The economy has been in the doldrums for awhile now but one growth industry, as far as I can tell, is the tattoo business.

As someone just barely into the Baby Boomer (age 46 to 64) group, I've never quite understood why one would feel a need to permanently imprint something into their skin. Heck, I must be an old geezer, as 85% of my fellow geezers, according to a 2010 Pew Research Center study, "Millennials: A Portrait of Generation Next," have never had a tattoo on their bodies.

On the other hand, in Pew's January 2010 phone survey of 2,020 adults, fully 38% of 18 to 29 year old "Millennials" have tattoos. Wow! And fully 50% of tattooed Millennials have 2 to 5 tattoos and 18% have 6 or more! We're talking a major growth industry here.

The Pew Report also indicated those Millennials not attending college were much more likely (47%) than Millennial college attendees (30%) to have tattoos. And Democratic/Independent leaning Millennials are more likely than Republican Millennials to have tattoos (44% vs 31%).

Gen Xers (ages 30 to 45) have a 32% tattoo rate, while only 6% of the age 65+ "Silents" group (not exactly sure where they get that name from) have tattoos.

Yes indeed, the tattoo industry has indeed been a growth industry over the years. According to the website vanishingtattoo.com, in 1936 Life Magazine indicated 6% of Americans had tattoos, whereas a 2003 Harris poll determined that grew to 16%. Heck, when us Baby Boomers hit the dust, that rate could grow to 35%, 40% or more!

So if you are an old dude like me and you'd like to feel young, consider getting a tattoo. As for me, I'm seeking ways to take advantage of this situation...I wonder just how many of those Millennials will regret some of those tattoos. Perhaps the tattoo REMOVAL industry will be the next big investment opportunity!