Page 10 - IAV Digital Magazine #440

iAV - Antelope Valley Digital Magazine
'Save My Ink Forever' Allows Families To Keep Tattooed Skin Of Loved Ones After Death
By Rachel Ross
Many of us keep mementoes of loved ones who’ve died, from letters they wrote to jew- ellery with senti- mental meaning.
But given the chance, would you opt to keep a tat- too from someone after they’ve passed away?
A team of funeral directors have launched a busi- ness allowing fam- ily members to keep the tattooed skin of the deceased and dis- play it as art.
Since launching last year, Save My Ink Forever has had hundreds of customers in the US and is now hoping to extend its client base overseas.
The business is ran by Kyle Sherwood along with his father Mike and another friend, who’s also a funeral embalmer.
The trio came up with the idea after a casual chat with
friends in the funeral business about post-death keepsakes. As many in the group have tattoos, the topic came up nat- urally in conversa- tion.
“All of our tattoos have deep mean- ing - meaning enough to put it on ourselves for life to proudly
display,” Kyle told The Huffington Post UK.
“So we thought, well what happens when you die? These works of art that mean so much to the indi- vidual - and the family - are gone forever. They are either buried or cremated, never to be seen again.”
The men began to think of ways they could allow “these works of art to live on” and soon,
Save My Ink Forever was born.
Kyle said he can’t share how the team preserves tattooed skin because it’s the company’s “little secret”, but he rec- ommends families wishing to use the service should inform their funeral director within 48 hours of the indi- vidual’s death.
The funeral direc-
tor usually then contacts the busi- ness directly to arrange for the removal of the tat- tooed skin before the funeral takes place.
“After the removal of the tattoo, we then work on the preservation,” Kyle explained.
“The preservation process takes roughly a month- and-a-half. The preserved skin art is then placed in a frame with UV pro- tective glass.
“The tattoo is then shipped back to the family. The whole process takes roughly two months for the family to receive the final piece.”
According to Kyle, the reasons why a person may want to keep a loved one’s tattoo vary from case to case.
“Why do some people keep locks of hair, thumbprint necklaces, ashes turned into dia- mond necklaces?” he asked.
“I would like to say
the bottom line is out of love and having something to remember them by. Some people keep a tattoo because it was a tribute to them- selves, or others in their life - for example, a hus- band having a tat- too with his wife’s nameonitora mum having a tat- too about her kids.”
The team can pre- serve tattoos rang- ing from simple hearts to ornate full back pieces. Prices vary depending on the size of the piece, but the cost is usu- ally in the region
of $1,000 (£795).
“If you don’t have a tattoo you will never understand how much they can mean to a per- son,” Kyle said.
“This isn’t for everyone, we understand that, but to some peo- ple this memorial of their loved one takes a cherished memory, or deep meaning and pre- serves it in time.”
iAV - Antelope Valley Digital Magazine