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Tattoos are common enough that most people are able to look past the old, disproved cliche of “What will it look like when you are old?” However, not all tattoos are created equal, and a few “lucky” people have adorned themselves with pieces that are questionable at best and a warning to others at worst.

Netizens “inkshame” the worst tattoo designs out there, as both a warning and a monument to “the customer is always right.” So get comfortable as you scroll through and be sure to thank your lucky stars you didn’t get one of these tattoos. Upvote your favorites and comment your thoughts below.

#1 Literally What Is This

Image credits: Brook Kidd

#2 It’s Supposed To Be A Cat Nose

Image credits: anon

#3 Local Nc Artist

Image credits: Moriah Breeden

While it’s not as common as our parents (or grandparents) would have led us to believe, tattoo regret is still an issue. One survey found that, among 600 respondents, about 75% thought they should not have gotten at least one of their tattoos. As one can imagine, these days people will get multiple, so the issue is more around a specific piece, not the idea of tattoos in general.

If you put yourself in these people’s shoes, it’s easy to see how this could have happened. Take yourself back to a younger age and think about something you were obsessed with. If you felt a momentary pang of cringe, now imagine getting that thing, a band, film, quote, or something else, etched on your skin.

#4 Someone I Knew Got A Tattoo On Vacation… Is It Completely Hopeless?

Image credits: anon

#5 The Skull

Image credits: Morgan Levoškin

#6 Friend Posted They Got A New Neck Tattoo And The Artist Did A Fantastic Job

Image credits: anon

Not liking the content is just one of the reasons why people reported tattoo regret, the other obvious one is, like many of the images here, that the piece was just terribly done. Very often, things look better in our head or on paper and just do not translate to skin at all. However, the ultimate regret is to get the name of a person who you no longer associate with.

#7 Dude Said He Was Fine With A “Free Tattoo”

Image credits: Jay Wassner

#8 Nice Watch Bro

Image credits: Alexandra McKay

#9 The Longer You Look The Worse It Gets

Image credits: anon

However, it is important to differentiate between a person getting one tattoo just to try it and a true enthusiast. Statistics show that the more tattoos a person has, the less likely they are to regret them. Of course, this could be a sort of sunk cost fallacy, but after a few tattoos one can imagine that the recipient is better at picking art they like and finding an artist that works well for them.

#10 It’s The Constant Bragging About Getting Free Tattoos And Then They All Look Like This

Image credits: anon

#11 The Client Paid Extra For Name And Shading, Apparently

Image credits: Lauryn Woodcock-Jones

#12 Just… Why?

Image credits: anon

Still, even less desirable tattoos have a “shelf-life” of about two years, when the majority of tattoo regret cases kick in. In particularly sad cases, the person starts to regret it the next day, generally due to the piece being poorly done (and one can look no further than this article for evidence) or because they got it while intoxicated, never a good time to make long-term decisions.

#13 Found On Tiktok

Image credits: Brianna Lynn Mosley

#14 I Have No Words

Image credits: Ally Platt

#15 “Award Winning Been Tattooing For Over 15 Years”

Image credits: Grace Sutton

This is why most specialists recommend sitting down and thinking about what you actually want. That isn’t the only step, it’s also pretty important to find an artist that can do it and understands your vision. As so often in life, paying a premium and taking time to plan tends to pay off, particularly if needles, ink, and skin are involved.

#16 Ooof Local Shop

Image credits: anon

#17 Super Bad

Image credits: Emmanuelle Le Normand

#18 Mercedes Benz Logo Anyone?

Image credits: anon

On the technical side, tattoos don’t all heal identically, certain parts of the body are more receptive and everyone’s skin is different. If this all sounds like a recipe for disaster, don’t fret, most people do not end up hating their tattoo’s if they take all the necessary steps to prepare and maintain it afterward. Issues only arise when the recipient decides to rush, not do their research, or cheaps out on a skilled artist.

#19 A Friend On My Timeline From A Local Shop

Image credits: anon

#20 Big Yikes. Found On Tik Tok

Image credits: David Jimenez

#21 I Finally Have Something To Post! So Much Going On. One Of My Matches On A Dating App

Image credits: Hayley Livingston

If you are dealing with tattoo regret, it’s really not the end of the world. The feelings of regret may fade as you get used to it. Tattoo removal is another option if you don’t want to keep it, while these days many artists are pretty skilled at “drawing over” an existing tattoo to make something new and, presumably, better.