Tattooed young and regrets?

dragona

Anyone here been tattooed young, at 18 or so, and now older, wiser, and regretting it?
I think that what you like at 18/20 will not necessarily be what you will like when you are 30,45,or 60.
Reason I ask is that my son is nearly 18 and toying with the idea of a tattoo, but I would rather he waited. For ever means for ever.....

gom

Well use your judgement I suppose. AS you are older and not really part of your son's popular culture I would say that you are very well dispossed to making a reasonible decision about how wise it is for him to get a tattoo or not.

1. What tattoo is your son contemplating?
2. How long has that particular tattoo been on his mind?

If the tattoo is anything to do with popular culture I would think it a bad idea, e.g. bands, lyrics, popular imagary that is not over 10 years old etc.

If the tattoo is something more artistic and imaginative or if he designed it himself I would say you should fully support him(with reference to my first two questions of course).

Fungtank

I think alot of people oject to tattoo's because of this "Forever" factor. The sooner we as humans get over our immortality god complex, and realise that we are only around for a short amount of time, the better.

But thats just my 20cents.

dragona

He is thinking of getting a wolf head on the back of his shoulder. So no, not Green Day lyrics or anything....!
I do think it would look beautiful, but what if he doesn't like wolves 10 years from now??!!

dragona

Fungtank wrote:

I think alot of people oject to tattoo's because of this "Forever" factor. The sooner we as humans get over our immortality god complex, and realise that we are only around for a short amount of time, the better.

But thats just my 20cents.

I do not object to tattoos at all. I have one myself and am getting another tomorrow and then maybe a few more.But I am nearly 41 now, and not much life left for regrets!So I KNOW what I want!!

Canis Lupus

Are tattoos ultimately permanent anymore anyway.

Sure laser treatment and cream treatment can remove most of em nowadays anyway can't they? Give it a good few more decades and tattoo removal will probably be something simple altogether

Anyway if it's on his back as SteveO from Jackass said about the tattoo of his own face on his back, "it's not like I ever have to look at it".

liamskater

haha

acri

I firmly don't believe you'll regret it when you're older. I recently got a tatt, much against the will of some friends. I rekon you'll regret not getting it when you're older. You'll regret not seizing the moment and all that. But then again, that's just my two cents.

grandpa

go on you know you want to
i got tatts circa 1970 and the younger grand kids are intriged with them

dragona

I have no objection to him getting a tattoo whatsoever - just think 18 is young to have something so permanent....

BLITZ_Molloy

If it's a tatoo drawn by a good artist, not on a part of your body visible with a shirt and tie on, and isn't some ****e cliche/flavour of the month design then I can't see it mattering very much.

Beekay

As i've seen posted here before.Tattoos are supposed to remind you of certain things in your life.And if he doesn't like it in ten years then it will remind him to think about the consequences of his actions alot more

hot2def

I have some lettering on my lower back that I got when I was 18. I don't regret which words or my age, i DO regret screwing up future space for a back piece...

Skellington

i do regret gettin one of my tattoo's to early, was about 16, stupid and probly drunk. but i do like the fact that i had some good and memorable times aswell then too and although it wasn't the reason for the tattoo, whenever i look it, i can't help remembering those times. it's better to regret something you have done, rather than to regret something you didn't.

porn_star

I got my first tattoo in march this year and I'm 17...took me 2 years to decide i want to go through with it so that's how i new I was sure...so far so good and no regrets yet...i'm not really a regret type of a person though!

CuLT

I've pondered getting a tattoo on occasion, but a burning voice at the back of my head keeps saying "imagine what a tool you'll feel when you get older".

Heh, especially when the flesh starts to sag and that skull starts looking rather depressed

porn_star

each to their own i suppose.

Blub2k4

Canis Lupus wrote:

Are tattoos ultimately permanent anymore anyway.

Sure laser treatment and cream treatment can remove most of em nowadays anyway can't they? Give it a good few more decades and tattoo removal will probably be something simple altogether

To answer your question tattoos are still pretty permanent have a look at the BMEZINE gallery on tattoo removal to get an example of what is possible, the results are generally not all that pretty.

******somewhat gruesome link****** http://www.bmezine.com/tattoo/remove001.html *****not for the faint hearted******

Beekay wrote:

As i've seen posted here before.Tattoos are supposed to remind you of certain things in your life.And if he doesn't like it in ten years then it will remind him to think about the consequences of his actions alot more

This is a matter of opinion and actually a common misconception, a lot of tattooed people I know do it for the aesthetics and the meaning is not a part of it at all.
I will add however that these also tend to be heavily tattooed people, mammies with a butterfly on their ankle are not the market I am on about I suppose. (nothing against butterflies or mammies )

KingEric

Got a tatoo on holidays 3-4 years ago. Dont really regret it but the novelty of it is wearing off a bit now, might hate it in another few years. It just all depends on the person i suppose...

Norinoco

Blub2k4 wrote:

To answer your question tattoos are still pretty permanent have a look at the BMEZINE gallery on tattoo removal to get an example of what is possible, the results are generally not all that pretty.

http://www.bmezine.com/tattoo/remove001.html

Jesus, there should have been a warning with that link! Cant believe someone would cut chunks of their skin off to removel the tattoos.

Have one myself and i think no matter how much I hated it, I wouldnt go to the extreme of cutting it out!!

To the OP, only you know your son and whether he has a mature attitude to getting the tattoo - maybe show him that link from Blub2k4's post and he might think about it more before getting it!

Blub2k4

Norinoco wrote:

Jesus, there should have been a warning with that link! Cant believe someone would cut chunks of their skin off to removel the tattoos.

Have one myself and i think no matter how much I hated it, I wouldnt go to the extreme of cutting it out!!

To the OP, only you know your son and whether he has a mature attitude to getting the tattoo - maybe show him that link from Blub2k4's post and he might think about it more before getting it!

Sorry I put a warning on it now, you should see some of the hardcore stuff on there

acri

Blub2k4 wrote:

******somewhat gruesome link****** http://www.bmezine.com/tattoo/remove001.html *****not for the faint hearted******

Um, I think I'd rather stick with the tattoo....

Jeeze....

dragona

Those pics are disgusting aren't they
Seen them once before, and the once was enough.....
I am pretty much unshockable, but that is gross, especially the pics of the laser removal!Never ever ever would I put myself through that.
And the moral is

---

think long and hard before you get tattooed!

UberGeekyGirl

I was 18 when I got my first tattoos and they were small tribals on my areola. Then I did a large lotus flower with flames in red and orange on my left thigh and a large blue and purple lotus with water on the right thigh. I waited about two months between tattoos at that time.

Then I waited another year before getting a pink and white lotus flower with smoke where my pubes should be, hehe. And another few months before getting the inside of my lower lip tattooed. My last tattoo was about 4 years ago now and its a sacred heart on my lower back.

I have thought about more but have put it off. I don't regret any of the tattoos I got but I do think I got them all quite quickly. I just knew what I wanted and I think people show know for sure what they want before getting them.

*Page*

my dad got tat's when he was 18 and now hates them but he wont get rid of them,

Shifty

where do u reckon is the best place to have a laser tattoo removal done taking cost into consideration.

dSTAR

I think that people generally regret the tattoos they got on the spur of the moment. If your son is going to get one make sure that it is something that will 'age' well and won't look terrible in years to come.

Generally females seem to put more thought into tattoo designs than guys who are more into just choosing some cheap flash design off the wall and not really thinking about where it is being placed.

It is a good idea to put some serious thought into the tattoo because it can cost up to ten times more to have it removed, is much more painful and can leave ugly scars!

vibe666

got a tattoo when i was 18, very spur of the moment, just happened to walk by a place. not regretted it at all. it's about the height of a CD and half the width, on my left shoulder blade, and i never really see it tbh, so it's not even a factor in my life.

don't remember the last time i ever even looked at it.

The Dr00g

I tattooed myself when I was about 14/15... 15 I think. It was partly to do with a peer-based custom/fad of the time but mostly to do with personal reasons, some of which even I didn't fully understand at the time.

I put a small crucifix on the fleshy area between thumb and index finger on my left hand, and then later did a larger and more elaborate crucifix on my left forearm. Both pretty prominant locations I think you'll all agree. Unlike most (if not all) homebrew tattooes that I've ever seen, mine are quite well done. The lines are straight, narrow, and well defined. Sorry to toot my own trumpet but I did a good job and nobody ever disagreed with that. Not that I am or ever was in the habit of seeking opinions on the matter.

Anyway... I have no regrets at all. I'm not particularly religious in the classic sense, but I'm totally fine about having a "reminder" of, or even "tribute" to someone like Jesus on my body.

Historically of course tattoos were a form of tribal/ritual marking and insignia. My point is that there were very specific reasons for tattoos then. I know I had very specific reasons for tatooing myself.

My question is, have you asked your son why he wants a wolf tattoo, and do you both think those reasons will stand the test of time?

ven0m

Canis Lupus wrote:

Are tattoos ultimately permanent anymore anyway.

Sure laser treatment and cream treatment can remove most of em nowadays anyway can't they? Give it a good few more decades and tattoo removal will probably be something simple altogether

Anyway if it's on his back as SteveO from Jackass said about the tattoo of his own face on his back, "it's not like I ever have to look at it".

Yeah - try having up to 20 of the buggers removed!!!!!!! I've had mine a while now & continue to add to them over time.... love my tattoos alot!!!!!


::: ven0mous :::