Since I started this week off with a post that pretty much dealt with tattoo regret, why not continue the thought and talk about some ways to avoid the whole mess in the first place? In a perfect world we would all make good choices and being sorry you ever got that Miley Cyrus tribute piece wouldn’t be a problem. Unfortunately, that’s not the way things work out so let’s look at a few rules of thumb that could make your life easier down the road.
Because a tattoo is a more, or less, permanent decision, the old Greek philosopher advice of “Know Thyself” should figure into the equation heavily. In the end you know yourself better than anyone else does….or at least you should. Tattoos that are based on your own deeply personal convictions will probably be ones that you will never regret.
Tattoos of things you really have an affinity for can also be a good bet. I’m not talking about the flavor of the day here either, I’ll get to that in a second. I’m talking about things and symbols that speak to your soul. For example; I have always had a thing for dragons and wolves. So my own tattoos are of either dragons, or wolf based designs. Trust me, I never have, nor ever will want to lose a one of them.
Lets look at something’s to avoid like the plague when considering your tattoo.
Number one with a bullet: Getting the name of your significant other tattooed on. I know your probably as tired of hearing that one as tattoo artists like myself are of saying it. But fools are still doing it, and regretting it. I’d almost go as far as to say that this kind of tattoo regret provides laser removal with a good 60%, or more, of their business.
Choosing your design when you are three sheets in the wind is another of the worst ideas there are, with doing it on a dare running a close second. You’ll probably want rid of either of those kind of tattoos in very short order.
This leaves the flavor of the day as our third of the tattoos you will most likely regret getting. Lets face it, fads are just that. Fads. What is cool today is almost sure to be an embarrassment later. While I’m not trying to pick on anyone, You would not believe the number of people I have run into who absolutely hate their Star Wars tattoos now. Sure it was cool at the time, but now they have become more of a “kiddy” thing they would like to forget.
Last, but not least, are the gag tats. The joke that you thought would not only be funny, but ultra cool as well. The problem with joke tattoos are that for the most part the joke wears thin after a while. Kind of like the guy at the party who only knows one joke and tells it over and over. After a while you just don’t want to hear it anymore.
While none of this is a hard fast rule to avoiding tattoo regret, (OK, maybe the lover’s name tattoo is.), they should provide you with enough of a guideline to help you steer clear of some future regrets.
Just remember that it is your body, it is your tattoo. If it is something you love and can live with, then tell the rest of us to piss off and be proud you have tattoos that you will like for the rest of your life.
In short, if that’s the case….Ya did good. 😉