ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. — Give something a good ten years. Wines age. Kids grow up. Adults do too-- but tattoos remain.
"This one I got done in 2004," Kim Doth said, touching her chest where there's a butterfly tattoo. "I thought I was gonna be stuck with these the rest of my life."
Other than the butterfly, Doth has several other tattoos. It started with the butterfly.
"I got right out of high school and it was sort of more of a metamorphosis, going from high school to college," she explained.
Then a year after the butterfly, she got a tattoo of dove with the words "believe" under it, on her upper left arm.
"Jesus is my primary reason behind that one," Doth said. She also explained that after the dove, she got an eagle and a verse from the Bible on her upper left thigh.
"I have enjoyed it for quite some time but now...just as I've gotten older, it's just been something that I don't want to draw attention to those areas," she said.
So after more than 10 years have gone by since the first time she sat in a tattoo studio, she was back at the studios of Invisible Ink in St. Louis Park, trying to reverse time.
She said she got tired of the awkward conversations with strangers about her tattoo.
"People will be like 'oh your tattoo is really cool and they'll start reading it,'" she said. "And they're like on their knees, staring at my leg and I'll start telling them I'm actually getting it removed."
The years that have gone by haven't changed Doth's ink, nor have they changed her faith.
"I just feel like by me being loving and peaceful and kind to others, is more of a way to show and share that faith rather than have me be a walking billboard," Doth said. "Which can be quite uncomfortable."
However, it's fair to say that her tastes have changed. And that's okay-- Invisible Ink folks say every reason for removal is met with open hearts.
"They're kind of taking control back that part of their body that someone branded or they're gonna have a good story of somewhere down the line where they don't have to explain why the lady on their arm is naked," Invisible Ink Director of Operations Ashley Knuth said. "That's the coolest part, even if it's a small change, it's a change in the right direction for them."
Art like the one Doth has takes time. She explained the big piece that stems from her thigh (the part she's getting erased) to the top of her foot took 15 hours to do. However, reversing it takes weeks.
Doth says she feels comfort knowing that at least, reversing it is doable in less scarring and painful ways.
"Just knowing the technology that's out there now is so awesome," she said. "That I mean, tattoos used to be forever and now they don't have to be. That's amazing to me."
Doth is keeping a few other tattoos. She said she still appreciates how beautiful tattoos can be but doesn't plan on getting any new ones. She said she enjoyed the ones she's removing while they lasted.