TATTOOS may seem like harmless fun, but ask Clare Colgan what SHE thinks and she won't agree.

Her advice to any youngster wanting to emulate pop stars like Mel C, Robbie Williams and actress Melanie Griffiths is "don't do it".

Apparently it is the "in" thing to do. They come in all shapes and sizes from discreet tiny hearts to the more dramatic body art favoured by the likes of David Beckham but they all come at a price, believes Clare.

This pretty young mum will not wear trendy T-shirts because she does not want anyone to see the tattoos on her arms.

Clare dreads the summer. She will not wear swimwear, preferring to cover up her tattoos with long-sleeved shirts.

But all this is about to change as Clare is embarking on a tattoo removal process with Bolton company Laserase, based at the Royal Bolton Hospital.

And although she knows there is no gain without some pain ("I've had one tattoo removed already so I know it isn't completely painless") Clare is more than happy to go through it again.

This time it will mark the beginning of the end for tattoos Clare has endured since the age of 14, when, as a child in care, one of her pals created the "home-made" art work.

She says: "It was the thing to do in the children's home. We all had them. It was trendy."

Indian ink and a needle gave Clare a permanent reminder of a time she would much rather forget.

"Mam" and "dad" was carefully etched into her upper right arm and a swallow at the bottom of her right arm.

A professionally tattooed butterfly, which was at the the top of Clare's left arm, has already been successfully removed by doctors at Laserase.

Now it's hoped similar success can be achieved with Clare's amateur tattoos.

Clare, who has three children, Lee, 10, Lauren, six and three-year-old Remis says the treatment will give her a new lease of life.

She said: "We're going on holiday abroad next year and I'll be able to wear a swimsuit for the first time in years."

Clare says she realises it is difficult to think about the future when you're young, but adds: "I'd advise anyone to try to imagine what they will feel like when they are older, and they're stuck with a tattoo.

"They're with you for life. What about my grandkids? What would my grandchildren say?"

Clare believes tattoos are "a bit of a fad" and she says: "Once the fad's gone you can be left with a lot of regrets."

And her advice to youngsters thinking of having a tattoo? She says: "I'd say, forget it and get a transfer.

"You can pay around £20 or £30 for a real tattoo but having them removed costs hundreds of pounds."

Dr Mary Adams, who is one of the doctors treating patients at Laserase explained how tattoo removal process works.

She explained that a laser emits a high energy light beam to break up the pigmentation in the tattoos and the pigment then goes into the immune cells, into the blood stream and eventually out of the body. Dr Adams said: "We treat the tattoo every four weeks because it takes around four weeks for the pigment to be removed from the body."

Some colours are more difficult to remove, including red, green, orange and yellow, but treatment is usually very successful and "home-made" tattoos are usually the easiest to remove because they are not so deep.

Dr Adams said the treatment feels like an elastic band being flicked against the skin, but anaesthetic cream, which can be used before the treatment is carried out, helps to reduce any pain. Clare's butterfly tattoo at the top of her arm, before treatment Clare's tattoo has virtually disappeared after just two treatments. It is now completely invisible, following a further treatment.