It’s an awful feeling when you look down at your tattoo and feel nothing more than a deep sense of regret. Maybe it symbolizes something that once held great meaning in your life as a teenager, but has no significance now that you’re in your mid-thirties. Maybe it reminds you of a past lover that you’d wish you could forget. Or maybe it reminds you of nothing more than that drunken night in Cuba when your best friend dared you to get it. Whatever the reason, regretting a tattoo is very common amongst those who have them. If you feel regret over your body art, you are not alone. An estimated 38% of men and women between the ages of 18 and 28 have at least one tattoo, and 50% of them have regrets about getting one or more of them. Luckily for those who wish they could erase the tattoo along with the memories it brings up, advances in laser technology can now make that wish a reality. Here are the most commonly regretted, and removed, types of tattoos:
1. Ex-lover’s name:
You were young and in love. You thought your relationship would be permanent and you wanted to get a permanent symbol to celebrate it. Then you found out three other girls had his name tattooed on their arm as well. The name of an ex-partner is one of the most regrettable tattoos, especially if you harbour contempt for him or her. It’s a constant reminder of your failed relationship so it’s no surprise that people run to have these tattoos covered up or removed completely. On the plus side, these tattoos are usually small and in black ink so they’re easier to remove than any lingering memories of your past relationship.
2. Spelling/grammar error:
We’ve all seen pictures of the ironic tattoos “No Regerts” or “I’m Awsome” and we wonder how anyone could not triple-check the spelling and grammar of something that is meant to be permanently inked on his or her body. However, these errors are a lot more common than we think. Maybe you failed English or just didn’t take the necessary time to edit your tattoo. Or maybe your tattoo artist made the mistake and you didn’t notice until the needle was piercing your skin. Although some people can live with the error, most feel that it makes them appear sub-par in the intelligence department and they opt for removal.
3. Lower back tattoo:
It was the year 2000. Stars like Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera were dancing on stage at the MTV awards with extremely low-riding pants, flaunting tattoos strategically placed on their lower backs. Suddenly, a trend was born. Young women (and some men) rushed to tattoo parlours everywhere to get their own lower back artwork. Then a few years later, the term “tramp stamp” entered the colloquial dictionary as a way to refer to this type of tattoo. Unfortunately for all of those women who were a part of the lower back tattoo trend, they were suddenly seen as promiscuous and trashy. Their tattoos made them open targets for judgment and many of them deeply regretted their decision. Now these women are in their thirties and early forties and are deciding to get their tattoos removed to avoid any further unwanted judgment.
4. Fads from the ‘90s:
The ‘90s was a popular time for trendy tattoos. This decade saw a variety of tattoos that shared the same “gotta have it” appeal, but now share the common fate of being removed. You know the tattoos we’re talking about: the cutesie dolphins, fairies, and butterflies, the tribal tattoos flaunted by people who have never been part of any tribe whatsoever, the Chinese characters that don’t mean what you thought they meant, and the oh-so-popular barbed wire tattoo that lets everyone know how dangerous you are. It’s not too difficult to figure out why these designs are now some of the most commonly removed tattoos.
5. Visible tattoos that affect your job search:
When you were a few years younger and working at Starbucks or American Apparel, the tattoos on your hands and neck went perfectly with your trendy job. It would be almost be considered weird if you didn’t have an extremely visible tattoo while you worked there. But now that you’re older and ready to start your career, you may find that your impossible-to-hide tattoo is causing you difficulty with your job hunt. Even if your employer boasts a non-discrimination policy when hiring, you can just feel him or her staring at that huge skull tattoo plastered on your neck. This is a very common situation and the reason visible tattoos are one of the most regretted types of body art.
As more and more people decorate their bodies with tattoos, the desire for tattoo removal is growing as well. Thankfully, laser technology is now so advanced that you can have your tattoo removed more effectively than ever. So if any of the examples above sounded all too familiar to you, don’t hesitate to contact us at Advanced Laser Clinic to discuss your removal options!
