How many people regret having tattoos?

Posted on 08 Jun, 2011

According to an article that appeared in the Daily Mail Online edition last year, just under 30% of Britons between the ages of sixteen and forty-four has a tattoo.

The same article claims that according to a survey carried out by website Ask Jeeves, nearly a quarter of those with tattoos now regret having them done. That’s an awful lot of people and apparently searches for tattoo removal services have dramatically increased.

Being blamed is the explosion of celebrity tattoos, as they appear to be inspiring copy-cat behaviour in the rest of the population. Unfortunately, this is not a great reason to have a tattoo done.

For those who have spent a lot of time thinking about what they would like to have tattooed and where regret seems to be less frequent. The tattoo has been selected for a reason and represents something of great importance for the person.

The problem seems to arise when tattoos have been done on the spur of the moment. Some have had a moment of madness when under the influence of alcohol, while some people are even tattooed against their will.

For these people, tattoo removal can be a life-saver. Prominent tattoos can affect job prospects and public perception of a character, and when the fall-out from a new tattoo is negative it can have dramatic effects on a person’s life.