73 Absolutely Terrible Tattoos That Are Unfortunately Permanent (New Pics)

There was once a strong stigma associated with tattoos. They were for sailors and convicts, not teachers and lawyers. Today, however, tattoos are for anyone and everyone. In fact, in the United States, about one-third of the population has at least one tattoo, and one in five people has more than one piece of ink.

Tattoos are even more common amongst women, with 38% having at least one. And 56% of women between the ages of 18 and 29 have a permanent piece of ink on their body. However, not everyone feels confident about their tattoos. Nearly a quarter of tattooed Americans admit that they regret at least one of their pieces o

When it comes to why some people end up regretting their tattoos, Ray Studios says it often comes down to a few factors. First, it might be due to a personality change. If your values or sense of self have shifted since you got the piece of ink, you may not feel like it accurately reflects who you are anymore.

It’s also common for the emotional context of a tattoo to change. Perhaps you got a matching tattoo with your best friend at the time, but the two of you aren’t in touch anymore. Or maybe you got your ex’s initials tattooed onto your arm before going through a tumultuous breakup. Life is unpredictable, so it’s impossible to know that a tattoo will still be extremely meaningful to you five or ten years down the line. 

Some people also end up regretting tattoos simply because their taste has changed. Perhaps they got a piece of ink in the style of a stamp because that’s what was trendy on Pinterest at the time, but a decade later, they can’t stand the design. Meanwhile, professional considerations can come into play as well. Perhaps you got a bunch of tattoos while you were working as a barista. But later, when you wanted to get hired as a teacher, your ink came back to bite you in a job interview.  

Because it’s so common for people to regret tattoos, there are certain factors that everyone should consider before permanently getting a piece of ink on their body. According to statistics from Advanced Dermatology, 35% of tattoos that people regret were done impulsively. So as long as you take time to really consider whether or not you want that piece of artwork, you’ll cut down your chances of regretting it significantly.  

There are also certain styles of tattoos that people tend to regret the most. Coming in at number one is tribal tattoos. After that, many people report regretting hearts, roses, stars, inspirational words, crosses, skulls, butterflies, flowers, and dragons. Of course, that doesn’t mean that you should avoid all of these themes and images completely. But if the artwork isn’t extremely meaningful to you, you might want to give it a second thought before scheduling an appointment. 

Now, if you’re one of the many people who decided months or years later that you have some tattoo regret, there are, thankfully, removal options available nowadays. In fact, Removery reports that they’ve performed over 1.6 million tattoo removal treatments in the United States already, and that’s just one company. Thanks to clinics popping up all across the globe, tattoo removal is now more accessible than ever.

It is important to note that tattoo removal isn’t exactly an easy or cheap process. It typically costs between $1,500 to $2,000 in total to remove a small tattoo over the course of 8 to 12 sessions. These sessions will usually be 6 to 8 weeks apart, meaning that the entire process can take years. And, of course, it can be quite painful, as the process is done through laser removal. But for some, it’s more than worth it to be rid of a piece of artwork that’s been haunting them for years.  

Is this list inspiring you to cancel your upcoming tattoo appointment? Keep upvoting the pieces of ink that you can’t believe are permanent, and let us know in the comments below if you have any tattoo regret of your own. Then, if you’re interested in checking out another article from Bored Panda featuring tragic tattoos, look no further than right here!