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I have dozens of tattoos. Most were done when I was in my late 20s. I blame my Saturn return; I was really going through it. Whenever life feels particularly outside of my control (which is most of the time), it’s always been a comfort that at least I can decorate my flesh prison however I wish.

Like most people who’ve gone from having a few tattoos to being a Heavily Tattooed Person, there are a few pieces I regret. Luckily, we’ve got options. The market for laser tattoo removal, according to one analysis, is projected to surge to nearly $800m by 2027, thanks to technological innovation and increased demand. But the procedure remains costly, with many sessions required, and lasering reportedly hurts more than getting a tattoo in the first place.

There are also coverups, or “blastovers” – redos that obscure or build on the original art. The third option: embracing even “bad” tattoos as markers of time, of who you used to be. Proof of the life you’ve lived.

While mulling over how to deal with my own tattoo regret, I asked tattoo artists and their heavily tattooed clients for advice on how to avoid falling out of love with your tattoos long-term. The most important thing I learned: nothing, tattoos included, is ever truly permanent.

Do extensive research into artists

A tattoo by Tine DeFiore for Alejandra Pires, done in November 2021. ‘It’s one of my favorites,’ says Pires. Photograph: Tine DeFiore

Angel Garcia, a tattoo artist working in a private studio in Brooklyn, New York, suggests doing an in-person consultation. “Most artists, if not all, will recommend this option,” they say. “It could be walking in and looking at someone’s flash book and seeing the vibe. It could be discussing a custom piece with your artist.”

“Know what you’re getting into,” says Alejandra Pires, who lives in the midwest. “Figure out what the ‘norms’ of the industry are and why they’re in place. Also, research the individual artists whose work you’re into. Make sure the artist’s style matches what you want to get and familiarize yourself with their booking process. Check out their portfolios and make sure they share healed photos.”

“Research is so key,” agrees AJ Chugg, an artist in Portland, Oregon. Chugg recommends not only thinking about the style of art, but also the artist as a practitioner. “You want to be tattooed by somebody respectful and kind,” they say. “Word of mouth is awesome. If you hear someone got tattooed and had a good experience, that’s so much more important than how many followers someone has on Instagram.”

Understand your boundaries and be firm about them

“You should also trust your instincts and be ready to maintain your boundaries,” says Pires. “Don’t say yes to a design if you’re not sure about it. If an artist has drawn up a custom design for you, it’s normal for them to tweak it a bit at your request during the appointment if you want to make changes. If the vibes ever feel off, it’s not only OK but better to back out than to get the tattoo, even if you lose your deposit.”

“You should always feel safe in your body, whether getting a tattoo or not,” agrees Chugg. “If you’re made to feel uncomfortable, you should be able to stop the procedure at any time.”

Garcia encourages her clients to come in for an earlier appointment to get a stencil placed on their body to get a sense of how the piece will look. “It matters to artists that their clients feel good about what they’re getting into, no matter how much time that takes,” they say. “It’s part of what you’re paying for.”

From what Garcia has heard, “the majority of tattoo regret comes from having a bad experience versus a bad image”. Being firm about what you want or don’t want will increase your chance of an enjoyable and even empowering process, minimizing your chances of regret long-term.

Take your time

Li Sanchez has been tattooing for three years. They want to be fully covered someday, but are not in any rush. Photograph: Kiabad Meza

I got a lot of my arm tattoos in a very short period of time, out of sheer impatience. I wish now that I had slowed down and saved up for truly special pieces.

“A lot of tattooers rush,” says Li Sanchez, a 30-year-old artist based in Los Angeles, California. “They’re full when they’re 25. I’m probably about 50% [covered], maybe slightly more.”

“Take the time to consider the permanence of it,” says Garcia. “That doesn’t mean you have to think about one design for 15 years before you commit to it. Just allow yourself the time to process.”

Tattoos don’t need to have a special meaning to be meaningful

Many of Claire Landsbaum’s tattoos are by her friend Jennifer Palomaa, like this heart-shaped balloon with accompanying text by FRA. Photograph: Jennifer Palomaa

“I love my tattoos because they project a layer of toughness that I feel on the inside,” says Claire Landsbaum, a writer and editor in New York City. “As I’ve gotten older, along with reimagining my gender and sexuality, I feel my tattoos have helped me reclaim my self-image.”

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“When I first started getting tattooed, I didn’t realize how euphoric it would be gender-wise,” says Sanchez. “I didn’t feel completely comfortable in my own body. Getting tattooed changed things for me. They made me feel more like me.”

But tattoos don’t need to have a grand meaning behind them. “To say, ‘Me liking this design is enough’ – that’s sentimental too, in a way,” says Garcia. “That can be empowering.”

Ultimately, “tattoos are fun,” says Sanchez. “Get whatever you want. Even if you’re scared of your mom or whatever.”

Take care of your pieces

“If you want your tattoos to age well, you need to moisturize and wear so much sunscreen,” Landsbaum emphasizes. Too much sun exposure can fade or warp your tattoos. Applying an at least SPF30 product whenever you’re outdoors for prolonged periods of time will keep your work looking fresh and new for longer. If you take only one piece of advice from this article, it should be: sunscreen.

Make adjustments if you want to – but learn to let go

Artist Angel Garcia says it can feel very validating to do something ‘wrong’, like getting clown faces tattooed over old tattoos. Photograph: Angel Garcia

Garcia has seen more clients seeking blastovers in the last couple of years. “You can take ownership over [the original tattoo] by changing it,” they say. It can feel very validating to do something “wrong”, like getting clown faces tattooed over old tattoos, one of Garcia’s signature offerings. For people who might regret old placement choices or compositions, Garcia suggests what they call a “blast-under”, or creating new layers and adding the illusion of density to a piece.

“One of my co-workers calls her tattoos her ‘first layer’,” says Chugg. Even for the heavily tattooed, they point out, there’s still the possibility of change.

At the end of the day, says Sanchez: “Tattoos are not permanent. Nothing is permanent. You can fall and scrape your arm, you can get something lasered, you can get it covered.”

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“I fall in and out of love with almost all of my tattoos for periods of time,” says Dan Bouza, an audio engineer in New York City who’s gotten so many tattoos over the years that he’s lost track. “Some of them look downright bad now. I know I’ll look like a wet newspaper when I’m older, but I don’t mind that. Most of the time I come back to realizing they’re all a representation of who I was at the time.”

Garcia points out that it used to be quite rare to see older people with tattoos. Traditionally, disapproving parents or observers loved to ask: “What about how you’ll look when you’re older?” Now, Garcia says: “We see much older people with tattoos. You can’t tell me they’re not cool.”

“It’s always funny for me when people are like: ‘A tattoo is so permanent, how do you know you’ll like or want that thing in X amount of years?’” says Chugg. They point out that the practice of tattooing is many thousands of years old. “Part of the beauty of getting tattooed is that your body is going to change over time. And there’s something special about a piece that’s going to grow and change with you.”

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