TATTOOS: Do you regret your tattoos?

It's the age old worry when making the decision to have a tattoo.

"Will I regret my tattoo when I am older?"

It's even made it into the news - again! According to the Huffington Post, Four in Ten Britain's regret their tattoos. As with most of these style 'researches', everyone is anti-tattoo and wants to get rid of them, but it always as simple as that.

I, for instance, have seven individual tattoos on my body. Am I 100% happy with all of them? No, I can't say that. But I don't regret having them. They have become a part of who I am.
I have been asked too many times to count, about how I will feel when I am 60 with sleeve tattoos. The answer, I don't know. But they will be more of a part of me than they are now.

Yes I am considering a cover up, but I wouldn't consider laser removal. My style has changed, and my knowledge increased. I now know to choose a tattooist based on their style and talent. It's not about getting a bargain when it comes to tattoos.  My cover up, when I eventually get to it, will be classic and neo-traditional. Flowers and butterflies. Timeless.

I think the important thing to remember when you are planning a tattoo is that they are for life. If there is even a small part of you that doubts the design or placement, then you need more time with your decision. No tattooist is going to judge you if you call up and cancel a few days before because you're not certain. At the end of the day you need to be happy, you will be wearing their work for the rest of your life,  so they need you to be happy,  at least to begin with - just don't be a no-show, that's uncool and disrespectful to the artist and their time. 

And make sure you go to a good artist. The majority of 'regretted' tattoos are because of bad work and bad designs. Remember that Chinese symbol you thought read happiness but actually translates to chicken soup? It could have been avoided with a little more time and thought on both design and tattooist. 

A tattoo doesn't have to be regretted. It's what you make of it in the end.
As the legend that is Johnny Depp once said:

"My body is my journal and my tattoos are my story"

As long as my husband still loves me for who I am - that is all that matters to me.

And as for how I'll feel when I'm 60 covered in tattoos, well I don't know, but I will have lived my life the way I wanted, and I will look awesome, proof in this article from the Daily Mail. (Tattoo fans should ignore the last paragraph, typical DM comment)

 

And this graphic kind of sums it up.

Over to you? 

Do you regret any of your tattoos? And what route would you go down to resolve your situation?

Images from Pinterest