Top Five Reasons For Tattoo Removal

The art of tattooing has been around for thousands of years... and right now there are over 45 million Americans with at least 1 tattoo. Studies and polls have shown that between 17%-50% of those asked experience some tattoo regret. What's the main reasons for this regret? I interviewed patients in my tattoo removal clinic to find out! (Most of these patients came from came from Boston, MA to Providence, RI and everywhere in-between).

During my research I heard a plethora of reasons why people want to remove (or cover-up) a tattoo. I narrowed it down to the five most common reasons:

1. You've moved on and want a person's name or removed

- Many of the people I spoke to had the name of an ex-spouse or significant other they wanted removed. Years ago, the only option was to line that name out and put your newest girl or guys name under it (this is reminiscent of the famous Norman Rockwell painting)! Luckily today, with advanced tattoo removal lasers and techniques, a name tattoo can be easily and thoroughly removed in most cases. This probably makes for a much better quality relationship with your new partner as well!

2. You don't want, or can't have, any visible tattoos (or at least the tattoos you have now!)

- For some people, their life circumstances have changed and they no longer want, or can have, any visible tattoos. This can be for a any number of reasons - some had a big event coming up (wedding, etc) that they didn't want visible tattoos for. Others discussed how they had an inquisitive child who had recently took notice of the tattoo. Still others didn't mind having visible tattoos - but didn't want the tattoo that they had now. Many people have old tattoos that they regret because it doesn't represent their life now - that "Taz" lifting weights or tribal sun they got in college didn't stand the test of time!

3. Employment issues

- Employment issues also came up frequently - both in people's current work situations and also for those seeking new employment. As cool as it may be, some employers just aren't impressed with neck and hand tattoos!

4. You are unhappy with the quality of the tattoo piece

- It was very common for people to just have old tattoo art that the no longer liked - whether the problem was with the design itself or just shoddy application work on part of the artist. Oftentimes in these cases, individuals opted to have the tattoo lightened to coverup with new art.

5. Gang or hate related tattoos

- People who have moved on from gangs or hate groups often want, or need, the symbols of those groups removed.

Whatever the circumstance - there is no excuse to be stuck with a tattoo you are unhappy with. The art and science of tattoo removal has made significant advancements in the last 10-15 years, and with today's technology you can have a tattoo removed safely, effectively, and affordably.

Women's Tattoo Ideas

Sometimes it's really hard to decide between the massive selection of women's tattoo ideas out there, and it's easy to feel overwhelmed. Even if you've decided where to get your tattoo (so have a great idea of how much room you have to work on), the possibilities are almost limitless.

So I've created a nice, easy-to-digest list of three of the most popular women's tattoo ideas for women's shoulder tattoos, in the hope you find it inspirational. My first tattoo was on my left shoulder, so that one holds a special significance for me. Enjoy!

1. Rose Designs for Women's Shoulder Tattoos

Intended to signify either love or beauty. Many rose tattoo lovers affirm that the rose represents both inner and outer beauty - with some describing any thorns as an important reminder that it's inner beauty that counts most of all. Rose designs can also represent pure love, especially when the tattoo design is without thorns. Although you are totally free to choose the color of your rose design, it's a good idea to be aware of the following connections associated with each type:

Red - Romantic love, and respect

Pink - Grace, elegance, gentleness

Orange - Enthusiasm and excitement

Yellow - Friendship, joy, platonic connections, devotion

White - Purity, innocence, youth

Blue - Fantasy, the impossible

Black - Death, darkness and the night

2. Star Designs for Women's Shoulder Tattoos

Intended to represent reaching for your goals and achieving all your aspirations, the meaning also depends upon the style of the star itself.

For example, shooting stars are associated with life changing events, nautical stars are usually a symbol of protection and guidance, a pentagram is symbol of protection and balance (unless upside-down, which signifies the Devil or Darkness), whilst the Shield of David is a strong symbol of Judaism.

3. Wing Designs for Women's Shoulder Tattoos

Wings symbolize freedom and travel afar, and there are all sorts of women's tattoo ideas involving them, such as angel wings, fairy wings, butterfly wings, and traditional bird wings.

For example, the Phoenix bird has a strong mythological history in both Western and Eastern cultures. Its many associations make it a popular choice of tattoo design; most prominently, it represents purification, renewal and cleansing.

Another option is to go for Angel wings. As a symbol of devotion, spirituality, and faith, Angel wings can also serve as a memorial to a loved one. Along similar lines, the Swallow bird represents hope as well as the souls of the dead, and offers a tasteful option if you want to remember someone special to you as part of the tattoo design.

You NEED to Choose a Great Tattoo Design

Has anyone seen the enormous number of tattoos out there today? People are getting inked like it is no big deal. And the results definitely show.

What you have nowadays is a MESS of irrational ink on mens and womens bodies. Many of the tattoos have little meaning other than being the trendy type of ink of the moment which individuals think is "cool".

Now these poor tattoo design choices have absolutely terrible consequences. Here's what many tattoo wearers of today will experience in the near future, and this is also why it is so very important to choose a great tattoo design to avoid the following inevitable symptoms:

Total Regret

Many current day tattoo wearers will wake up someday with total regret on their ink decisions. They will wish they would have thought a little harder on covering up half their arm with a mess of different designs which have no rhyme nor reason to them. It seemed "the thing to do" at the time, but little did they know the future wouldn't hold that same trendy attitude, as total regret sinks in.

Foolishness

If you don't get a great tattoo design which you've researched well and thought hard about then you could be in for a future of feeling pretty foolish. An example of this are the number of people who decided to try to tattoo themselves or have their friends ink them up with silly and crude designs. Are you going to still be proud of those knuckle tattoos that read "O-Z-Z-Y" twenty years down the road? Or are you going to feel just a bit foolish for making that decision? Probably the latter.

Shame

Worse off is embarrassment. If you choose a mediocre tattoo done cheaply and crudely, it could cause a world of shame in the future. I once saw a guy with a badly drawn playboy bunny tattoo on his arm, and beneath it was the word playboy. Only playboy was actually spelled wrong. Pretty embarrassing.

Women's Tattoo Ideas

Many ladies start searching online for women's tattoo ideas, and don't really have any idea about what kind of tattoo they're looking for. Whilst it's absolutely fine to start your search with "I'll just start looking for things that I think look cool", it might be more helpful to ask yourself some specific questions. I know that when I was looking through an online gallery of women's tattoo ideas, it helped to cut through the irrelevant ones because I'd sat and discussed it with my partner first - and he helped me to clarify what it was that I wanted.

Here are some of the important questions that you should be asking yourself before starting to browse through women's tattoo ideas:

1. Do I want an unusual or original tattoo - or something "off the shelf"?

There is a huge range of existing women's tattoo ideas out there, easily available via online galleries these days. And four of my own tattoos are from a resource like that - totally out of a book, and unmodified. It's a really good solution if you're a bit unsure about what you want, don't have any creative tendencies, or just happen to come across a really neat design that fits your body!

But you might want to think about designing something (or getting your tattoo artist to design something) really personal. I find original tattoos for women the most attractive of all, but be prepared to put in a lot of work and need a lot of patience for the process to go well.

I wouldn't recommend a truly original tattoo for your first time around, but if you don't want something straight out of a book you might consider going half-way and adapting an existing design to suit your own style. It's the perfect compromise!

2. Do I want the tattoo to mean something, and if the answer is yes - what should it mean?

Each of the tattoos I have means something special to me. But I had every single one done after an event which I wanted to represent on my body. But people get tattoos for different reasons. Just make sure that if yours is going to mean something extra special to you, you take your time to consider the options.

Getting a tattoo just after your divorce has been finalized probably isn't a good idea, if you get my meaning - whilst it might end up being one of the most original women's tattoos anyone ever has, you may come to regret any rash decision several years later when the raw emotions have had their edge taken off a little.

3. Where will my tattoo go on my body?

This is definitely a really important question to ask yourself early on in your research. Not only will it affect the size of the finished tattoo, you might also want to consider how easily you need to hide its display later on (for example, at work).

Women's Tattoo Ideas

I hope you find these top tips useful when considering the massive selection of women's tattoo ideas there are, so that you end up getting the tattoo you'll love for many years to come!

Tip 1: Do lots... and lots... of tattoo design research.

There are women's tattoo ideas aplenty on the internet these days, so there's no excuse to rush into getting the first design you see. Make sure you do plenty of research on websites that offer design galleries, get a second opinion, and think of the long-term when choosing which one to go for.

Tip 2: Don't let anyone else decide for you!

It might be overwhelming when you look at online galleries offering women's tattoo ideas, and it might seem easier just to follow the advice of a partner or the tattoo artist when it comes down to the final design selection. Don't listen to them! It's your body, and it'll be with you for a long time yet, so don't let the influence of another person's opinion sway the decision too strongly.

Tip 3: Remain clear-headed when dealing with tattoos.

My own tattoo artist loves to tell the story of a girl who'd done tonnes of design research on the internet on women's tattoo ideas, but who showed up to her appointment drunk beyond belief (first time nerve tonic!). She was so angry when he refused to ink her that she threatened to sue him, and he had to call the Police. But if she'd gotten confused about which was the final choice from all the women's tattoo ideas, or regretted it later, or been unhappy with his work - it's seriously professionally dangerous to work on someone who's intoxicated.

I don't even need to explain why refusing to have work done by a drunk tattoo artist is also a bad idea, I hope!

Tip 4: Choose a great tattoo artist.

Choose a tattoo artist who you've met before, who meets all the legal and hygiene requirements for your state, and who makes you feel confident and comfortable. When you turn up to his studio with a sheet of women's tattoo ideas, you need to have confidence in his skill and professionalism - and when you find him (or her!), you'll know it.

Never be afraid to shop around for a great tattoo artist if you have any doubts about any aspect of an artist's abilities.

Tip 5: Get aftercare advice from your tattoo artist, and ignore everyone else.

Once you've found a really great tattoo artist that ticks all the boxes, you'll probably attend an appointment to go through all the women's tattoo ideas that you have, with examples printed out. Once you go through with it, make sure that you follow the artist's advice down to the letter, and ignore any friends, relatives or colleagues that think they know better - often their advice is out of date, no matter how well intentioned it is.