Although tattoos have become a trend among U.S. young people, women are more likely to seek removal of tattoos because of social stigma, researchers said Monday.

About 25 percent of Americans ages 18 to 30 have at least one such type of decorative body modification and this figure is expected to swiftly increase to about 40% in the coming few years, suggests a study available since today in the Archives of Dermatology. Studies carried out in the past have disclosed that an estimated 20% of tattoo customers are disappointed by their “body art,” and about 6% undergo laser treatment to get rid of them.

Among the people seeking to erase the tattoos, an estimated two-thirds were women. The reasons for wanting to remove them were the embarrassment they suffered, downbeat comments they attracted and difficulties when choosing garments to cover them up. “Anybody who gets a tattoo takes a social risk,” said Myrna Armstrong, the leader of the team who carried out the study. Still, about 10 years ago researchers found that more men than women wanted to erase their tattoos.

Data from two surveys of Americans experiencing tattoo removal was analyzed. One survey was carried out in 1996 and the second one a decade later. In both studies, men and women said they sought the removal of  tattoos due to the fact that their identities had changed throughout time, getting to find objectionable that form of body art. But in the 2006 survey, 93% of women said having to put out of sight the tattoos from time to time was a factor in the removal, by comparison to 20% of men. Approximately 40% of women underwent negative comments at work, in public or in school compared with 5% of men.