Female Struggling to Deal with Tattoo Regret: Large Forearm Tattoo - United Kingdom, GB

I flew over to London today to see one of the best tattoo removal guys around, and he said he doesn't think it can be removed entirely. There's a lot of white ink and purples and blues that are all mixed in together, and he doesn't know what colour it would end up - and it could end up looking terrible.

He suggested lightening the dark shading around it and adding in some filligree to make it more 'pretty' looking, because it feels very dense and 'clunky' to me - like someone just stuck a picture on my arm. It would be a nice picture, but it doesn't work on an arm - that's what he said and it's what I was thinking too.

He was really lovely and helpful, but I left devasted. I was walking through London and all I could think was 'I'm going to have this forever'.

I'm home now and it's still all I can think.

I don't think I'll be happy with it by just lightening the shading. I don't like the tattoo, I don't want it. It's not what I wanted.

I feel sick thinking about it and it's eating me up inside. I don't know what more to do :(

Thanks a lot Eve.

I really can't post a photo as I originally went to a laser place in the same city as he's in, and they knew him. They knew straightaway it was his tattoo and instead of agreeing to laser it, told me to go back to him. I told them I felt a bit intimidated about dealing with him and they said that he was known to 'seem' unapproachable' but that he was lovely really. So I tried, and he told me he wasn't going to help me. And then they never got back to me about the laser.

The problem with the interview is that they won't hire me with visible tattoos. So it seems pointless.

I get that life can't be all roses, but God - I've had nothing but thorns for a long time now. A long, long time. This is far from the worst thing to happen to me, and yet it's affecting me this way. I think partly because I just can't take any more sh!t thrown at me. I'm exhausted.

Anyway, I guess I'll see what the new laser guy says.

Thanks a lot for taking the time to write all of that, it means alot - really.

Hey everyone. I've been reading the reviews here for a long time and I didn't really have it in me to share my story - mainly because I'm just so devastated even thinking about it. And I already think about it all of the time, every single day.

I got a large tattoo done on my inner forearm a year ago. I had the design in mind for ages - a skull, rose, and clock face - but it didn't turn out the way I wanted. The artist made the rose a darker colour than I'd asked for and made the overall colour too dark with lots of dark shading around it. It looks like a picture slapped on to my arm - and I wanted something artistic and feminine that 'fit' me. It's a well done tattoo and he's a well established artist, but it isn't the tattoo I wanted.

I'm so annoyed at myself everyday. I gave myself a year to mull it over and even tried to convince myself that I liked it, but I couldn't. Now, the tattooists attitude is that I said I liked it originally and should have spoken up if I didn't. But I was anxious, I thought he knew best, and I thought he knew what I wanted wen he was doing it. He told me the colour would lighten - it hasn't. He offered to touch it up once, but the part he touched up didn't come out properly, and when I asked him to fix that he was pretty nasty to me. Basically, he won't touch it now. He said if he fixes that, I'll want something different changed, and that it's a good tattoo. That's been hard to take, because I was never rude to him at all. I always reiterated that it was a well-done tattoo and that it just wasn't that tattoo I wanted :( To top it off, he was covering a scar with it, and I keep thinking about all the things he could be saying about me to the 'cool crowd' in that whole tattoo clique.

I already suffer from PTSD and anxiety. I've had a hell of a year aside from all of this, and now - everything feels like it's piling on top of me. I feel ugly, masculine, and stupid - so, so stupid. Why did I do this? Why didn't I explain better what I wanted? I have other tattoos and I love them. But this one, it's just not me.

I can't put up a photo, because if anyone who knew him saw it it would bring a [RS bleep] ton of drama on top of me. That's the last thing I want. I don't want to ruin his career. I just wanted him to help me to fix it.

I've booked to go get it lasered with Picosure in the UK in Jan. I have to fly over and already had to cancel a few times as I couldn't arrange it, so I really hope they aren't getting fed up with me before I even get there.

I was thinking maybe I could surgically remove it, but it's too big. I looked at grafts, but they look awful.

I'm so scared. I have this feeling in my gut of complete devastation and it just won't go away. I've already been through hell and I was making my way back from it - that's why I got the tattoo - I was finally moving on with my life. But now, I'm right back in it. Why did I do that to myself?!

I feel so lost and so alone. And I'm so disheartened because I cannot see ANY complete removals and my tattoo is dense black, grey, white (skull and clock), and purple/ with bits of blue (rose). I wanted it grey wash and pale pink, so the irony is if he'd done it the way I wanted - it'd be easier to laser, but I wouldn't want it lasered!

I'm worried that if I get it lasered, it might not work and might not work enough to be covered - so I'll be left with a horrible mark on my arm, and it's so damn visible. I'm meant to have a work interview soon, and I'm thinking of cancelling because I don't know what I'd wear to work everyday. I'm so anxious. I work from home right now, and the new job would be more secure, but I don't think I can take any judgement from anyone else about this tattoo. I can't face it. I can barely deal with my own self critique.

It's ruining my life, and I was only just getting it back together.

I feel broken.