I regret getting my tattoos

[Kris]

Don't know if anybody else has one? I was stupid when I was 18 and had my first fiancee's name put on my left lower arm with the old heart and arrow. 2 more names came after hers later on and in the end I had it covered up with a dragon tattoo.

The Japanese think you are mafia and everywhere I've been in Europe they think you are a criminal. Even though they are common in England I still tend to wear long sleeve shirts. I tried having it removed recently but I have been left with a load of circular white scars instead of my dragon and this looks a lot worse. Im thinking of seeing if they can do another tattoo to cover the scars!!!

The Russian girls seem to be ok about it though. Anybody know what the Filipina or Thai girls think?

[EvilBaga]

Tattoos... you aware that the red tattoo ink is a compound of mercury? Not safe at all.

Scariest tattoo I ever saw was on a philipino tattoo artist in Dubai - of Goofy on his thigh.

[gmm567]

They think you are a criminal because that's where the trend came from. The criminal underclass. THE PRISONS.

[Mr S]

I have some tattoos and so far haven't had any issues with them, I actually get asked about the one on my arm from time to time. I guess it depends what it is and how good it looks. When I was in South Korea most of the local guys though it was cool. Its a good conversation starter here in Philippines and also Thailand when I was there.

Maybe that's one reason I never have any crime problems in Asia, others think I am part of the big crime?!

[gmm567]

S you were in the Navy though...I guess tattoes on the arms have been the thing to do for quite some time.

But the full body stuff thats from the prison subculture. That's where it came from.

[Mr S]

I guess if you mean full covered body or some really wacky tattoos, then yeah it would not go over well with most people, except a niche few. I think people that have lots of tattoos have mental problems anyways.

I thought you were talking about the casual 1-3 tattoos that a lot of westerners sport nowadays. As I said I haven't had any problems with people. I have one tattoo on my arm, chest and on each leg. Most people don't see them as they can be covered by clothes. If I wear short sleeves they can see my arm tattoo, but usually people give me positive comments on it. The one on my chest only chicks see when I f**k them usually or if I have my shirt open at a bar, usually they ask what the hell it is as it actually looks like a big blob of colors now. My chest is fairly hairy so it doesn't stand out much anyways. I just say its nothing and has lost its shape (which is true). The ones on my legs get rarely seen as I wear pants usually and only sometimes shorts. They are on the side of my calves and aren't noticeable anyways unless people like looking at my feet n a regular basis while conversing with them.

I'm not really a tattoo guy now as I got them when I was young, dumb and in the Navy. I don't think I will be getting anymore anytime soon, if ever again.

A also have had laser removal on one tattoo I had stupidly put on my upper chest which was noticeable when wearing a button up shirt, at the time I wasn't thinking about the ramifications and how stupid it looked. I spent a hundred dollars on it and spent more than a thousand removing it. Luckily it was only black ink and small. I still have some remnants showing, probably could do one more treatment if I really wanted it to completely disappear, but my chest hair makes it almost completely unnoticeable and I don't feel like spending the money on it right now. Maybe in the future when I have disposable income I'll be more inclined to finish it off.

It hasn't left any scaring either so if you get scaring yourself trying to get a tattoo removed either the technician doing it isn't doing it right or you have a genetic disposition for scaring. But I can sympathize as laser removal sucks and hurts like hell. When I was in Seattle I got a majority of my treatments and they didn't use any numbing cream and they said you just had to grin and bare it. They when I was in Korea and Philippines I had a couple treatments and they used a topical cream to dull the pain and I hardly felt anything. I don't know why they don't use it in the states, maybe its barred or something.

[Kris]

I tried to have it removed by a different system where they drill a chemical in. Unfortunately I am prone to scarring it seems and I did sign the disclaimer.



It looks a bit like this but larger and all the circular bits are white scars, some of which are raised. I had a test session with a laser afterwards and yes it does hurt like *uck. Didn't work either so I didn't go ahead with it

[EvilBaga]

If scarring is your problem, but you can remove the tattoo - Id take large amounts of Vitamin C and natural vitamin E for a few days to weeks before the procedure and after it till the scar settles (hopefully by disappearing). Also Lysine and Proline would probably help. Topical application of Vitamin E on the scar tissue would probably be a good idea as well.

The natural part is important - modern Vitamin E (even the 'natural form') is d-alpha-tocopheryl. What youre looking for is d-alpha tocopherol.

Maybe youre old enough to have heard of the Shute brothers? Who popularized the use of Vitamin E for heart disease in the 50's (?).

Funny thing was their later results weren't as good as their earlier results. Reason being industry developed tocopheryl for mass production in the meanwhile, and they were bamboozled into using it. Even the companies that manufacture tocopheryl indicate that it is unusually resistant to oxidation. Well, antioxdiants work by being oxidized...so...

Adelle Davis who wrote quite a few health book out in the 50's had an anectode of her Black housemaid's son who got burned badly, third degree or something (I think it was in a job, dont remember exactly, read it 7 years ago). She went to the hospital and gave him a lot of vitamin E and punctured capsules and rubbed in onto his back. In a few weeks, what should have been permanent scarring and hard scabs was just a mild discolouration. I presume, from the time-line, that she used d-tocopherols.

A.C.Grace sells tocopherols under the name Unique E. NOW foods also has a brand under the name of Tru-E, but Ive heard good things about the A.C.Grace one.

The reason for the Vitamin C and Lysine and Proline is those are the main building blocks of collagen, which makes up about 75% of your skins mass. Just makes sense to use that as well. Linus Pauling wrote about that, particularly in his 1986 How to Live Longer and Feel Better book.

Then again its your body.

[gmm567]

wow, I had no idea.... You can have problems with scarring.

[Winston]

@Kris and @Mr S:

Didn't you consider at the time you got your tattoos, that you may regret it later, and if you do, then you're screwed? Didn't that thought occur to you? If so, how did you rationalize it away?

They ought to make tattoos illegal to prevent regrets like this. It's not worth it and nothing good comes out of it. Totally pointless and unnecessary.