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A recent poll has found that more Americans have tattoos today than ever before. In fact, there’s been a 21% increase in people having at least one tattoo since 2012. And contrary to what skeptics believe, they are far from regretting it. In fact, 92%, which is a hopping majority, say they are totally happy with their ink art.

But when it comes to the older generation getting themselves a work of art embedded in the skin, skeptics get even more fierce. Luckily, the stigma is slowly going away thanks to some incredibly badass elders who rock their ink so well I watch them in awe.

So in order to celebrate seniors with fabulous tattoos, Bored Panda rounded up some of the most beautiful and creative examples in a list below. Scroll down, upvote your favorite pics and be sure to share your thoughts on tattooed elders in the comment section!

#1

A Grandpa Got A Cochlea Implant Tattoo To Become Like His Grandson

A Grandpa Got A Cochlea Implant Tattoo To Become Like His Grandson

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#2

This Is Tanya. She Is An ER Nurse. Last Year She Came To Me To Get Her First Tattoo Ever... On Her Head

This Is Tanya. She Is An ER Nurse. Last Year She Came To Me To Get Her First Tattoo Ever... On Her Head

She told me that she had developed alopecia, lost all her hair and that she was finally ready and happy to reclaim a bit of her identity back and own her Alopecia. Last week she came back for session 2 and we did this flower on the other side of her head

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#3

Grandma Gets A Tattoo

Grandma Gets A Tattoo

On her 90th birthday grandma Heather Brooks got her first tattoo. She chose a Cancer Research pink ribbon to signify her victory after a five year battle with cancer.

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To find out more about tattoos for seniors and whether they're more willing to go under the ink needle, Bored Panda spoke with Adam, the Studio Manager at Vagabond Tattoo. The studio was established in 2012 on East London’s popular Hackney Road and became known for their clean and original tattoos, spanning a range of styles. Vagabond Tattoo has made their name as one of the best contemporary tattoo studios in London.

When asked whether tattoos are getting more popular among older people, Adam said that he wouldn’t necessarily say so. Having said that, he explained the recent surge in people getting tattoos amid the pandemic: “I think we have seen an increase of older people who are already tattooed come in for more work then they usually would have. I think the fact that people haven't been able to travel as much has meant they have a bit more spare income to spend on themselves. Possibly there's more of a feeling of why put it off, let's just get more tattoos whilst we can!”

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#4

Whang Od

Whang Od

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#5

The Amazing Lilo Is Back. 92-Year-Old And Adding On To Her Sleeve

The Amazing Lilo Is Back. 92-Year-Old And Adding On To Her Sleeve

This woman survived a concentration camp. The holocaust. Cancer. The 70's. And now she's working on her sleeve. Amazing woman

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#6

One Of My Favorite Clients Of All Time, Ann. She's 69 And She's Amazing

One Of My Favorite Clients Of All Time, Ann. She's 69 And She's Amazing

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As for the particular tattoos he’d recommend for seniors, Adam believes there’s no rules. “Whatever tattoo they'd like to get!” However, some ink art designs may be harder on aged skin, so it’s good to keep that in mind. “I would say fine line tattoos are more difficult to tattoo on older skin, and they won't look the same as a 20-year-old's tattoos, but if it's something they want to get, then we try and accommodate them.” Adam added that “if we don't think it's a good idea, we'll tell them to do a similar design but in a bolder style,” so there’s always a solution that a good tattoo artist has at hand.

#7

100% Agree With You Gramps! You're Livin Life The Right Way. Tell Em How It Is. Wear That Shirt With Pride, And Be The Tattooed Gentleman You Are

100% Agree With You Gramps! You're Livin Life The Right Way. Tell Em How It Is. Wear That Shirt With Pride, And Be The Tattooed Gentleman You Are

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#8

Coolest Gentleman Ever Wanted His First Tattoo On His Receding Hairline. Him And His Wife Were In Their 60's But Couldn't Have Been More Young At Heart

Coolest Gentleman Ever Wanted His First Tattoo On His Receding Hairline. Him And His Wife Were In Their 60's But Couldn't Have Been More Young At Heart

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#10

My Old Pappaw Has Waited So Long To Get This Tattoo

My Old Pappaw Has Waited So Long To Get This Tattoo

He was in the Navy Reserve as a young man and one night everyone was drinking and decided to get tattoos. He called home to ask my Granny if he could and she told him no. It's a good thing she did because the next morning they all woke up with swollen, infected tattoos. Finally, 58 years later, he can cross this off his bucket list.

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Tash
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My grandad got a tattoo of my nans nickname a WEEK after he met her (they were 17!). She hated tattoos....and he spelt it wrong. But hey, 63 years later, they're still married!

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#11

My 87 Year Old Step Grandmother Decided It Was Time To Get A Tattoo

My 87 Year Old Step Grandmother Decided It Was Time To Get A Tattoo

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#15

Proof That Age Doesn't Matter. My Grandmother Inked All My Tattoo Ideas. Amazing Woman

Proof That Age Doesn't Matter. My Grandmother Inked All My Tattoo Ideas. Amazing Woman

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#16

This Beautiful Maori Kween Is Terewai Kingi, She Had Her Traditional TaMoko Tapped 21 Years Ago

This Beautiful Maori Kween Is Terewai Kingi, She Had Her Traditional TaMoko Tapped 21 Years Ago

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K
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There is something so beautiful about the traditional chin tattoos

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#17

My Friend Knows Me Well. “Assuming I’m Just An Old Lady, Is Your First Mistake”

My Friend Knows Me Well. “Assuming I’m Just An Old Lady, Is Your First Mistake”

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#18

When People Ask What Are You Going To Look Like When Your Older With All The Tattoos? You'll Look Cool

When People Ask What Are You Going To Look Like When Your Older With All The Tattoos? You'll Look Cool

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#19

Met This Guy At Target Today, He Is 75

Met This Guy At Target Today, He Is 75

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#20

She Is One Of The Last Tattooed Tharu Tribe Women. They Used To Do Tattoos In Order To Be Avoided To Be Selected As Slaves By The Royal Nepalese Family

She Is One Of The Last Tattooed Tharu Tribe Women. They Used To Do Tattoos In Order To Be Avoided To Be Selected As Slaves By The Royal Nepalese Family

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#21

This Is How Our Generation Will Look Like In The Future. Cool

This Is How Our Generation Will Look Like In The Future. Cool

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#22

So Yeah I'm A Grandpa

So Yeah I'm A Grandpa

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Dorothy Parker
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Cool from head to toe. Even the shirt tuck in front. His tattoos are just a part of it. And a grandbaby!

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#23

"I’m Sure My Tattoos Look Very Old Fashioned To My Children, Who Have A Different Approach"

"I’m Sure My Tattoos Look Very Old Fashioned To My Children, Who Have A Different Approach"

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#26

Age Doesn't Matter. My Clients Are The Best

Age Doesn't Matter. My Clients Are The Best

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#27

"Real Men Ain't No Pussies"

"Real Men Ain't No Pussies"

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DC
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That, I also considered, like collecting the cats I lived with. Four who lived between 12 and 20 years now, always started as a couple (the first were there before me), now I'm down to one, who needed to be adopted from incompetent humans (I had planned to look for old cats who aren't that likely to get adopted, but she intervened and screwed my plan ... love her, of course ...).

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#28

Throwback To Tattooing My 88-Year-Old Nana. Such An Amazing Experience. So Much Love For This Beautiful & Tough Lady

Throwback To Tattooing My 88-Year-Old Nana. Such An Amazing Experience. So Much Love For This Beautiful & Tough Lady

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#29

Jane Is Totally Enchanting And The Biggest David Bowie Fan We've Ever Met

Jane Is Totally Enchanting And The Biggest David Bowie Fan We've Ever Met

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Lisa T
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I finally got my Bowie tattoo last year (at almost 50)

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#30

Nothing Beats Grandpa Granddaughter Love

Nothing Beats Grandpa Granddaughter Love

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Dorothy Parker
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Granddad had a bad accident? Still handsome and cool but ow.

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#31

69-Year-Old Charlotte Guttenberg Has Officially Become The World's Most Tattooed Person Ever With 98.75% Of Her Body Covered In Ink

69-Year-Old Charlotte Guttenberg Has Officially Become The World's Most Tattooed Person Ever With 98.75% Of Her Body Covered In Ink

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Demi Zwaan
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

How can she be the most tattooed person ever, when we have Lucky Diamond Rich, who has tattoos covering his entire body, including the insides of his eyelids, mouth, ears and foreskin? He has held the certified record since 2006, being 100 percent tattooed.

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#32

Grandpa Has A Way With Babies

Grandpa Has A Way With Babies

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#33

This Is Grandma Eva. I'm Looking Forward To Be Like Her

This Is Grandma Eva. I'm Looking Forward To Be Like Her

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#34

I Thought He Was The Best Daddy, Turns Out He's The Best Papa Too

I Thought He Was The Best Daddy, Turns Out He's The Best Papa Too

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#35

Like Father, Like Son

Like Father, Like Son

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Zozo🤟
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There are some people with a lot of tattoos that don’t look out of place at all somehow. These two are some of those people 😄

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#36

Proud Grandmother Has Drawings Of Her Granddaughter Tattooed On Her Body

Proud Grandmother Has Drawings Of Her Granddaughter Tattooed On Her Body

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#40

1992 Inkslingers Ball - Captain Don

1992 Inkslingers Ball - Captain Don

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Rijkærd
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And guys this is the man I was trying to tell you about. Wolverines Dad....the real Old man Logan.

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Note: this post originally had 113 images. It’s been shortened to the top 40 images based on user votes.