So, one would think that with advances in the field it ought to be possible to make an erasable tattoo. Are today’s tattoos as permanent as those that were done in the 60’s?
I suspect that what you are thinking of as “less permanent tattoos” is really “better technology for removing tattoos.” Used to be they would cut them out or dermabrade them out. Now they can laser them out. It’s really not in the tattooist’s (or the customer’s) interest for the tattoos to fade. They do fade, but nobody wants to accelerate the process.
11811, member of the loyal order of human inkpads
Why would anyone want a tatoo that didn’t last to the grave?
I think that most of advances are towards making inks that don’t fade with age or exposure to the sun, not towards inks that fade faster.
I figured the whole point behind getting a tattoo in the first place was its permanence. You’re decorating your body with a symbol or design that means something to you, and will become a part of you for the rest of your life.
If you’re looking for a temporary decoration, there are always stick-on tattoos, which last a day or two depending what part of the body they’re on, and how careful you are when you shower. Or there are henna tattoos, which last a bit longer.
Maybe removal technology has improved, making them less “permanent” in the sense that you can more easily erase one you change your mind about later, but I would think that the tattoos today are just as permanent as those done in the 1960’s. Or even earlier than that. The technique has stayed pretty much the same - you’re basically injecting ink into the skin.
I suppose the “holy grail” of tattoo tech would be something that lasts forever if you want it too, but could be more easily removed than today’s tattoos. Perhaps an ink that fades only if exposed to a particular wavelength of light (that would have to be extremely rare in nature).
With out giving too much of the plot away, the movie “Memento” deals with tatoos. A LOT of tatoos.
Granted its Hollywood make-up and what not, I doubt Guy Pearce (“Lenoard”) would go in for such permanent markings. Yet as far as I can tell, the tatoos in the movie were self-similar and uniform throughout the film (That is, they didnt change, and continuity errors can hardly be found in them – not that they are fractals 
)
Case in point, I assume one could go out of their way to accquire less-permanent “permanent” tatoos. Much as Guy Pearce did for Memento.
Then again, The entire spirit of the OP dodges entirely the concept of “Temporary” or “Removable” tattoos. Given that those concepts are self-explanatory, and not asked upon, I will not discuss them.
Tattoos are supposed to be for life. I took close to 3 years to decide on mine, as I wanted it to be exactly right. Unfortunately, they’re becoming more and more mainstream. It’s easy to get one, and if you get one while intoxicated or undecided or just get one because you’re there and it looks cool, you may not end up with what you want.
There was a documentary about tattoo removal not long ago that was pretty interesting. Depending on the size of the tattoo and the removal technique, it can take upward of 15 visits. The charge was not small.
I think there would be a huge market for realistic tattoos that only last a couple years (or a tattoo that could be removed easily). For instance, I would get one if they lasted less than five years. I know when I get out of college I wouldn’t want one anymore, and even if I did it would be easy to get redone.
Sorry, I did not get back sooner. We all have to work sometimes…
I guess what I am looking for is a tattoo that is permanent until I want to remove it. Someone mentioned the idea of a tattoo that would remain permanent and would not fade, unless exposed to a certain kind of light or chemical. This is kinda what I had in mind but I am not sure as to whether this actually exists or not. It would be kinda cool if it did.
They just make those removable tatoos and put them on before they start shooting. At least, that’s what they did for the much more heavily tatooed Val Kilmer in “The Salton Sea” so I’m pretty sure they did something similiar for Guy Pierce.
No offense, but that’s at best a rather unimaginative question. If tatoos could be easily removed, more people would be willing to try them out. You could change designs – choose a tatoo for a period of your life, rather than forever. And I’m sure that there are at least a few people with “Angelie” or “Billy Bob” tatooed across their buttocks who would be happy if they could be removed.
But I don’t think there’s been a lot of progress in tatoo removal. “Cockeyed.com” ran an interesting profile on a tatoo removal a while back. It was long, painful, and not particularly successful.
Guys, “tattoo” has three T’s! Sorry, pet peeve of mine. 
I’m pretty sure Guy’s tatts were done like most screen tatts - drawn in each morning with air-brush stencils by make-up artists who have Polaroids of yesterday’s shoot to make sure they get everything in the right place. Once they’re airbrushed in, a make-up assistant chases him around all day making sure he doesn’t smudge them, and repowders them with annoying frequency. Airbrush tattoos last “up to a week” if powdered frequently, but for film they redo it every day if very visible, and every two or three if incidental. Although since his were all black, maybe they just hit him with a Sharpie!
Sometimes they use temporary tatts and then put make-up over them to make them more defined, but the problem with temporaries is that they crack before fading, and they always have a slightly filmy look wherever the color isn’t. With the amount of lettering separated by “blank” space, I don’t think this would have been the preferred technique for Memento. This is a really cheap and old technique. No one with a budget more than their credit card limit goes this route anymore.
Per the OP, yes, tattoos today are more permanent than ever. Removal techniques are also better, but still very difficult on light blues and greens, and still very expensive and time consuming. If you don’t want one forever, don’t do it.
You might want to look into mehndi. It can last upward of a month, there’s no pain involved, and there are mehndi artists everywhere.