A growing number of Elmhurst residents are urging city officials to revise local regulations to allow businesses offering cosmetic tattooing services, including procedures aimed at medical and aesthetic restoration.
At Monday night’s City Council meeting, Emma Fisher, a lifelong Elmhurst resident, voiced her support for such services. Fisher shared a personal experience with nano brows, a form of semi-permanent tattooing that typically lasts up to five years. She explained that anxiety-induced behavior had left one of her eyebrows sparse, affecting her self-confidence—until she received treatment from local cosmetic tattoo artist Emily Quinn.
“I have an example of Emily’s work on my face. You would never guess because it’s so well done,” Fisher told the council. “Most people are shocked when I tell them I have something like this.”
Fisher was one of several residents advocating for changes to Elmhurst’s municipal code, which currently limits tattoo-related services in certain commercial areas.
Quinn, who currently operates a cosmetic tattoo business specializing in nano brows, is seeking to expand her offerings to include areola restoration for breast cancer survivors and scar camouflage procedures. These services, she noted, would require the city to formally permit tattoo-based businesses beyond the downtown area.
In a prior email to city officials, Quinn proposed several regulatory measures to address community concerns. Her suggestions included capping shop space at 400 square feet, requiring services to be by appointment only, and mandating that establishments focus on medical tattooing. She emphasized these constraints would distinguish her business from traditional tattoo parlors.
“Right now, you can help a man with his hairline in the heart of town, but north of North Avenue, I can’t help a woman recovering from cancer,” Quinn said during the meeting. “These procedures use the exact same tools used for areola and scar tattooing.”
The city is currently in the process of updating its municipal code. In a committee meeting late last year, some residents proposed limiting the size or number of workstations in tattoo businesses and requiring appointment-only operations as part of a possible regulatory framework.
Discussions on the issue are ongoing, as officials weigh how best to balance public concerns with support for expanding cosmetic and medical tattoo services.
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