Tramp stamp - ignore, cover or laser?

[Itsrainingten]

I have a crap tattoo on my lower back. Got it done about 20 odd years ago on impulse. It's a shit design I picked out of a book. It's also sort of stretched over the years so the "tribal bird" or whatever it's meant to be isn't symmetrical any more but it's obvious that it's meant to be. I also hate the slutty dated vibe of a tattoo that is meant to peek out from the top of your low slung jeans. It's fairly small though, maybe 3 inches across and slightly less down. All black. I DO like tattoos. I have others and this is the only one that I regret. Having said that I probably wouldn't bother getting one now otherwise. So should I:
a) ignore it. It's on my back anyway so I can't actually see it, but I'm quite self conscious about it on the beach or whatever and tend to try and pull my swimsuit or bikini bottoms over it (DH says he quite likes it!?!)
b) get it lasered. I'm a bit scared of this option. Bit worried about the pain / number of times I'll need to go back & cost as well as the potential harms of absorbing the ink into my bloodstream once it's been broken down
c) get a cover up. I'm thinking a floral design with family birth flowers - not very exciting admittedly but also don't think I'd regret it. I've found a fabulous artist who thinks it would be a fairly easy cover because the dark lines I have would be incorporated into dark leaves with fine line flowers above. I'm sorting of leaning towards this option but then like I said I'm really only considering it for the sake of a cover rather than because I REALLY WANT a new tattoo.
It would sort of go slightly up and across one side of my back so Def wouldn't give the vibe of meant to show off my arse from above my jeans (which is what I hate the most!!)
WWYD??

A

Change it into a new tattoo. Give it a new lease of life.
I have one exactly the same from the late Nineties…

Cover up! You might love it

I’m having mine removed.

I knew you’d say early 2000s, OP😁 they were very “of their time” weren’t they?
My friend had hers tidied up with colourful flowers, leaves etc.. looks sooo much nicer and she’s not trying to hide it anymore.
Les painful and les £££ than lasering off too!

I covered mine up and had it built into a much larger one that covers most of my back with family flowers 😊

I love it

Cover it. That sounds like the option you're favouring.

I'd get it removed

Cover it and find a new design you love ❤️ my tattoos tell my story and I love them for it

@Iamblossom that's sort of what I was thinking of doing, although not my whole back. I was thinking just lower half, left side. Can you describe yours a bit please? How did you incorporate what was already there? Did you just go over it, or did you make the shape part of the new design?

cover up

I had a celtic circular knot in the middle of my lower back, standard tramp stamp spot.

I got it converted into a large pink orchid and branches that come out of the top of it that other orchids stem from, including a slightly smaller orchid that covers up my mother's name in the middle of my shoulder blades that had gone blurry. It looks fabulous, I am super pleased with it. Orchids were my mother's favourite flowers.

I have since had my sons' initials added to either side and I have a plan to add my mother's initials added at some point, and maybe go up a bit further with more flower buds.

I did have to go back to have the colour added again to the cover up of the tramp stamp as you could still faintly see the outline - I only waited two weeks, which wasn't time enough for it to heal, and omfg that was painful, so I would wait longer if you have to do anything like that.

Cover it, its the easiest option. Removal will be a nightmare.

Then you can forget about it and feel OK about it when you catch a glimpse, and when you’re wearing a swimsuit or something a slightly trailing pattern of assymetrical flowers and leaves will look lovely.

Keep it! They'll be back in soon.
I'll admit part of me still likes them but only because I was too chicken to get one myself so spent about 5 summers getting it henna'ed on..

But no in all seriousness don't get it laser . Either get it adapted into something more meaningful or ignore.

Likewise OP, likewise. I got mine in 1992 (before they were even called tramp stamps. Indeed, this is the first one the v. trendy tattooist I went to did). I hated it almost immediately and wished I had stuck to my original choice which was a Stephanie Seymour floral band albeit on my wrist, not ankle.

Have contemplated a few times over the years getting it lasered but always decided against it as so few people ever see it. I have become adept at keeping it covered, particularly in public. It's rare anyone gets a flash of it. Indeed, most of my friends don't even know I have one, and often forget about it for long periods of time until a (new) boyfriend sees it for the first time. They always laugh and are quite shocked because apparently, I am not the kind of person who would have a tattoo or (words to that effect).

@SparrowFeet apparently they are coming back into fashion again now. At least according to the tattoo place I went to! (Give them their due, they weren't trying to push me into anything - they were being sort of consoling!!) But fashionable or not, I bloody hate it, it's shit 😬

As you like your other tats, cover it with another design. Lasering seems like a lot of pain and expense for an area that is rarely seen.

Either cover or laser, a bigger one will just stretch like the original one did. Then you will need an even bigger one!

I think as long as it's not a design that looks like it should be symmetrical I don't mind too much if it stretches a bit.

I had mine covered up

After

I've had tattoos lasered. It's like being flicked with a rubber band, doesn't hurt as much as being tattooed in the first place. Only thing is I'd give it at least 8 weeks between treatments (they usually recommend 6). You need to avoid sun on the area though so maybe wait until autumn if you decide to go that route.

I want mine removed.

I have one op. And tbh , I forget it's there most of the time. It's so bad! It's a big faded star that I got aged 19.

I would personally just leave it , but if you're still into tattoos then covering it is probably best.