Tattoo regret isn’t rare, but for one man, it’s become a heavy emotional burden. In a raw and honest Reddit post, the man confessed that the massive torso tattoo he once loved now feels like a lifelong mistake.
“I’ve completely ruined my life,” he wrote, explaining that his regret has spiraled into severe depression and anxiety. His story has received thousands of responses, including from people who know too well how self-expression can turn into self-judgment.
The Redditor’s tattoos once brought pride, but now they feel like a trap
Image credits: SlavKing11/Reddit
Two years ago, the Redditor, who goes by the username SlavKing11, said he completed a large torso piece that initially filled him with confidence. Over time, however, that feeling changed.
“For a while I really liked it,” he explained, “but over the past few months I’ve really started to hate it and feel like I’ve completely ruined my life to the point where I’m constantly anxious and my skin feeling dirty because I know the tattoos are under my clothes.”
“It’s really spiraling me into a depression, and I really don’t know what to do,” he added.
Image credits: SlavKing11/Reddit
The Redditor explained that he still admires individual elements of his extensive tattoos, but some other parts of his body ink now cause him emotional trouble.
“Overall, I think the individual tattoos are well done, so they aren’t what’s causing it, but I feel the placement is too symmetrical and I regret the dots and stars filler as well,” he wrote.
Unfortunately, the man stated that he is currently not at a place where he can remove his tattoos.
Image credits: SlavKing11/Reddit
“Laser removal would be impossible and I don’t think I would like a blackout either,” he added, “so I feel my only option is to try and live with it, but I really don’t know how I can do it.”
The online tattoo community offered compassion to the man’s plight
Image credits: steven lozano/Unsplash (Not the actual photo)
Instead of mockery, users in the r/tattooadvice subreddit responded with empathy and support.
Many praised his honesty, saying they could relate to that sense of unease about their own tattoos.
Others also noted that the man’s tattoos were actually really well done.
Image credits: R.D. Smith/Unsplash (Not the actual photo)
One commenter wrote, “The tattoo is rad af, sorry to hear you’re feeling down on yourself. I would honestly seek therapy.
“I don’t think ‘feeling dirty’ is normal, and I think this has less to do with the tattoo and more to do with your mental health.”
Another shared, “A lot of us discover we’ve leaned into getting tattooed as a way to cope with stuff in our lives.
Image credits: Allef Vinicius/Unsplash (Not the actual photo)
“I’ll never stop getting tattoos, but my life was made infinitely better with the right medication and counseling.”
Others suggested that his reaction might be linked to deeper struggles.
“It sounds like body dysmorphia is what’s at work here, since OP would probably think this piece is awesome if seen on somebody else,” one user commented.
Experts have explained that tattoo regret is often tied to identity, not aesthetics
Image credits: Jake Heidecker/Unsplash (Not the actual photo)
Tattoo artist and consultant Dominique Holmes noted that coming to terms with unwanted tattoos can actually be transformative, according to Your Tango.
“Learning to love, or at the very least make peace with, a tattoo you no longer enjoy may not change the world,” she explained, “but it can certainly spark a change in the way we see, accept, and ultimately appreciate ourselves and the complexity of our life stories.”
Interestingly enough, the Redditor’s experience is not really that unique. A 2023 survey by Advanced Dermatology found that 1 in 4 Americans regret at least one of their tattoos.
Image credits: farshid moghadam/Unsplash (Not the actual photo)
The most common reasons cited were that they stopped liking how their tattoos looked, changed their minds about their ink over time, or felt their tattoo artist didn’t deliver what they envisioned.
Interestingly, more than half of those surveyed said their regret didn’t surface until two or more years after getting their tattoo. Only 18% said they felt regret within days.
While tattoo removal is an option, it can be both painful and expensive. Multiple laser sessions can cost hundreds of dollars each, a steep price for a decision made in a moment of inspiration.
Netizens shared their thoughts on the Redditor’s tattoo regret story on social media
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