It appears that Melanie’s love for Antonio Banderas isn’t even skin-deep anymore. She has begun the process of permanently removing the famous “Antonio” tattoo from her right arm.

The 56-year-old actress announced about a month ago that she and the Spaniard were filing for divorce after 18 years of marriage and on Monday the Golden Globe winner was seen leaving the skin clinic in West Hollywood with a large patch of white gauze taped over the upper part of her right arm.

She has previously used specialized make-up to hide her heart-shaped tattoo which carries the name of her soon-to-be-ex-husband while showing up in public, so the decision to permanently remove the inking isn’t that much of a shocker.

The blonde pin-up star and the famous Spanish actor released an official statement in June announcing their marriage is about to end.

“We have thoughtfully and consensually decided to finalize our almost twenty years marriage in a loving and friendly manner honoring and respecting each other, our family and friends and the beautiful time we have spent together – Melanie & Antonio,” the statement read.

It is yet unknown how many laser removal sessions Melanie has had so far, but according to professionals the procedure of permanently removing a tattoo normally takes between three and 20 treatments. The sessions are usually scheduled four to eight weeks apart so the skin has the time to heal properly and reduce scarring as much as possible.

“Time to heal”, “reduce scarring”, tough words which in a way bear an allegoric weight. Let’s just hope Melanie will manage to remove whatever she needs removing.