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Original poster

Has anyone regretted getting such a visible tattoo as they got older?

26 replies

Tattted · 22/01/2022 21:59

I have one tattoo already but on my back so can’t see it. I’m contemplating getting a biggish one on my shin. I can’t imagine I will regret the actual design itself but I worry I’m might regret that it’s so visible as time goes on? For example being a guest at a wedding.
I could get it on my thigh but it’s not my favourite placement

OP posts:
Chrispackhamspoodle · 22/01/2022 22:01

I have one on my upper arm I regret and I rarely wear short sleeves.Had it done in my early 20s and now I'm almost 50.It's not the placement though it's the tattoo.Love the one I have inside my wrist and it's far more visible.

JbSmCn · 22/01/2022 22:03

I slightly regret one of my back tattoos but only because it's not very well done. I will eventually have it incorporated into a larger piece so it's less noticeable. My other tatts are fine and my favourite is the one on my wrist which is very visible. I am late 40s.

Original poster
Tattted · 22/01/2022 22:10

Thanks for your responses. I don’t worry il regret the tattoo but I worry i will wish I had got it done somewhere less visible. I’m 30 now and wonder if il like a shin tattoo as much at 50 as I do now

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Beauty
Alfixn · 22/01/2022 22:14

I think if you have niggling doubts about it now, it's not the right thing for you.

Maybe either think about it for a year or two first and see if you still feel the same, or find a placement that gives you the option to cover.

FindingMeno · 22/01/2022 22:19

I regret not getting more tattoos younger - I was too worried about how I'd feel when I'm older!

BorderlineHappy · 22/01/2022 22:24

I think if you're unsure,don't get it done.
I've a fair few tattoos fairly biggish as well.
I'm 48.

Bagelsandbrie · 22/01/2022 22:47

I have a large one on my ankle that I got when I was 19. I am 41 now and bitterly regret it. I feel embarrassed by it in the summer when I wear a dress. I just feel it dates me horribly and I always look a bit rough, which I know is absolutely horrible of me to say but that’s how I feel. It’s a well done one and a lot of thought went into it but I really wish I’d never got it. I enjoyed having it until I was about 35 and then I just felt older and like it didn’t fit my desired look anymore.

But - in contrast, my dh is covered in tattoos. Literally covered. And he loves them. It’s a massive part of who he is. I don’t think he will ever regret any of them. It’s his main interest and hobby and he spends all his spare money and time getting new ones - although he’s only got his hands and neck free now!

TheOnlyLivingBoyInNewCross · 22/01/2022 22:57

although he’s only got his hands and neck free now!

😳 Surely not ‘only’. I can’t imagine the pain of getting certain parts of the male anatomy tattooed!

And on his face as well? I thought that loads of employers regarded that as a big no.

Bagelsandbrie · 22/01/2022 23:06

@TheOnlyLivingBoyInNewCross

although he’s only got his hands and neck free now!

😳 Surely not ‘only’. I can’t imagine the pain of getting certain parts of the male anatomy tattooed!

And on his face as well? I thought that loads of employers regarded that as a big no.

Oh god yeah sorry obviously not THAT part and none on his face.

He actually has a very senior corporate role. When he wears a suit no one has a clue he has a single tattoo. He’s very open about it if it comes up though and everyone is always totally shocked…!

Shehasadiamondinthesky · 22/01/2022 23:11

I'm 60 with pink hair and tattooed arms. i have a responsible job in medicine.
I don't regret any of mine. Some people tut and don't approve but that's too bad. They are part of who I am now.
Anyway it would cost me a fortune to have them all lasered off.

Shehasadiamondinthesky · 22/01/2022 23:14

People expect me to be a bit rough but I have an upper class accent so they always look shocked haha.

Annabelle69 · 22/01/2022 23:17

I had a two tatoos on my upper arms, wayward 17 years old, late 80s. By my 20s I hated them and always wore tshirts to cover them. Like @Bagelsandbrie I felt they made me look rough. In my case there was nothing artistic about them, just average tattoos and terrible placement.

At 27 went to a top surgeon in Chelsea, who charged me a fortune to surgically remove them, which was a series of cuts and stitching over time (they weren't too big). I just have barely noticeable scars now.

I admire good tattoos on other people, but I'd never ever have them again myself.

theonewiththetattoo · 22/01/2022 23:23

I just turned 40 and got a huge tattoo, No regrets at all.

Sideswiped · 22/01/2022 23:26

I have tattoos on one wrist, another one the opposite forearm (quite big), and one on my foot, near the ankle bone. They are all there for a reason (my two dcs who both have / had serious medical conditions, and the other one is similar to one my DDad had.
I'm quite happy to explain why I have them and am supposed to keep them covered if I can. I don't, because they are part of me and who I am.

Motheranddaughtertotwo · 22/01/2022 23:26

I have visible tattoos and I love them, I show them off proudly at weddings, work and any opportunity I get.

theoldtrout01876 · 22/01/2022 23:42

I actually went and got a visible one when I was 52. I got a big bouquet of flowers on my forearm. All flowers that are significant in my life. It looks like a picture from one of those Victorian botany books. I love it and wear it with pride.

ghostmouse · 22/01/2022 23:55

I also have visible tattoos..well ok not in the winter but in the summer.. my arms and back have a few.. don’t regret and never will.

However they are in places that I really felt comfortable with. I personally wouldn’t like them on my legs but it’s personal choice

PickAndChooseMe · 23/01/2022 00:07

Yes...but only because I got it when I was an impulsive teenager at a really shithole of a place. 20+ years later it has been upgraded. I covered it up with a bigger and beautiful version of the original.

Yahyahs22 · 23/01/2022 00:10

Early 20s I got a lot of tattoos close together, most of them small but visible, but two fairly big visible ones. I regret every single one of them and would absolutely love to be tattoo free

middleager · 23/01/2022 00:11

I got a large, thick black tattoo on the top of my arm at 20. I regretted it soon after.

It became a pain in offices, with sheer blouses, short sleeved tops, formal dos.

Had a number of removal sessions, probably 8, about 10 years ago, but stopped.
Now i can at least cover it with makeup, though the removal caused raised scarring.

I'm 48 now and sick of the damn thing.

Hathertonhariden · 23/01/2022 00:25

Not me, but one friend with a tat on her shoulder blade regretted it as did a friend with one on her upper breast as they both felt that it made buying tops difficult. Sheer tops obscured the tats and the tats overpowered delicate straps and detailing.

BreadInCaptivity · 23/01/2022 00:40

As a counterpoint.

I don't have any tattoos (unlike all my friends and my DH).

I toyed with the idea a few times but couldn't settle on either placement or design.

I'm really glad I didn't go ahead as now I am actually the "rebel" and "unusual" in not having any Grin.

As for those female friends I know who have them it's a mixed bag.

Some are very happy (and still adding more in their 30/40/50's), some are happy with most of their tattoos (but less so with others) and some really dislike them to the point that one has undergone removal (which was apparently excruciatingly painful and expensive) and the others hide them with specialist make up.

Of those who have concerns placement is the biggest factor. A bad tattoo in a place that nobody can see is less concerning than a good one in a place you wish it wasn't.

TableSetting · 23/01/2022 00:43

Could you have a ‘test run’ on your shin using henna or even felt tip and then try on a variety of your favourite clothes and shoes from your wardrobe to see how you feel. Get a friend to take pics of you sitting and standing so you can keep looking at them for a while before taking the plunge.

BreadInCaptivity · 23/01/2022 01:02

Just to add if it's helpful.

People I know with no regrets are those that are very much into tattooing (like a pp's husband).

They have spent a long time considering designs and most work closely with a specific/well known tattoo artist (or complimentary artists). Sometimes they can wait a year to get a "slot" with that person.

Their tattoos are very beautiful and timeless.

The ones with regrets are those with a few (or not so few) "random" pieces from different artists with different aesthetics.

Many are quite ageing, not in being a tattoo but because of the various "fashions" in design and placement - some of which look quite dated a decade later and not particularly aesthetically pleasing.

ufucoffee · 23/01/2022 09:32

Yes. I got one when I was young when hardly any women had them and it was a bit edgy and I absolutely hate it. It's the worst thing I've ever done. It's only visible on holiday but I hate tattoos now.

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