Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Style and beauty

Looking for style advice? Chat all about it here. For the latest discounts on fashion and beauty, sign up for Mumsnet Moneysaver emails.

Original poster

To tattoo or not to tattoo.

26 replies

amummyinwaiting · 25/06/2010 20:57

Do I?
Have wanted one for ages but A) have to wear costumes for work so wouldnt want it on show B) Dont want to be old and wrinkly and regret one C)Dont know what I would have.
Help please.

OP posts:
mamatomany · 25/06/2010 20:58

I spent £15 getting one put on and £2,500 getting it removed.

Tomatefarcie · 25/06/2010 21:03

I have a tattoo on my lower back. Apparently called tramp stamps..

However, I have a very feminine, very discreet, and NO BLOODY PIGLET there, and only ever had positive feedback from the few people who have seen it.

May I suggest TattooJohnny for ideas and designs?

Original poster
amummyinwaiting · 25/06/2010 21:05

Thanks Tomate will have a looksee. See mama thats my worry!

OP posts:
lal123 · 25/06/2010 21:12

£15? Hope that was some time ago! If you're not really sure then answer is no - don't get one

thirstymerc · 25/06/2010 21:23

Hi there, I have two fairly small and, I think, tasteful stars on my hip above and below where bikini bottoms sit. My criteria was that if I had a tattoo it had to be somewhere that didn't matter and wouldn't show when a) I wore a wedding dress and b) get old and wrinkly. However if I had my time again would I still get them...? ... no I wouldn't.

I think however long and hard you consider what to get and where, at some point in time you will end up regretting it. If the term 'tramp stamp' had been around when I was considering them, that would have put me off too. I also really really hope that DD doesn't want one in years to come.

So for all of the above reasons my advice would be - don't do it. HTH in some way.

thirstymerc · 25/06/2010 21:25

Don't know why my bold isn't working!

PersonalEnglandCoach · 25/06/2010 21:31

Does it really matter what it's gonna look like when you're old and wrinkly?
I sure as hell don't care. I plan to look complete outrageous!

If you are worried about showing for work, whether you would regret a larger one, then go for a small simple design that could always be added to over time if you so wish.
Top of your thigh? side of ribs (although it will hurt like hell) hips?

And in the 10+ years I've had mine, I don't regret them. But don't choose a design on a whim. Choose something personal to you.

castille · 25/06/2010 21:44

I can't see the point of them. When I see women with tattoos in the street or on the beach I can't help thinking that even small ones make them look weirdly macho.

snigger · 25/06/2010 21:55

My ex flatmate had a tattoo of Mickey Mouse dressed as the Sorcerer's Apprentice on her inner thigh.

(hi Tania)

I can't help thinking it's not good to colour in on yourself forever.

Try some temp ones, or henna, and have the same one done a few times to see if you can live with your choice till you can afford the lasers long term.

Original poster
amummyinwaiting · 25/06/2010 22:13

Oh my Gosh Mickey Mouse as a Sorcerer's Apprentice on her inner thigh??? I just like the idea of having one,have looked at website Tomate reccomended but will have a good think about it before committing. Like the idea of a butterfly but worry its a bit ordinairy. Will have a ponder.

OP posts:
Pingpong · 25/06/2010 22:18

No don't do it.

Bluebell99 · 25/06/2010 22:20

If I am honest i would say I don't like tattoos and think they look awful. But i would never say that to a friend in real life who has one. There is a beautiful 17 yr old girl in our town who has a tattoo of her sister as a baby sucking a dummy on her calf.

RubberDuck · 25/06/2010 22:23

I have a tattoo. I had a very clear idea of what I wanted and had it specifically designed for me, it has deep meaning for me and even when I'm old and wrinkly that meaning will remain. I adore it.

That said, I think if you don't have a clear idea of what you'd even have, it's probably not a good idea to have one.

My tattoo is on my profile if you're interested It's on my right shoulder.

RubberDuck · 25/06/2010 22:26

(and you know what, I don't give a toss whether it makes me look weirdly macho - most people never see it unless I choose to expose it, and hell, I do a martial art and wear doc martens unless it's really hot - so people probably assume I'm weirdly macho anyway so fuck 'em )

marriednotdead · 25/06/2010 22:36

I have become more and more anti tattoo, must be my age .
My logic is that there is nothing you can buy that you would be prepared to wear everyday for the rest of your life, even when it had faded and gone out of fashion.
I can deal with piercings because they are removable. Good thing as dd had her nipple pierced a couple of years ago She's taken it out now

RubberDuck · 25/06/2010 23:03

That's why I think it has to be more than just a pretty picture or because you want one. If just for fashion reasons, then yes, you'll grow out of it.

I'd LOVE another tattoo, but don't have a clear of what I'd have so I won't. If I get to black belt, then I may well go for a discreet one to commemorate - but again the meaning/achievement will be still relevant in decades time.

ShesEverSoFamous · 26/06/2010 07:56

I have twenty one tattoos, love every single one. Only one can't be covered as it's on my palm, a clock face with the hands pointing to the time DD was born.
As for them going wrinkly, the rest of me is going to wrinkly eventually tattoos aren't going to make much difference IMO.
But if you're not 100% as to what you want and where you want it don't do it.

lal123 · 26/06/2010 07:58

I don't really understand the whole "what will it look like when I'm old and wrinkly" thing. It WILL look old and wrinkly - but so will the rest of you.

SixtyFootDoll · 26/06/2010 08:11

I dont like them
Ssaw a gorgeous girl the other day aged about 19, pretty, long tanned legs....with a huge rose tattoed on the back of her calf.
It looked awful, I would have been gutted if I was her parents.

MummyTo2MonkeysAnd1Bug · 26/06/2010 08:39

I have 6 tattoos.... all in discreet places that can be covered... apart from the japanese symbol for 'wife' on the back of my neck... although seeing as im getting divorced ill be having that removed......

So consider very carefully about place, size, symbolisim etc before you take the plunge.

moondog · 26/06/2010 09:27

What might sway it for you is thinking about the fact that it doesn't make you look outrageous and different with meaningful symbolism.

Just dog rough and like every other bugger.

LoveMyGirls · 26/06/2010 09:36

I've got one and I regret it, I've had it for 12years, it's in a noticeable place.

It has faded and is a bit blurred now but it's black so the chances of me covering it with another tattoo are small and I don't have the money to have it removed.

I may have it removed if we can ever afford it but in the meantime I will try to like it because I liked it once and if it's there I might as well like it.

NomDePlume · 26/06/2010 09:56

I have one, had it done when I was young and invincible. It's only small (size of a 50p), is a plain black one (no chinese writing or disney characters) and is in a place that can be hidden.

It was very expensive at the time for its size (£50) but it was done by a very good, reputable artist (probably the most famous/well known place in manchester), I would never have had it done by some iffy back street place. Mainly for the hygiene/infection reasons but also if they botch it you have to live with a boss eyed piglet forever and a day, not good.

I was happy with it for years (I've had it for 13yrs) but in the last 2/3 the edges have started to spread a little and my thoughts are turning to removal. I've spoken to a few professionals about it and it seems that my best option is surgical - basically cutting it out, which will leave a hairline scar around the edges of the cuts, but is a one stop shop. No lazers that take a looooong time and many expensive return trips and quite a lot discomfort.

To honest, if I knew then what I know now, I wouldn't have had it done. That said, I am very glad that I had a sensible head on my shoulders and went for a personal, non-tacky design that hasn't dated. I've just decided that it's time for mine to go, though they're permanent they don't age well (spread and blur). It's not a design where I can get the edges redone to redefine them, so that's not an option.

LoveMyGirls · 26/06/2010 10:13

NDP - How much does it cost to have it surgically removed and how do you go about it?

NomDePlume · 26/06/2010 10:17

The quote I've had is about £800 at my local Bupa hospital. Apparently the price depends on the location/age/size of the tattoo, mine is a small one (cheaper) but because it's quite an 'old' one by their standards (for surgical purposes) the cost is a little higher.

It's only a daycase procedure so no overnight stay.