So at the age of 18, I got a cute flower tattoo on my shoulder. Two years later, after working through some personal problems, I decided to add an om to the tattoo and expand the design… (yoga had helped me recover from a bad depression)… the artist basically screwed up and I have since had another artist "fix" the design.
Now, it is quite large and something I have grown to hate.
Laser removal is possible, but extremely expensive and time consuming and painful.
Surgical excision is my 2nd option but will leave a rather large scar.
Cant decide whether or not to go ahead w the removal, or to maybe add to it, making it a larger "piece" and living w it…
Stressed. Ugh.
Please help. Maybe someone out there has gone through the same thing?

For me, it is this one, from a 21 year old girl who already regrets her tattoos (80% of all people who get tattoos eventually regret them)

Hi! I am 21 & have my entire back tattooed -Yeah, the whole thing.. I got the first piece done for my 13th birthday. That piece was done by an amateur & ended up scarring horribly. I mean BAD. To this day the 4×4 tribal piece is easily irritated, always puffy & well.. scarred. I was so self conscious about it that I decided to add to it – aiming to take the focus away from the black scar.. So at 15 I added to it… I was involved with the wrong crowd of people at that time in my life & was exposed to heavily tattooed people so it was "no big deal" – Plus, this was a while ago & the removal procedures/theories were fairly new & extremely pricey! To make a long story short by 19 I had most of my back piece done. It is very colorful, containing: black, white, greywash, violets, turquoise, orange, green, red etc.. I am very very serious about removing it but am terrified of the scarring. Not so much the cost but the chance of a bad heal w/ scarring & tattoo traces unable to be removed. I really wish I would have never began this insane body modification as I am now a mature adult with a great corporate job, family responsibilities & the desire to be more feminine I guess – Not such a freakshow. It’s like living two lives with this amount of " permanent art".. Thats just the thing – PERMANENT – Wasnt thinking about that @ 13…I know it sounds dumb & this probably isnt the forum to post my story in but I really want some "real" feedback. We all know that $$ is the name of the game & everyone will try to sell you something – especially when they can take advantage of others in such an emotional desperation oriented way. I was considering this tat be gone – sounds weak though – maybe good on a little tattoo – what about a huge back piece?! Can someone vouch for the credibility of removal on large long lived professional tattoo’s?!

For hundreds of personal stories by kids who got tattoos they now hate and can;t do anything about, visit these sites:

http://www.faqs.org/qa/qa-634.html

http://www.innocentenglish.com/tattoos/wrecking-balm-tattoo-fading-cream-reviews-does-it-work.html

At least that girl did not have a face tattoo. Here’s what will most likely come from Face Tattoos = future suicide. These design choices are so notoriously linked with regret that it has been found the suicide rate for people with face tattoos are much higher than average. Whatever the thinking in getting a face tattoo, the chances of regret are so great that it’s just not worth it. The face is the one area that you can’t really cover up in public and many people underestimate the impact of face ink.
But if face tattoos lead to suicide, doesn’t the same principle apply to other tattoos?

So, when I was 16 I got my 1st tattoo, at 18 I got my 2nd and now at 28 I want them gone!!! They are both black ink thick and the larger of the 2 is @ 12"x2", the smaller one is @ 2"x2" does anyone have any experience with tattoo removals…does it leave a scar or skin discoloration, etc….is black harder to remove, etc. etc…..real life experiences please, not just what you’ve heard….Thanks

I do NOT want to know anything about laser removal. I have tried that. I am allergic to the ink in my tattoo and the laser removal causes me ALOT of problems. I have a quarter size tattoo on my ankle that I am want excised. I want to know if anyone has done this, how big was your tattoo and what kind of scar do you have?

So when I turned 18, I got a green four-leaf clover tattooed on my neck… in honor of my Irish grandfather. While, I will always love my grandfather, I deeply regret this tat. I am 22 now and I know I get judged for it constantly. I want to get it removed eventually (if a job ever hires me so I can afford it). Does anyone have experience with tattoo removal? I know that it depends on color and size of tattoo and skin pigment. How effective are different methods on green ink? And will it be better to keep it rather than have a scar on my neck? How bad is scarring? Any feedback will help and be appreciated. Thanks.

Anyone know of any good alternatives to laser tattoo removal? I’ve been looking into it and laser removal is very expensive and most often leaves a scar.

Then i was looking into "wrecking balm" but all i found were reviews that pretty much say it’s crap.

Right now.. All i can hope for is laser tattoo removal.. but it’s just too damn over priced.

Im 16 and i got a tattoo of my exs name on my hip, i didnt think about the size and place. The guy that did it was my friends brother and it is about a half inch tall and too far up on my hip, its so far up that i cant wear bathing suits and i have to wear my pants really high on my hips. I obviosly cant pay for laser removal and i cant go to the doctors for any other process, ive heard of the creams and of a girl who just cut over the tattoo and put peroxide in hers but i really dont want to have to tell my mom considering Ive hidden it since i was 14. will that really work or are there any home remedies. I really hate pain and the sound ofscapping it sounds horrible. I wouldnt mind the scar of just the name but i dont want the ink.

And please dont give me bullshit answers.

Hello, (before answering, please read, or do not mention any other options of removal.)

I know there are creams, but that’s not an option for me. I want a scar, or wouldn’t mind having one to remind me. Besides, I already foolishly tried to cut across the tattoo to give it a certain look, but I messed it up, and will have a scar anyways.

I live in Canada (Toronto), and was curious if it’s still possible to find clinics that provide tattoo excisions?

I simply cannot afford laser removal : (
It’s also a rather new tattoo (a year old), so it might take many sessions.
Not to mention the tattoo is only about an inch long, and a centimeter or so thick (so I wouldn’t require a skin graft). And assume the procedure would be less than 500$ (A simple cut around the tattoo, and stitch up).

Thanks a lot

i have a tattoo on my upper leg above my knee that was done with a homemade tattoo gun and black india ink about 13 yrs ago it is 4inch by 5 inch and still as dark as when it was put i have an appointment to get it lasered in 2 weeks my question is has anyone ever had a india ink homemade tattoo lasered and if so how many sessions did it take to remove and how many sessions before you could see drastic lightening of tattoo i am going to do it and i dont care about the scar i just want to know from someone who has had it done or knows someone who has how long it took thanks

Is there anyway to make a tattoo appear less noticeable? My sister got a tatt on her neck and she doesn’t like it, and tattoo removal is out of the question because it will leave a scar..

Also is is true that you can’t tattoo on top of black ink?

well, I already have a slight idea of the types of responses I am going to get. Keep in mind I am not joking, I have a tattoo on my right lower back ( my zodiac sign ) Everyone knows how INCREDIBILITY EXPENSIVE it is for a doctors approved tattoo removal, and that all those creams and skin buffers they sell never have good reviews. So I have been asking myself just how much I dislike my tattoo…. Do I dislike it enough to have a big scar instead? I think my answer might be yes. NOW. I know the ink can’t possibly be TOO deep to try this, is it? Think it will work doing it a little bit every night? Give me your input please.

how much would a sleeve tattoo removal cost and about how many sessions do you guys think it would take? and i’ve heard tattoo removals leave a scar but some internet sites say it rarely scares.. so for people that have experience does it really scar? if so is it really obvious? does any cream or anything take the scar away?

i have decided what i want for a tattoo. It says "You are here" in Hindi. I wanted it somewhere i could see it. Its a reminder, not to deny my reality. To accept the present moment. I had it in pen in English (on my hand) one day and i remember being flustered/ SUPER stressed out and just being 5446544321 places in my head and all of a sudden i looked at it and felt grounded and realized that although i had a lot of things to take care of they would only be resolved NOW, i was no other place, but that very place at that very moment.

The present moment and taking care of things and realizing that for a while i had been denying my reality (which only made things worse) was something i had been doing for a while. I decided i wanted to get a tattoo that reminded me to remain present.

However i am worried i may not like it in a few years. I dont want to do something permanent that i may regret later. I am only 18 and although it means a lot to me, i still dont know.

I have it in pen running vertically down the center of my wrist (my inner arm/wrist, so you can’t see it, unless i turn my arm over. ya dig?) and slightly up my forearm arm. Its only about 3 inches long. I DO like it, but it is a big decision.

I was thinking if i DO end up hating it, what is tattoo removal like, ESPECIALLY for that area. Will it scar. I hear it would be difficult to get it removed there. Something about the skin being thing. I mean i CAN see my veins there. ugh. What should i do?

My question is what are my options if i decide to get it removed??
I guess if i still have doubts about this tattoo, i probably shouldn’t get it, huh?

THANKS A MILLION!!!
THANKS FOR THE ADVICE GUYS!!! expect for that spam person, this is the second time i have gotten an "answer" from that person, THEY NEED TO BE REMOVED!!!

I want to remove my tattoo on my lower back with wrecking balm cream or any tattoo fade away cream. laser isnt a option. painful, expensive, and not worth my time. and i dont want a cover up cuz i just want a new different tattoo sorta similar. so if i use this product and it leaves a scar permentally..is there anything i can use at walgreens or at any drug store or online that i can use to remove the scar from the tattoo removal cream?

I have a tattoo that i totally regret,yes i was younger,stupid and not really all there when it got done (physically i was there) if you know what i mean. Now years later, i hate it so much and i try my best to cover it up with makeup sometimes a bandaid. But what bothers me the most is when people ask me about it,i just wanna die inside. I hear it almost everyday,what is it from the ones that dont know what it means and why from the ones who do? But today while at work some random stranger just got to me by what he said now i cant get it outta my mind. So anyway what options do i have as far as removal? Does it hurt alot? Will i have a scar much worse than the tattoo? I’m not ugly i know that so will i mess up my face by scarring it this way? Oh by the way the tattoo is nickel size next to corner of my left eye.
Well its of something i am ashamed of so im sorry i rather not say,i had a bad past,i got over all that,it still shows with makeup though. Theres a place here that charges 0 per square inch,which i guess aint bad,im just scared,of making it worse. I can tolerate the pain i just want God to help me be rid of this already. Im beginning to hate myself.