Our goal
Spijt van Tattoo (“Tattoo Regret”) is a philanthropic initiative with a social heart. The foundation helps people for whom a tattoo is no longer a piece of art, but a daily reminder of pain, shame or loss — a visible scar from a past they would rather leave behind.
These are often people who have spent years working on their recovery: victims of sexual exploitation, people who have overcome an addiction, or others who are pulled back into a dark period every time they see their tattoos. For them, removing the tattoo is not a luxury, but a symbolic and visible step towards recovery, self-worth and hope for a new future.
“For our clients, tattoo removal is not a cosmetic procedure, but a key part of their recovery: a visible step towards self-worth and a new beginning.”
Who we help
The foundation helps people who struggle daily with a past that is still visibly or tangibly present, and who receive professional support from recognised care organisations.
Because professional laser treatments are costly, Spijt van Tattoo focuses on people living on a minimum income. For this group, the entire process is made available free of charge, as part of their journey towards recovery and reintegration.
🎗 CROWDFUNDING CAMPAIGN · STARTED APRIL 6, 2026
“From your Heart,
off your Skin”
Joke is the face of our new crowdfunding campaign. During a destructive relationship, her ex-partner tattooed his name on her body more than 250 times as a mark of control and ownership. She is now deliberately stepping forward, not for attention, but to break the silence.
“If I can do it, so can someone else.”
Main sponsor
Tattoo laser clinic Tattoo No More is the main sponsor of Spijt van Tattoo and makes the foundation’s work possible in practice.
Thanks to this structural support, Tattoo No More provides treatment capacity, specialist equipment and professional expertise free of charge for women who have been victims of coercion, exploitation or psychological abuse.
This support is intended for a vulnerable group of people living on minimal benefits, for whom the cost of an intensive removal programme is simply out of reach. For them, a tattoo is not a piece of art, but a visible scar from a period of dependence and control.
Through this partnership, complete removal, including intake, multiple treatment sessions and aftercare, can be offered entirely free of charge.
How it works
Applications are made exclusively through recognised care organisations.
After an intake with the counsellor, a careful selection process determines whether the candidate qualifies for treatment.
1) Application through a care organisation
The care professional submits an application on behalf of the client, including photos and an explanation of why removal is part of the recovery process.
Partnership & privacy
Spijt van Tattoo works exclusively with recognised care organisations. Out of respect for its clients, the foundation does not show before-and-after photos of treatments. Many participants are (former) victims in a vulnerable stage of recovery; their anonymity and safety always come first. No images or personal details are shared on our website or on social media without written consent.
If you would like an impression of the expertise behind Spijt van Tattoo, take a look at the “Media” section, where the craftsmanship is shown with the consent of those involved.
Our team
Dr. Etienne Lommen
Plastic Surgeon
In the 1990s, Etienne Lommen and Dehvyathe Xaviera Han (Dex for short) laid the foundations of laser tattoo removal. At the time, nobody else was doing this. They were the pioneers of laser tattoo removal in the Netherlands.
The combination of a dermatologist, plastic surgeon and tattoo artist proved unique. It brings together every aspect that is essential to removing a tattoo professionally: knowledge of the skin and its different skin types, knowledge and experience of laser technology, knowledge of the development of tattoo ink pigments, and hands-on expertise in the craft of tattooing itself.
Over the years, much has changed in laser technology, and especially in the range of tattoo ink pigments. By operating as a duo, they were able to coach each other closely, and to investigate and explain why every tattoo can respond differently during laser removal.
Dr. Etienne Lommen (1959) trained in Groningen and obtained his PhD on the subject of ‘artificial skin’, for which a patent was also granted. He worked for the Schoemacher Clinic in Scheveningen for 15 years and during that period took part several times in the TV programme ‘Make Me Beautiful’, twice winning first prize for the most successful cosmetic operation. For the past 12 years he has worked at Bergman Clinics in The Hague (Bey Clinics).
Dehvyathe Xaviera
Tattoo Artist
Andy and Dehvyathe Xaviera (Dex for short) have been together since 2001. Tattoo Dex has been a household name in Rotterdam for over twenty years. In the late 1990s, Dex worked in her father’s tattoo shop on the Pleinweg. At the same time, father and daughter were the first in the Netherlands to start removing tattoos by laser, becoming the pioneers of this field in the Netherlands.
They were intensively trained and mentored by plastic surgeon Dr. Etienne Lommen, who also worked with high-grade medical lasers in the hospital. Dex and Dr. Etienne Lommen then passed on all of their knowledge and experience to Andy Han, step by step, and closely mentored him in day-to-day practice.
Dehvyathe Xaviera (Dex for short)
In 2010, Dex decided to stop piercing and laser work in order to focus solely on her passion: designing and tattooing.
Andy Han
Tattoo Laser Expert
Since 2010, Andy has focused full-time on laser tattoo removal through his company Tattoo No More in Rotterdam, and since 2018 he has dedicated one day a week, free of charge, to the foundation SPIJT VAN TATTOO. The professional, expert removal of tattoos by laser is his daily work and his field of expertise. In March and April 2026, Tattoo No More opened two franchise locations: Tattoo No More The Hague and Tattoo No More Amsterdam.
Media
Contact
Or send us an email at
info@spijtvantattoo.nl