know from performing laser procedures here for tattoo removal how much they can hold people back and prevent them from moving forward with their life.”
The public was then able to vote on which story they sympathized with the most.
A total of nine people entered the contest. One submitted a wedding ring tattoo that was inked on a 20th anniversary, which the person tried to cover up after a divorce that occurred before they could celebrate their 21st. Another submisson was a word that read “beautiful” one way and “disaster” when read in the opposite direction, which the person got during a time they felt they ruined everything they touched. Two submitted butterfly lower back tattoos. A dad entered a dragon he got when he was 15 that now scares his daughter.
But in the end, Lilly Wooster, a Raleigh resident, was chosen as the winner with 20 votes.