Do you have any tattoos that you regret getting?

Not a one. If you don’t get tattoos, you can’t regret them.

No. Even my crappy “tramp stamp”. I think tattoos tell a story, and my first tattoo may be obnoxious and silly, but that’s who I was at 17. I feel as I get older, my tattoos change with me.
I personally don’t believe in coverups, I would never do it. I’d feel like I was trying to get rid of a part of me.

Yeah, I’m one of those lucky people who loves all of mine as well and they all mean something to me (even my tramp stamp too, @casheroo)

No. I love my tattoos. They are my history; I cannot change it nor do I regret it.

I love all of mine too! Even my worst, a UPC symbol from a box of Armour Lard, will forever make me laugh.

I have one on my hand that I have wanted to get removed for years. It was my very first tattoo and it just reminds me of a very bad time in my life. I may just have it changed into a butterfly instead of removing it.

Nope. I only have one, a cherry blossom branch, and there’s a meaning behind it. I don’t think I could justify getting a tattoo just for the sake of getting a tattoo. It has to be meaningful if it’s going to be permanantly on my body.

Nope. No tattooes…no regrets.

I’ve got some gang tattoos and a brand that I regret now. Fortunately, wearing a suit and tie covers most of them, and I tell folks that the brand on my neck is a birth mark. It’s amazing how many people fall for that.

I think tramp stamps are HOT! Do let me know if you have one! ;)

I love my tat, and I want another one. So if someone can direct me to any place online that would have the Sanskrit lettering for “Bodhisattva,” I’d appreciate it.

I do not regret my tattoo one bit. And I’m getting two more in April. A lot of people tell me that I might regret them later, but I think that that is part of the commitment. I recommend this site: www.mytattoosucks.com to help talk you through a good choosing process to get a tattoo if you are thinking of getting one.

@aprilsimnel I would recommend either getting a friend that knows the language to draw it out for you or going to a tattoo artist that knows the language. http://www.hanzismatter.com/ is a (hilarious) site that shows the perils of getting a tattoo in a language you don’t personally know.

yes but I’m having it removed

I love all my tattoos. I did have my first tattoo covered because I was young and stupid, went to a bad parlor, and it was kanji. It was only the size of a quarter so it wasnt hard to cover. I don’t regret any of my tattoos besides that one.

@bezdomnaya: perhaps if you didn’t have those tattoos, you wouldn’t be Homeless.

Nope. I love them even though my mom hates them. They mean a lot to me.. My back tattoo is a tribute to my papa and Bachan- they mean the world to me. And best of all? They love it!

@daloon Good catch! I’m guessing you get the reference, since you capitalized it.

All of my tattoos mean a lot to me, I will never regret them because it’s my belief that if it meant enough to me at the time to do it, it should mean enough to me to remember it and why I got it.

I’ve heard that up to 50% of tattoos become regrets down the road. I have one that although it was meaningful at the time, really no longer applies. That, and my workplace sort of has a problem with it. No one says anything about it anymore, but I know they don’t like it. I am paying to have it removed, and getting lasered on the back of your hand hurts like a bitch. I wouldn’t recommend it.

So when it is gone, and I have a big ol scar in its place, I’m going to have it re-done, farther up my arm and with much better artwork.

Nope. All of mine have deeper meanings, whether they’re meant just for me to know, or whether they’re meant for someone else.

@bezdomnaya: I trust you are not actually bezdomnaya; so why the moniker? Someday, I might tell you my original handle. You would probably get a kick out of it, and it has everything to do with my avatar.

Yup,I have 4 of them. One I like but the rest could go. Had them for 30+ years.

I’ve only got two, but I love them both. (One I just got last Friday and I have to go back again to have it finished.)
The first I got when I was 18. It’s Earth in the shape of a heart. I don’t regret it at all and I’d actually love to have it done bigger.
The second, which I just got five days ago, is a Dia de los Muertos skull. It’s not done yet. There’s quite a bit of colored shading to do still. (It’s on my ribs, bring on the pain.)

@Allie I love Day of the Dead skulls! I’ve seen some beautifully intricate designs. I would love to see yours when it’s finished.
About the ribs, yeah. You’re in for it. My ribs were the absolute worst.

@Allie I have a rather large one on my ribs too and it’s the only one that I confidently say “hurt like a bitch”! Good luck with the shading… I’ll be sending you happy thoughts

@elijahsuicide and @essieness Thanks, ladies. The artist kept asking me how I was doing throughout the process and I wanted to be tough so I kept saying “I’m fine, I’m fine, it’s okay.” That was true, the lines weren’t that painful at all. Then he started shading. He asked me again how I was and for a while I said I was ok, then I cracked and told him “I want to punch someone in the face.” He stopped for a second and goes, ”There’s the honesty!” He kept shading for about 20–30 minutes before I couldn’t take it any longer.

@daloon The name is from The Master and Margarita which is my favorite novel. I recommend it highly.

On a similar note @Allie @elijahsuicide and @essieness my next tattoo is going to be on my ribs. Do you guys have any tips to help with the pain? I’m worried that it will be much more painful than the one on my shoulder.

I usually take 2 motrin before I have an appointment, and make sure to eat something an hour or so before.
Every person is different. Generally speaking, the ribs suck. They might not for you. I was thinner when I got my ribs done, and I think that made it hurt worse. It felt like the needle was bouncing off my bones. I think a little fat in the area helps. When I did the inside of my upper arm it was painless, although some grown men have cried like babies when they get that spot done.
Just remember the finished product is worth the pain, you will be fine!

@bezdomnaya
Take your iPod… and don’t forget your headphones like I did!
Don’t forget to breathe. It hurts more if you hold your breath.
I started to look for shapes in the pattern on the walls and ceiling to get my mind on something else.
Talking about stuff to the artist helped too. We talked about school and summer. He asked me my major and I told him sociology, then he asked me to “sociologize” something. We talked about deviants for a good hour or hour and a half.
My arm started getting sore as fuck after holding it in the same position. Don’t be afraid to ask for breaks to stretch out.
The lower ribs (near the floating ribs) and up near the armpit seemed to hurt the most for me.
Shading was killer (which is what I have to go back for). Breathebreathebreathe!

It’s a mind thing. There were times when I forgot about the pain because I was so focused on finding shapes in the wall. No kidding. Just find something to keep your mind off of it.

The worst thing you can do is fight the pain. You just have to let it happen, and breathe. The natural highs are nice. And don’t forget to eat sugar.

No, but I do plan to have one covered up, weird huh? I don’t regret it but I’ve changed the way I think of it so in a few years I’ll evolve it a little. Same I idea, different interpretation. :)

@bezdomnaya: Doh! Of course! Yeah, that is one of my favorite novels ever. Do you like the name because you identify with the character? Like, being a poet or something? Or just because you like the name?