tattoo

Have money to burn? Do you love gold? Then you might just want to hit up the luxe Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai, where you can get a tattoo made of real 24-carat gold. But here's the catch: this pricey ink is only temporary.

The Precious Skin tats ($50 to $5,500) are comprised of gold or platinum leaf and were originally developed by Japanese designer Nobuhiko Akatsuka several years back (see his work here). With the recent launch of these luxury temporary tattoos in Dubai, along with plans to extend into more Middle Eastern outlets in the near future, I have a feeling this won't be the last we see of these body art-meets-jewelry accessories. Would you consider getting gilded yourself?

Certain stars may have star tattoos on various parts of their bodies, while others have different sizes and styles of designs on their necks. But what I'm wondering is this: If you got your own ink (or if you already have one), where would it be? Would you go the conspicuous route, or would you opt for something a bit more hidden?

More people in general have tattoos these days (a full 40 percent of the population between ages 18 and 29 now have some ink), but apparently the trend is especially strong among high schoolers, an increasing number of whom are getting body art before they reach legal majority.

It's a tricky thing to get inked so young. I love my tattoo, but I thought about getting it for years, and even as an adult there's always the specter of future regret lurking. Even if you love your piece, there are still pockets of people who think a tattoo makes you look unprofessional, which is hard to run up against in job interviews. Do you think it's OK that so many kids are looking to get stamped, or do you think it's a fad they'll be desperate to laser off in 10 years' time?

I've always loved Kelly Osbourne's quirky beauty sensibility and whimsical tattoos, but Kelly herself isn't as big a fan of her body art. This month in her column for Closer Magazine, Kelly revealed that she's planning on lasering away several of her tattoos, including the keyboard on her arm and the heart and bones on her wrist.

She's not removing all of her ink (15 tats in total), because some pieces "still have a special meaning, like the matching ones my brother Jack and I have of each other's names," she says. It really sounds like Kelly's making the right decision for herself, but not everyone gets (or removes) their body modifications for the same reasons. Would you or have you ever removed a piece of body art? And if you have, what spurred you to do it?

If you've been inked, you probably know there's a possibility your body art will fade over time, but did you know sun exposure can also speed up your tat's disappearance? Along with not getting proper moisturizing and care, sun exposure, especially tanning beds, can totally destroy the bright colors in a tattoo and even fade the blackest ink. So how can you keep your art looking fresh without getting reinked? Wear sunscreen on it every time you go outside, keep your skin hydrated, and don't bake yourself — it's terrible for you anyway.