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POSTED UNDER Tattoo Removal Reviews

Intense tattoo regret

UPDATED FROM Southernclassik
22 days post

Life goes on

$225
hello to all of you who have been following my story and to those who are too dealing with tattoo regret. For one, I'm in a totally different state of mind when I first started my review. I had a laser removal consultation almost a month ago and also did a test spot. It didn't hurt much(then again it was only a small area) but man is it expensive. I was quoted 225 per session for about 10 or more treatments. I feel like that's still a small price to pay for a big mistake. After doing some thinking about it with my mind clear and free of that nagging depression and self-loathing, I decided on keeping my ink. I will wear it as a reminder to myself to think things out further and to have more patience. I also found that my depression and all other things that came about lately wasn't just about the tattoo, I have a lot of things that I found I need to work on. This tattoo only brought all my problems to the surface, problems that I will continue to work on.
I'm very grateful for this website and for you all reading this and to all who reached out to me and kept me upright. Now its my turn to help others cope with this draining situation we call tattoo regret. Its okay to hate your tattoo. Its okay to have them removed. Its also okay to cry, seek help, and find comfort in others. what's not okay is giving up because I promise you this is only a temporary feeling and it shall pass. I'm not gonna say it will never bother you again because It probably will(it still bothers me), but with time it will be less and less of and mind racking issue.
Its funny how we can do one thing to make us feel good about ourselves and it does the exact opposite. I guess that's life. Tattoo regret is bad but it pales in comparison to having cancer, or missing a leg, or even brain damage. What I'm trying to say guys is this is a minor issue on the grand scale of things, so try to put it into perspective. we only have one life to live(as far as I Know) so do things that make you happy and don't focus so much on the negative aspects of your life.
I'm here for you all, so feel free to reach out to me. I wish you all well and remember that life moves on and so should we!

Replies (3)

Just reading your update as I commented on the previous. It’s expensive and uncomfortable but doable if you stretch the treatments to 3 months (you will also need less treatments as your body breaks down more ink if you give it this much time). Saying this bc depressions and anxiety really can be related to tattoos. It’s money + patience for a while vs. having the tattoo permanently and seeing it daily. I saw lots of improvement the 2nd time which motivates me and hopefully others. Hope you’re feeling better!
Thanks for the advice. I am feeling much better. I have learned a lot from this.
Thank you. I go through the tattoo regret depression right now and this helps me a lot.
Glad I could help. Just do things to make you happy and don't focus on your regret if possible. This is only temporary.

Omg you really help me a lot. I also got an tattoo that I disliked from the start. It’s a big rose on my arm. I wanted to get it removed but the lasers don’t work on me I get hyperpigmentation and when to several clinics over the year. Now I don’t know what to do because at some point I really hate the tattoo and sometimes I think it could be worse. And get an tattoo removal is really expensive and it hurts and somehow doesn’t work on me. But then there I days that I look at my tattoo and feel so ugly. I hope that I can my mind set on what the best thing is to do and what will make me happy.

In my opinion, tattoo removal isn't just a procedure but also a mind set. It's achievable for some but you have to be all in and ready to invest in years of time, pain and money. On top of that it dosen't always remove 100 percent of the ink. Even though tattoo regret sucks, I guarantee that you will emerge from this as a mentally stronger person. I still don't like my tatts but i have accepted them as part of me and thats that. I know its not that easy for some people but at some point we have to decide to remove or accept and move on. Dont beat yourself up about just focus on things that make you happy and try not to even look at it for a while if possible. I still shower in the dark to avoid looking at it lol. Keep you head up and im rooting for you!
ORIGINAL POST

Feeling the Worst I've Ever Felt

Hello all, My name is Philip and I'm 29 years of age. About 2 moths ago i got a tattoo on my upper arm that I had been planning on getting for 4 years now. This is not the mistake though. My mistake was getting another part added to it without really thinking about it. The first tattoo on my upper arm i love, but the second portion I hate it and its been over a month now. I haven't felt like myself at all after this and im not sure i can feel like myself again. The tattoo is of a face with 2 daggers going through and its quite big... Too big. I didn't realize how much i liked my bare arm. My upper arm tattoo was supposed to signify greed and the one i hate was to represent tragedy. While i still like the concept behind it, I just dont like the way it looks on my arm. To be honest it looks kinda bad to me and Its all distorted when i bend my arm. I'm thinking about laser removal but then i understand its harder for people with darker skin to be able to successfully remove. For someone with low self esteem this has been debilitating to say the least. A tattoo this big dosen't even look right with me being so thin either.I dealt with loss and had some harsh times in my life before yet, this is the worst ive ever felt for this long. I cant eat, sleep, or even get my job done at work like i used to because this is all thats on my mind. I haven't even engaged in my hobbies in over a month because of the grief im feeling.Being a man i feel like ashamed that I've cried about it and afraid people will see me as weak if I talk to anyone in my home life about it. I have never been on a forum making posts until now. Im so lost and mad at myself. Has anyone found their self in this position? If so did you get laser removal or did you just learn to live with it? I really need some advice on this and even more than that just someone to talk to. Im truly feeling hopeless and i cant even kick the feeling(I dont know what to do). Photo below.

Replies (5)

Thank you for sharing your experience. I hope you find support in the Community.

My friend we are at a similar position.. I'm 29 as well have 10 tattoos, and regretted em all...
Will start removal this month..
My advice as a brother is to keep your head up high, don't obsess about it and fight... you did something you regretted, I understand the feeling, don't let it ruin you, will cause more problems and you will regret that even more, instead try your best to fix the "problem" regain your self-esteem..
After a lot of research laser is the safest way to go, give it 5-6 weeks at least in between to heal up and let your immune system do it's job..
Eat healthy, fruits, veggies, clean protein, drink tons of water, work out like hell and stay away of smokes and alcohol...
Best of luck..
Thank you Nick for your support. We def are in the same boat, I read your story and we have alot in common. I have another tattoo besides the one in question that i need to remove as well. Im going to start with that one first and move up my arm to the bigger one. I too moved back in with my mom last year and she has been my main source of comfort. That being said I keep my mood good around her so i dont put my stress on her. Thats why im so glad i found this forum. Its good to know I can find support amongst those who can relate. Anyway I'll be following your journey and ill keep you posted on my progress. If you need to talk im one click away bro. We are all in this together. Cheers!
Wishing you well on your journey man. I know the feeling and have been battling with it for a while now. I'm also concerned about the color of my skin. So far it's worked out but I believe I may have hypopigmentation and slight scarring after it is all said and done. I have been looking into scar treatments for when the process is over and scar camouflaging by Dr. Basma Hameed. (Look her up if you're also concerned about hypigmentation) I too am struggling to feel like my self again and I think this is the only way to achieve that. I guess tattoos just aren't for me and I can't picture anything I would feel comfortable with on my skin. My goal is to have it gone despite how many treatments it takes. It will be a long road but I believe it's better to start it now if you feel like you can't live with it. I'm also 29. Good luck with everything brother
thanks for the advice. I'm so drained right now but, I have a consultation in 2 weeks for removal. I've never felt so numb in my life..... (
I know the feeling man. Life shouldn't feel this way. I feel so isolated. Like I'm drowning in shame, self hatred, self doubt and so much uncertainty as to whether I can ever feel like my self again. It's difficult to talk to anyone about it. I hate that I put my self in this position and worry that even after I reach that point of removal, i don't know if I can be happy as this has already caused so much grief and self sabotaging from opportunities and relationships. On top of having this issue, I feel like I'm at the bottom of my life because I'm broke, living at home and struggling to stay focused on school. This has been the most challenging period of my life and I don't know how to like my self. All I can do is try to get through the day and progress towards something that will make me feel like my self again. I have a consultation today and am hoping to hear good news. I worry about treating the red.
Knowing how you feel completely. Saw your review and I understand I have a very hard road ahead of me. That being said here you are giving me advice and it is truly a inspiration for me to push on. I just wish I could purge this terrible feeling in my gut. I know how hard dealing with this alone can be. I hope you have someone close to you at home to talk to. If not feel free to PM me anytime because, Im learning that here in this community we lean on each other. Anyway, I hope your consultation went well and I'll be following your review as well.
I really appreciate it man. It helps so much to talk to people who are also experiencing it so I may take you up on that offer. As for the consultation, I think it went well. They have the ability to treat red with the picosure which I've seen some evidence of fading on this website as well as on my own. They said that the scars will heal in time and we can treat it with microneedling once the tattoo is gone. I'm just trying to get into the correct mindset to take this journey on full steam. I've been drinking and smoking quite a bit for the past several years (mostly marijuana) to deal with anxiety. Also haven't been exercising or running as I've been too busy. I want to start the healthier habits to help with the process as well as save money for more constructive things in my life.

Every time I stare in the mirror I feel a bit of doubt, it feels like it will be so difficult to reach a point where it's hardly noticeable, but there's nothing I'd rather have than to feel like my self again and this seems like the only way.

Also trying to wrap my head around the fact that the next 1-2 years (hopefully) will consist of mostly school, work, exercise and laser treatments. I'll try to fit in things I enjoy but I feel like those things are what will bring me towards what I really want.
I believe you can remove it with a laser like picsoure since it's mostly black ink. Perhaps try a test patch and see how it reacts in the mean time.
If you hate it, you shouldn't feel like you have to live with it. It's unlikely you'll ever feel any differently about the tattoo if you dislike it so much right now. I would for sure look into tattoo removal - it's quite possible it could be removed completely, or at least significantly faded so you could get a cover up. I have a tattoo i hate as well and regret deeply, i'm currently doing laser treatments to have it removed. It's a very slow process, but it does work so i feel like there's a light at the end of the tunnel. I have felt similar to you in feeling ashamed and angry at myself, but then i remind myself that if my biggest regret in life is a tattoo, things aren't really that bad right? Please don't ever think of yourself as weak for crying or asking for help if you need it. Showing vulnerability can be one of the most strongest things a person can do. And I'm sure the people in your life don't want you to be suffering in any way.
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