Ever Got a Tattoo and Regretted It?

I have a tat of my totem on my calf - a butterfly in a flame motif. The only regret I have is that I didn't get it sooner.

I got my first tattoo when I was 23 and my second when I was 24. I was in college. I have never regretted that I have them.

I have two I got the first one when I was 18 a hideous black panther on my leg and my name with cat rips on the other leg. I HATE THEM!! I am saving up money now to get the panther removed. When I was 18 I was hell on wheels now I am master's educated career woman with two children and these tattoo's have no place in my life now. I am so embarassed by them but the worst part of it was when my 7yr old daughter said "Mom can I have a tattoo when I turn 18" the idea of my baby girl inking her body makes me shiver. The panther is more visible I can't wear skirt suit's because I don't feel comfortable in board meetings or walking around the hospital where I work with the tattoo in plane sight. The other tattoo is more hidden it's in my upper thigh but I wonder when I'm 80 years old and I look down at my body what that tattoo will look like? I don't know where you are in your life but I urge you to think 20-30 years down the line before you do something that is so permanet. Also think of your children would you be okay if they wanted to do something like that? if the answer is no then set the example by not getting one.

I have no tatoos.
I will never get one.
I got a henna tattoo, a tiny band of rose buds around my ankle, and it wore off.
I was okay with that.
Jews being marked and numbered like cattle in concentration camps, I can't bring myself to see the art in it sometimes.
I DO think there are very talented tattoo artists. I have seen amazing works of art that are mind blowing.
Even given my feeling about the subject, my daughter has tattoos.
I admit I had a conniption the first time she had one. She has several now.
They might be cute when you are young and fancy free, but how will they look when you are 45, 55, 65, 85?
She got most of hers when she was 18 and of legal age to do it. Now at 25 she has to keep them covered for work.
I tried to tell her.
We hired a young woman the other day. Darling. Qualified. Just the right fit. She has a super cute short hair cut which unfortunately reveals the set of eyes she has tattooed on the back of her neck. She will have to wear turtle necks or a scarf around her neck, something. In the health care industry, it's not really cool to have tattoos on your neck or your face....a little cluster of stars by your eye. It's tacky.
Now, that said, I am not against ALL tattoos.
If your mind is made up, get one that isn't hard to cover up.
Our HR manager has Harley wings on her arm and our dress code dictates that she is not allowed to display it at work. Period.
I have a good friend who has tattoos and is in senior management for a very large corporation. She wears very nice clothes, but you can see her tattoos through her very expensive silk blouses. She's 50 years old. Dragons and winged creatures all over her back and arms is not attractive.
And, it results in her being taken less seriously.
Maybe it shouldn't be that way, but it is.

So...if you want to get a tattoo, and you really, really want one, get one that won't be hard to cover up if you have to be discreet.
Don't get something strange.
I have seen some weird ones that I'm pretty sure were inspired by large amounts of alcohol.

I do have to say that if you get a really good artist, you likely won't be sorry unless it's over the top. I am amazed at the talent some people have for making portraits on human skin with ink.

All I know is that if you get one, you may regret it later. You might not, but maybe try a henna type and see how it feels first.

Best wishes.

I've been contemplating a tattoo for a while. A suggestion from several friends: before you get one, draw it on yourself in sharpie for a month or two, and live with it to see how you really like it before getting it done permanently.

My daughter got a little Earth on her left upper back in her early 20's. It was pretty blues and greens, but she wasn't completely happy with the artist's work – it was hard to tell it was Earth and not a turtle.

She got married in her mid 30's. Her wedding dress bared her shoulders, and she wished the tattoo was gone. Except for that event, I don't think it's been too big an issue for her. I kind of wish she hadn't marked her skin like that, but demonstrating independence from parents is really part of the point, isn't it?

I've been getting tattooed for almost a decade and I'm more or less covered... no regrets. Some of my big pieces: full left sleeve dedicated to the book 'The Secret Garden', full right sleeve dedicated to my grown up version of 'The Little Mermaid', my brothers initials, hearts dedicated to my kids, a queens crown, a sparrow, back right calf dedicated to my kids (2 flowers for the girls and a fish with a hook in his mouth for my son, surrounded by waves), an anchor on my foot for my Uncle... and much more ;)

If you've given yourself (and it sounds like you have) years to think about it, then I think you've weighed the pros and cons and you're making a well educated decision.

I always tell people who are thinking about getting a tattoo, to think about it. What does it mean to you? If you work in a professional setting, or plan to, are you putting it in a place it can be easily covered if need be? Are you getting something that may be considered 'trendy' right now, but may not be as neat in a few years? Tattoos, to me, are VERY personal, mostly dedications towards family or life experiences and I base them on my personality.

Not everyone likes tattoos, not everyone will understand what this one means to you, and you're going to have to be prepared to accept that without feeling bad about it. My mother hates tattoos, and literally turns red whenever someone compliments me on them, LOL!! BUT, it's a lifestyle, a personal choice, and doesn't make you a stereotype. I love tattoos (well, good tattoos anyway) and I admire them and most of the people who get them.

If your heart's set on it, go for it, and let us know how it goes!!

PM me if you want more info :)

15 years ago, when I was 19, I got a celtic knot on my lower back. It is mostly purple and black. 15 years ago it was really neat. Today, it is hideous! Those back tattoos are now referred to as "tramp stamps" and if I bend over too far, it is for all eyes to see sometimes. I HATE my tattoo. If I could do it all over again. I would have done something on the back of my neck, or the top of my foot.

I have three tattoos. I really like 2/3's of them. I have swallows on my right wrist, a peacock feather on my left calf, and my ex-husbands name on my left wrist. Even though we are divorced and he was a total jerk. I have respect for that period in my life because I grew and learned a lot. Don't get me wrong I do plan to eventually cover it up. I don't like to look at it and to have to think about him. I don't think I will ever get some one's name tattooed on my body ever again.

I'm 49 and got a tattoo when I was 36 with my then new husband. (we've been married 13 years now). They were matching hearts with the other ones name. His on his chest over his heart. Mine on my ankle. I don't necessarily regret the tat. I regret the placement. I can't dress up to be professional with a dress on with that tattoo showing. I wish I'd put it on my hip instead, so that it didn't show all the time. I'm the executive assistant to a company president and vice president, so sometimes I really wish it weren't there.

I'm sitting at about 18 tattoos right now and I don't regret a single one of them. Most are easily covered by clothes because my grandfather would have flipped out and disowned me if he knew I had any. It is actually funny in a way because often times when people find out I have them they are shocked and tell me they would have never thought I was the tattoo type. I then remind them that there is not one type of person when it comes to tattoos and who has them.
I have plans for many more tattoos.
On another note for those saying think about how they will look years later. My first tattoo was done Oct 22,1993 and even though it does need a bit of touch up most people are amazed that it is 18 yrs old.

I got one.
Got it in college.
It was with a bunch of my gal pals. It had special meaning for us, at the time.
No, I don't regret it.
No one can see it really, because it is not publicly located on myself.
My kids have seen it. No biggie.
I just told them it was gotten in college, one of those silly things.

many, many people have tattoos....& lived to never regret it.

On the other hand, quite a few people do have regrets.....even the actress Megan Fox! I saw a picture 2day of her Marilyn Monroe tattoo.....& the article stated how she was having it removed.

My 24yo son went thru a phase where he & his friends were doing each other's tattoos. (just shoot me now....Hep C anyone? I could have kicked him when he came home with them.) Anyway, some of the quality totally sucks....& he just had one covered up. It was supposed to be a 4leaf clover or shamrock.....nope it looked like a pansy!! LOL!!! It is now the center motif of an elaborate Celtic cross.....& the pansy is totally hidden. Paid big bucks to have the stupid thing fixed :(

It's definitely a personal decision. My son swears they're addictive. I think he now has ??8?? :)

No tatts for me, but I have seen both, those who regret them and those who love them. It all depends on the individual. I do however feel bad for those who regret it.

I have three. A butterfly for my mom on my back, and my sons names in each of my feet. I love tattoos, I love getting them and looking at them on other people.

I, personally, would never get anything that is not of huge significance to me. My mom and my sons are the most important people to me. I love my husband to death, but i have seen firsthand the curse of getting your sig others name tattooed on you!!

I think it depends on the tattoo. If it's personal and means a lot, then hopefully you won't regret it. I plan on getting a tattoo symbolizing my daughter and I KNOW I will never regret it... If you're just getting a random star or heart somewhere, then you might regret it. I would only get a tattoo if it had true meaning.
Actually, my husband and I have the same tattoo. It's the symbol for the year of the rat (the year we got married). We got it on our honeymoon. 2 years later, when I had my baby, we found out in the hospital from a Japanese nurse that the symbols actually meant strawberry. The best part is that it means "Mother Plant" which, in English, is translated to strawberry. The "mother" part of the tattoo is shaped like 2 boobs. hahaha So I always tell my husband that he has boobs on his arm. THANK GOD it means strawberry and not something else... My daughter was born with strawberry marks (the little red birth marks) all over her body, so it was kind of fitting that that's what it means, and that we found out while we were at the hospital after I gave birth. I don't regret getting that tattoo, but I kind of wish we had done more research before getting it to make sure we knew what we were doing.. haha

I don't have any, but everyone I know who got one when they were young & stupid most definitely regrets them.

I just had one on my arm covered, not because i regreted getting it so much I loved the idea of it but the guy who did it messed it up. It was an aries sign surronded by fire, which i had covered by a half sleeve of different flowers. But I learned not to go to people I didn't know! So now that it's covered, i love all my many tattoos! And yes I have a lot! If it's something you have put lots of thought into I don't think you will regret it, I would have still had my original if the guy didn't mess up on it cause when I showed what I wanted I loved it. So I say if you want one get one!!
@sue YES they are sooooo addictive! I have both arms half sleeved, my feet done, my legs, my forearm has my sons name and a heart, I have some on my back and chest, oh and my wedding band.

I have three. A rose on the back of my neck, a monkey on my chest near my shoulder, and a butterfly on my back. The first one, the rose, I spent 5 minutes picking out. I put a little more thought into the two others, but not much. I don't regret any of them. I made sure to get them in places where they could be covered up by my clothes or shown, depending on the style of clothes and the way I wear my hair. I really want another one! I want to get an outline of India with my son's name and birthdate in the middle. He's half Indian and that would be the only tattoo I would have that has real meaning. I say go for it!