Seeking Tattoo Removal, in Need of Support - Long Island

It's been wanting to post an update on here for awhile now. Last time I checked in I opted to go for a cover up instead of laser removal. It took two sessions, 3 hours each time, and actually took quite awhile to heal after each session which definitely prevented me from wanting to post any pictures! The artist was able to incorporate a lot of what I originally wanted (wood bark, leaves, etc).

I consider myself lucky that he was able to make it into something I'm not *totally* unhappy with. Is it perfect? No, it is a cover up to an extent so there will always be the flaw that it's simply not my bare skin. I still feel really down on myself when I see older photos of my arm but recently I've come to terms with my half sleeve. Im able to go a few days, or a few weeks, without completely drowning myself in feelings of regret and depression over it. It's definitely been a struggle but I'm improving.

I work in a restaurant and I've gotten many compliments about it, but also many insults and rude passive aggressive comments towards it. i know there's always going to be that jerk that thinks tattoos are taboo, or that women shouldn't have them, etc but it does get me down especially since it's a sensitive topic for me. I'm partially dreading the warmer weather because it just means more opportunity having it "exposed to the public". But I'm also hoping that it might help me adjust a little more and begin to embrace it. We'll see!

I hope everyone is doing well in their removal journey!

Thought I'd write a little update on my dilemma. I decided against laser removal, due to the cost, time, and pain. For the amount of work that I have and the colors used, there was a very good chance that the whole piece wouldn't be removed and I would need a cover-up regardless. There began my journey for finding an artist suitable to turn what I have now into something I'm happy with..

I visited a few shops and critiqued everyone's portfolios. The problem I find when searching for an artist is that, OF COURSE, everything in their portfolio is beautiful.. they're picking and choosing their best pieces. Due to my past experiences and the fact that mine is a tricky piece to be fixed, it's extremely hard for me to trust anyone. I came across a lot of very talented artists but many of them focused on that sort of "traditional"/"neo-traditonal"/new-school sort of look which is what I detest and probably a big reason why I grew to dislike my tattoo. However I was lucky enough to be referred to a nearby tattoo shop that also does laser removal and specializes in cover-ups/add-ons! The artist I spoke to was very confident he could transform what I currently have into something I'm comfortable with, without the need of undergoing any laser sessions. I think it helped a lot that he's very familiar with cover-ups.

Yesterday I had my first session done. In a few weeks when the new tattoo's completely healed I'll go back to finish it up. It's hard for me to say how I feel about it at the moment, since it's a bit of a mess. I swell up a lot when I get big pieces done and get very red. I'll post pictures once it's healed. Unfortunately I'll still have to go about keeping my tattoo hidden just because now I feel uncomfortable that I have an unfinished piece but thankfully it's winter, so what's the rush really.

I'm really trying to stay positive and hope that in the future, when all is said and done, i'll grow to view my half sleeve as a part of me instead of something to be ashamed of.

My tattoo regret saga is a bit long but I'll try to sum it up. When I was 18 yrs old I got a paw print tattooed on the back of my arm, above my elbow. I loved it and never questioned its quality, until fast forward in my early 20s, when all of a sudden I started to notice it's imperfections. I thought I should cover it up and stupidly got it covered that same day with a rose by a poor artist. I immediately hated it and missed my old tattoo. After that it was almost a spiral of getting other tattoos to take away from the ugliness I felt surrounding my coverup. However a few months after my cover up I was able to find a real professional who did what he could with it and he made it something beautiful, forever imperfect but beautiful nonetheless and after some adjusting I grew to accept it.

Now, fast forward a few years later and this same artist has done another cover up for me on upper back that I love. However since I now had these two huge (dark) cover ups I wanted to connect them with a sort of half sleeve. So, I go to my artist and I trust him. I wanted something very feminine and earthy. I thought about this for months and months and knew I wanted the earth with a compass inside, surrounded by leaves, rose buds, and possibly thorns/vines. Instead I got something completely different. I can't say it's a bad tattoo bc he's a great talented artist but it's not me at all! I find it to look so masculine, and the arrows look out of portion and like they just don't belong. And instead of a compass it just looks like spikes sticking out of the earth. Not to mention it's not surrounded by leaves at all, he instead surrounded it with dot work.

I've been so depressed ever since getting this tattoo. I feel like it's the first thing you see of my half sleeve and I've lost my confidence. What's really ironic is I wanted my half sleeve done before my wedding so I can feel complete and instead I hate looking at my wedding pictures.

My husband thinks its great and if anything I should ask him to try to fix, potentionally cover up the arrows and try to incorporate more leaves like I wanted. I'm not sure that could even work but how do I go to my artist and tell him I love his work, but hate it on me!? I've been looking into removal but haven't found a place near me to go for a consultation.

Sorry this was long but I could use any words of advice or support right now. I attached some pics.