I have had instant tattoo regret multiple times for some of my now favorite pieces! I think part of it comes from the shock of seeing this brand new thing on your skin permanently. Even though my logical mind loves it and is pleased, my lizard brain is like "no no no, get it off me"!

I have to also point out the TikTok effect. Some people do things because they think it will make a great TikTok then realise they have this permanent thing. Secondly to this, we are so obsessed with the latest fashion trends, tattoos are not as easy to change as your hair or clothes style. So they regret that they can’t follow the latest trend.

"Tattoos are out of style" bold of anyone to assume my tattoos were ever IN style.😂

HI FRIENDSSSS

Tattoo artist here!! TATTOO REGRET AFTER YOUR TATTOO IS TOTALLY NORMAL, I PROMISE, and you shouldn't feel bad about it at all!

Tattoos are big, permanent changes! During the tattoo process, your body is producing adrenaline and a bunch of other hormones, and when you leave you're basically riding the high of endorphins. Unfortunately... you have to come down from that high, which is part of why folks often suddenly have a crash after tattoos and spend a few days going "What have I done?!"

An endorphin crash is totally normal and can definitely cause feelings of regret and what feels like depression, grief, or anxiety. I promise it will go away, it's just your brain going 'Oh damn, I'm not high anymore :c'

Next, as mentioned about, tattoos are huge changes to your body and it will take time to get acclimated to the changes. Your brain needs to process that there's a new addition to your skin, and this can cause a lot of scary feelings.

Always give your new tattoos a few weeks to months to acclimate to before deciding if you really hate them; sometimes it's just that you need time to get through the endorphin drop and the new changes.

Next, if your tattoo artist isn't communicating what they want to do every step of the way, DON'T GET TATTOOED BY THEM, PLEASEEEEEE.

In ANY instance, if I decide that maybe a tattoo will look better if I do something else, my first step is always stopping and checking in with my client to get their approval. If they don't like the idea? It doesn't happen, end of. It's not my body, it's theirs, and it is my job to honor their body in a way that is respectful and is exactly what they want to the best of my abilities.

Tattooing is very much collaborative - there needs to be communication both ways. If something doesn't look the way you want or if they seem to be doing their own thing, please do not be afraid to stop your artist and ask them to do something different, or to ask why they're doing something. If they won't listen, it's OKAY to stop the tattoo, say you're done, and walk away. You'll likely have to pay for the work done, but it's better to do that then get stuck with something that can't be fixed or has to be lasered or covered up.

Lastly, my advice for tattoos for my clients is always this:

If you don't like the stencil? If something bothers you about it? If you're telling yourself, "Don't worry, I'll like it once it's tattooed," that's your sign to walk away and rethink the tattoo. Yes, a lot of this is trusting the process, but ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS trust your gut feelings.

If you don't like the stencil, it is VERY likely you aren't going to like it once it's tattooed. If something doesn't sit right, if something feels weird, or if you look at the stencil and your impression after you get the right placement isn't "Hell yes, I can't wait for this," it's OKAY to walk away and think about it. You might lose your deposit, but honestly that's a lot better than having to pay a shit ton later for laser removal and feeling bad because you regret it.

LOVE YOU ALL, MWAH

I'm autistic and don't handle change well. I usually love my tattoos as soon as I get them, panic and regret them a few days later and am happy again a month later when I've gotten used to them 😅😅

I mentioned wanting a tattoo as a kid. My dad gave me some good advice. He said “I won’t try to dissuade you, but I will advise you to wait. If you still want the same tattoo after 25, then go for it. Just give yourself time to think it over.”

Honestly, while I want to feel bad for everyone, so many of these could just be prevented by taking the time to legitimately look at the stencil, then REALLY look at it again when it's on them, and to say something if it doesn't work for them.  Advocating for yourself is hard, but with tattoos, it's crucial!

I don't usually comment on the ads, but their clothes looked great on you!  😊

Mourning the empty space sounds to me like coming to terms with having to choose just one thing to place there. That happens when you have tons of tattoo ideas, and every tattoo you get, no matter how much you love it, is also a missed opportunity for something else in that same space. An empty space is an open opportunity, when it's filled, the opportunity shuts down. I feel this way about my piercings rather than my tattoos, because every time I commit to a new piercing, I'm letting go some grand scheme for a totally different setup. That might be an ADHD thing though 😂

I had this kind of happen on Saturday, got a new tattoo on my inner forearm to incorporate with my first tattoo (some bats) and he showed me the design. Loved it, it was what I was looking for but it was bigger than I expected. He made it smaller, but it still felt too big because it was overlapping on my bats. He asked me how I felt about it, and I felt bad asking him to make it smaller, so I said, "hmmm, yeah, fuck it, lets do it". I didn't mean it in a rude way, but kind of like, "well, thats good enough" but he was really kind and earnest, told me he can absolutely make it smaller because he wants me to love it. I immediately felt at ease and said I'd love it just a little smaller so thats what we did.

I'm absolutely going back to him because of my experience, aside from loving the tattoo and his art, he was SO KIND and so patient.

I think the only instant regret I feel is when I pay. like that's a lot of money. but I have that feeling any time I buy something that's over $100 for one item. my laptop? instant regret when I hit confirm. my phone? there's a good reason I use them until they completely die (current one is over 5 years old).

Got my first tattoo at age 50. I went big right out of the gate because I don’t mess around 😊

I feel like people also hate new haircuts for the first few days just because they feel very new, so it makes sense to me.

The phrase “you gotta trust your tattoo artist!!“ always reminds me of ink master because they always say this and then the tattoo turns out terrible 😂

Edit- I have a sunfish tattoo that I LOVE, but I showed my artist my inspiration photo and they didn’t change anything about it. I instantly regretted it and felt so bad for the original artist that I messaged them on instagram telling that that my artist basically copied them. I offered to pay them for design credit, but they said not to worry about it. It’s my favorite tattoo and my artist did a good job, but soon I want to travel to the original artist and have them put their own twist to it to honor the original artist 😭 I’ve learned my lesson now to just tell an artist to change the inspo a bit LMAO.

I've got tattoos from people who are no longer alive so having a piece of art on me from people who aren't here anymore is a comfort

I have a "people pleaser" tattoo that I'm finally in the process of covering up, thank goodness!! I really did know better! It was a bad time in my life and I made a bad choice that day because of a painfully aggressive and pushy artist who just hated my idea i guess. I caved and instantly regretted it. It DOES happen, even to people who've been getting tattooed for over a decade!! Thank you for making this video Lauren. <3

When I got my very first tattoo, I requested an outline of my sweet cat (very 2017 of me). He had a very specific shape (chubby, no tail) so I made a general sketch myself to show to the artist. He brought me back probably 4-5 different “cat” clip art pictures (literally coloring book pages of cats with boobs and eyelashes???) and insisted I actually wanted one of those and that what I drew didn’t look like a cat, at all. It wasn’t until I showed him pictures of my cat and explained AGAIN that it was a minimalist outline of my specific cat that he finally agreed to do the tattoo I wanted. If he had forced me to get the clip art, I would’ve left so fast! I know the back and forth alone was a red flag (and so was the waiting time… and the price… and the treatment I received from the rest of the staff…), but it was my first. Imagine 2 hours of someone using a single needle to do an outline the could’ve been finished in 20 minutes (INCLUDING set up and breakdown) with a tight 5. He claimed to be “sculpting” the image into my skin. It’s been reworked into my larger chest piece since and seeing someone else who went through the same situation and ended up in the worse off position… yikes 😬 If the artist fights you on the design, LEAVE!

If someone got tattoos because they’re “in style” they can happily keep that tattoo regret 😂

I definitely feel that one person who said that they initially feel regret for their tattoos that doesn’t last. After the adrenaline rush of getting the tattoo, my comedown is filled with such DREAD that I’ve messed something up that goes away the next day. I’ve just come to expect it now

I have tattoo regret with every new tattoo. Not because I hate the tattoo, I always end up liking them (besides 1 or 2 from a couple years ago). It's more the brain going "Oh crap, there is something new on me and it doesn't belong there". As soon as the brain has got some time to get used to it it'll be fine. Usually.

I haven't really had instant regret with my tattoos, but I have had moments of doubt either during the process or during the healing. I notice all the mistakes and changes from the original. Or how when my arm moves a certain way an image becomes crooked. But once these tattoos healed and blended more with my skin I stopped noticing those things and just enjoyed the tattoos. And to be fair my artists all did amazing jobs. I don't really think anything done was an error, I just really noticed all the little things that don't feel picture perfect when it is fresh.