Getting Rid of the "Tramp Stamp"

People who used to think it was cool to print things permanently on their bodies are having expensive second thoughts:

When the Dow is low, the "tramp stamp" has to go.

Dermatologists across the city are reporting a boom in tattoo laser removals, as body-art fanatics fretting over their professional image rush to erase their inky mistakes.

"People can't afford to handicap themselves be cause of a tattoo in a tight job market," said Dr. Jef frey Rand, founder of the Tattoo Removal Cen ter in Midtown. "We're seeing a huge surge right now in people getting rid of their tat toos."

Mobeen Yasin, a graduate student at Mercy Col lege, said the script tattoo of his first name creeping around his neck is a lia bility.

"I can cover it with a collared shirt, but if I turn my head it sticks out," said Yasin, a 22-year-old planning a career in finance or law enforcement. "I used to idolize rappers with tattoos. Now I don't want it to hold me back from getting a job."

One 34-year-old pharmaceutical salesman said the Irish flag and the wizard that decorate his calves were costing him clients.

"I play a lot of golf with doctors, and these tattoos really stand out," said the salesman, who did not want to use his name because he feared losing clients.

"I'm embarrassed. I feel like they judge me, and it's affecting my business."

Now he gets costly laser treatments once a month to expunge the images from his legs.

Erasing a tattoo requires monthly laser blasts, which break up the pigment dye under the skin.

Each painful zap takes about two minutes and costs at least $200 -- and a small tattoo the size of a human chin requires a year of treatments to burn off.

Never did it. Never will.