Seeing as it sparked such debate when i mention getting a tattoo i thought i would post this link i saw this morning
Quite interesting

http://blogs.mirror.co.uk/dear-miriam/2009/05/will-you-live-to-regret-that-t.html

Freds Mum, are you now regretting having your partner's name tattooed on yourself?

It is interesting. It's sad that people rush out to get tattoos without considering the fact that they are permenant first though.

The article did say not to get a tattoo after drinkning as it impairs judgement, there are also other reasons not to drink - a good tattooist will not tatto you if you have been drinking, if you do drink & get a tattoo it will bleed a lot (alcohol thins the blood), bleeding a lot can ruin the tattoo.
Alos, after care of a tattoo needs to be considered, afterall it is a wound and needs to be kept clean untill it heals.
Another thing to consider is posisiton of tattoo. I waited years before I got my first, but I was still unsure as to what I would think about when I'm 80!! So I've opted to have my tattoos in places that aren't on show - my lower back, the side of me knee (the shortest thing I wear is cropped trousers) and the top of my arm/shoulder (even a cap-sleaved t-shirt covers it).

Missed any previous debate on them but I'm glad I don't have one although I really fancied the idea in my teens and early 20's but thankfully couldn't pluck up the courage LOL.

IMO what looks good today tends to look a bit naff 5, 10, 20 years down the line - it's a fashionable thing to have done now but look at how hairstyles, clothes, shoes, make-up etc changes drastically in appeal and mainly with the younger generation.   OK, Amy Winehouse may have brought back the bee-hive but it's a blast from the past of maybe 40 years ago and at least a bee-hive washes out ;)

Taste aside, I wouldn't want to have a 'brand' on my skin that looked silly within a few years and came back into fashion when my skin was old, wrinkly, scaley (not that I'd let THAT happen while Ive still got access to Mastercard :-p )

Each to their own of course,
regards Teri

I find the Irony quite amusing..  it was quite a heated debate, and Freds mum was adamant that few people, especially herself will never regret it.. yet the link state 75% of people regret it..

Personally, I would have found a more Pro Tattoo link to make a point :-)

My dad got a tattoo on both of his arms when he was in the army. They were all going on leave, got drunk and went to get some tattoos. They are fairly large, 2 swallows with a ribbon between them and he has mum & dad on one, his name and my mum's name on the other. I have always liked them, they are part of him as he had them done before I was born. He used to say that he wished that he never got them but he doesn't hide them at all.

My daughter always wanted a tattoo but I wouldn't agree to it. I tried to put her off while she was at school and at uni incase she got a job where tattoos had to be covered up, she did listen but she was also over 18 so it was ultimately her decision. She got her first one on the back of her shoulder and I must admit that it is stunning! She then got another one on a hip, followed soon after by one on the other hip. I really don't like them and she knows that! At the beginning of the year she got one done on the inside of her wrist which I really like. It's not done from a transfer, it's free hand art work of something that she wanted.

Since she got hers I've often wondered about getting one but can't pluck up the courage to go through with it! I often sit and look at the tattoo parlour's website and although some of their tattoos cover large areas and I wouldn't have them, they are works of art and I can appreciate them for that.

The link says that 75% of people regret having a tattoo done. I find that terribly sad. :-( I bet at the time they had it done every single one was certain they'd never regret it.

And, of course, there's the spelling issue! I'm guessing it's meant to say "Where there's a will there's a way" but something got lost in the translation!

I wonder what the foreign script tattoos actually say ...

17 years ago , before they became so popular , i  wanted a tattoo . I thought about it for several months and knew what i wanted and where . I went to the shop to check on the facilities but didn't go through with it as i was concerned i would change my mind years down the line .
I am so glad i didn't do it - every ' Tom, Dick and Harry ' has got one now .

I have three tattoos.  I have a wolf on my lower back, a pair of ballet shoes on my stomach (which yes, I do regret now) and an angel on my shoulder blade with a cloud, and in the cloud it says June 1997.  Out of the three I only regret the one.  I will NEVER regret the angel, as it has special meaning (lost my grandma June 9, 1997, and my friend June 17, 1997 - both to cancer).  The wolf one, I forget it is there sometimes, but it is significant to me, and I dont think I would regret that one either. 

When I was choosing a place to get my tattoos, I wanted somewhere that could be hidden, with little effort if need be.  No one, but me, sees the tattoos most of the time.  I can even wear a tank top, and you can barely see the one on my shoulder blade. 

My two boys do not have them but my youngest has an earring, lip and eye brow stud. I think they look really horrible but as he said he's over 18 and can do what he wants to.
My best friend has about 4 tattoo's and OH's daughter a pierced tounge and tattoo's. I think some on men look fab (Maori rugby ones) I would not like any but its all down to personal taste. I do watch Miami Ink and some are so lovely, but not for me.

But I have two earrings in both ears and I know some find it v. distasteful, but live and let live. The worst tattoo I ever saw looked like a line of stitches around ankles, wrists, neck on a larger than average lady with blonde hair and black roots. Umm less than asthetically pleaseing that one. I did have a henna tattoo in Crete looked great but thankfully washed off!!
I think my OH's daughter are regreting there's as pregnancy and stretch marks made the angel a little wierd shaped.

I wonder what the foreign script tattoos actually say ...
"made in China" :-D

I really really want a tattoo - but it would have to be on a piece of skin that won't stretch when I put on weight or sag when I get old :-)  So looks like I'll never have one lol.  But then, why spoil perfection ;-)

I saw an oldish man(at least i think he was oldish-couldn't see his face properly)with a dark blue tattoo covering the whole of his face.You couldn't make out the design because he was so wrinkly.He just looked dirty and grubby from a bit of a distance.Both of my girls have a tattoo,one of a little butterfly on her hip and my younger girl a circle of lttle flowers round her ankle,which she said was v painful to have done.My older girl has a belly button piercing too which is lovely and at one time they  had nose a stud each but not anymore,i think they went out of fashion a while. ago.They've had their tattoos a few years now as they are 34 and 32.Having names tattooed on has got to be a big mistake,a person could end up looking like a phone book-round where i live anyway!And what about the people who have some loved ones face tattooed on them-they never look like anybody and imagine when they get all wrinkly,they'd need botox in it to get it back in shape.

>imagine when they get all wrinkly,they'd need botox in it to get it back in shape.

LOL!

Oh,and those tongue studs are just horrible.They can't be hygenic surely.

> I wonder what the foreign script tattoos actually say ...

lol, i used to work in a chinese take away and a guy came in regularly who had what he thought were the chinese characters for boy and girl on this arm for his kids... my boss (chinese and spoke madarin and cantonese) asked him one day what they were ment to mean lol, he had to quickly back track and try and convince the guy they might be japanese.

my BIL has a lovely tatoo on his chest that my nephew drew, its just simple stick figures of a mummy, a daddy and a little boy with room to soon add another boy for my new nephew :) its very sweet.

i would love one but there are so many reasons not to for me- mainly because the kind of job i want it wouldn't be suitable. if i did though the one i want is simple and wouldn't date, just in black the goddess symbol of the full and crecent moons on the inside of my wrist.

> Oh,and those tongue studs are just horrible

spoken like a person whos never kissed someone with one lol :)

Yes there are rumours about tongue studs and ice cubes ;-)

Anyway, I've got a pierced tragus.  I didn't know I had one until I got it pierced :-)  There are definitely tasteful piercings and tattoos, and certainly some people suit them better than others, but its freedom of expression I guess.

> if i did though the one i want is simple and wouldn't date, just in black the goddess symbol of the full and crecent moons on the inside of my wrist.

If you had that done small, then a watch worn with it's face on the inside of the wrist would cover it up at work :)

You know me so well!:)

> Anyway, I've got a pierced tragus

Stop showing off:)x

i don't wear watches, i just find them uncomfy... i do wear chunky bangles a lot but i take them off if it get warm etc. its a lovely, simple, meaningful symbol though so i do rather fancy it...

)0(   (like that!)

This is an interesting topic.  I've just finished designing a tattoo for myself. 

I'm 40 this year and have wanted a tattoo since I was around 20.  All this time I have wanted one but have always been talked out of it by my mum going on about regrets and wrinkley skin, lol.  So.....I've decided I'm a big girl now, if I want one I'll have one (sorry mum!), I've just spent 20 years regreting not having one so I'm just going to go for it.  I'll have it at the back of my neck which is one of my more 'firmer' area's, lol.

> Yes there are rumours about tongue studs and ice cubes ;-)

an old friend of mine had one when i was younger and i couldn't possibly comment...

terrible for your teeth though, folk who have them chip their teeth a lot

Yep, the dentists have been cashing in on the craze :-)

When my 3 kids were little i told them their nana,my mum,had a tattoo of an eagle on her chest that flapped it's wings when she walked.I'd be saying to her "go on mam show them yor wings flapping"and she'd say Elizabeth Anne!!!(sunday name and being naughty name).

i have 2 tats and i dont regret them at all, and im sure not going to be bothered if i look silly when im in my 60's way i see it is when im in my 60's most of the people of my age group will all have tats also so will give us something to natter about in our old age,
i dont like the idea of name tatoos and wouldnt put anyones name on myself and i wouldnt have a tat on a part of my body that is visable like neck hands or wrists, i have mine on my shoulder and lower back so i dont have to look at them anyway, my friend has lots but all in wierd places around her ear where the earing goes in the hole she has star shape but as she had that done many years ago they look like blobs now, tats do spread but you can get them touched up ,iv had mine recoloured as one was fading,
id like to get another one but not sure where want to lose a stone in weight first ;-)

> i wouldnt have a tat on a part of my body that is visable like neck hands or wrists, i have mine on my shoulder and lower back so i dont have to look at them anyway

If you don't mind me asking, why bother getting them then?

It's quite sexy to have a secret tattoo.If i did have one though(and i don't)i'd like to be able to see it if i wanted to.

I have 4 tattoo's,and I regret each and every one of them,especially the one of my ex boyfriends name :(

because i like them, and i am happy with what iv got, (a far away from the Amy Winehouse look belive me)  reason i wouildnt have them on a part of my body where i couldnt cover them is simply because i sometimes work with a steam fair who do not allow tatoos to be shown by staff , when my friend came and worked with me one year she was forcred to wear a jumper to cover them up and it was a very hot summer, i honestley forget that mine are even their myself,  the shoulder one was less painful than the back but i wouldnt have one on each shoulder i think thats to much i dont want them to be to tacky, although some of you will say that any at all is tacky i think i little of what you like does you good, x

i can see mine if i want to over my shoulder and in a mirror i just wouldnt want to have one on my uper arm in case i did go off it , then its going to be in my face forever

Some schools are now requesting that staff who have tattoos cover them up because as pupils are not allowed them, the staff should adhere to the same standards - although of course it is illegal to tattoo a person under the age of 18 unless with parental consent!

iner thigh or bikini line good for you then ;-)
i new a girl had a Dolphin diving over her belly button looked great ,

Wouldn't have one on my belly :-(  When pregnant I could say it was a whale though ;-)

I'd tattoo my foot/ankle to be honest so I have something nice to look at - I do that with nail polish lol, paint the nails so I have something nice to look at.

Perry, no not regretting it at all, quite the opposite :-)

Kayc, dont read too much into it, just happened to come across this link while browsing a website online.
I dont recall saying other people would never regret it - i cannot comment for others buyt i know for a fact i wont.
Maybe 75% do regret it, but then we control our own destiny - i dont regret any of mine becuase i thought long and hard about what i wanted, where i wanted it and why. I'm obviously in the 25% minority and my tattoos are very symbolic and mean a lot to me.
I too wouldnt have them in a very noticeable place, some tattoos i see now (on wrists, behind ears etc) look great but wont look great in a decade or twos time. I love the fact from the outside i am the 'same' as everyone else, but those who know me well know underneath i have a few tattoos and piercings :-P 

Glad to see it has opened up an interesting debate & sounds like some of you have some very nice tattoos & piercings - i've got my tregus done too, nobody had heard of it when i first got it, i like to think ive educated people :-)

It all comes down to personal preference at the end of the day.....although I wouldnt have names I do have my childrens initials on my wrists which I love.

I have 5 tattoos in total and would love a whole load more, apart from the wrist ones none of them really have any significant meaning, i have some wings on the back of my neck, the alpha and omega signs on my feet and 'truth' written on the side of my hand. If I suddenly regret them at 80 so be it, Im sure at that age my masses of wrinkles, grey hair and the fact I wee myself when I cough will be of more concern to me ;p

It seems (strange to me) that those who have them seem to get a bit addicted to the whole thing :)  I have quite an addictive personality (thinking chocs mainly LOL) so probably best that I let fear of pain steer me clear of 'body art' in my youth or I might have had so many punctures and piccies I'd be a dead woman walking in a drizzle :-p

I will admit it is very addictive, but only when you realise they dont actually hurt !! You always end up seeing something you would like as a tattoo and in the knowledge it doesnt hurt its quite easy to just go and get one.

I will say I have always steered clear of 'fad' tattoos mainly....I never felt the urge to get stars or tribal arm bands or chinese writing and I think thats where people can go wrong when it comes to tattoos.

I have six  , all on parts that can be shown or covered  , they are all dog related , how sad is that  , best one
is a head study of one of my dogs  on my calf , , they are all personal to me  they werent done to show off , but sometimes i do ,i dont regret any of them   it is an artform after all

Mark Owen from Take That has the same thing, I wonder if she was a TT fan by any chance?!

Sorry that's the full extent of my knowledge of tats ... oh! & that I would never have one! Too squeamish with needles.

Well I just gave blood for the first time on Monday so I am feeling practically immortal :-D  Couldn't believe the size of the needle.  So I think I could get a tat if I found the right place to put it.

> Well I just gave blood for the first time on Monday

Good for you well done.
The feeling of having a tat is different to when you normally experience the feeling e.g when giving blood. Its kind of a tickling scratching feeling that feels like it goes through your body if it is a particularly boney area. I personally find the pain quite pleasurable and when you see the end result you soon forget the feeling

:-)

> Well I just gave blood for the first time on Monday so I am feeling practically immortal :-D  Couldn't believe the size of the needle.  So I think I could get a tat if I found the right place to put it.

pmsl at the immortal.

seriously though, good for you. i can't give blood due to my interesting medical cocktails etc and its annoying to me.

given how often i get poked with needles etc i think i could cope- when i was in for my op my veins in my arms all disappeared so i suggested they use the big one in my toe lol and i love a bit of accupuncture :)

>> i wouldnt have a tat on a part of my body that is visable like neck hands or wrists, i have mine on my shoulder and lower back so i dont have to look at them anyway
> If you don't mind me asking, why bother getting them then?

My tattoos are in places that I don't have on show, the one on the top of my arm/shoulder is visable if I wear a vest/cami top but that is really rare. I suppose it's a bit like wearing fancy undies (even when you're not on a 'promise' :) ), nobody else sees them, but you know you have them on and it makes you feel more attractive. :)

lol mastifflover you crack me up lol, I suppose it's a bit like wearing fancy undies (even when you're not on a 'promise' 
but Ahh so true glad you put it so well.

>It seems (strange to me) that those who have them seem to get a bit addicted to the whole thing

In some cases, people use body modification to hide behind.  One of my best friends has dozens of tattoos now...I've lost count of the exact number....including one that covers her entire back.  She also suffers from complex multiple eating disorders and I can track the progression of her illness by the tattoos she has.  When she has good periods of being 'well' (relatively speaking), she doesn't feel the need to add tattoos so much but when she's having a bad patch, she starts to focus on the next tattoo.  At very bad times, she can add them at the rate of one every few weeks.  The huge one on her back came just as she hit an all time low....it is no coincidence that only a matter of weeks after she got that one that her consultant told her that if she had two choices - get better or be dead within a year :-(

That's very, very sad and worrying too :(

Please God she'll take her consultant's advice on board and manage to overcome her problems.
Teri x

I have a rose and a heart on my shoulder blade that I had done in my early 20's, 15 yrs ago, and I still love it. Display it when I want, otherwise cover it. Strangely I find that I have it on display now more than I ever have, and I made no attempt to cover when I got married in a strapless dress last year. Hoping to have another on the other shoulder at some point, but one of those things thats way down the financial list. Also had my belly button pierced when I was 30 but it healed when I removed it for my last preganacy. Went to have it redone and they wanted £50!! So thats even lower on the list!

Those booby ones don't look to good when the booby's start going south and wrinkly too.Speaking as someone who has 4 jabs a day (of Insulin)i could join up the dots and see what i get.:)

I had my lip pierced when i was 14 without my mums consent. I went home and made no attempt to hide it expecting the rollocking of my life but my mum just laughed at me and said "my gosh that looks stupid, you'll regret that" And i thought, yeh right, its cooool and i got away with it! Now i have a hole under my lip, that occasionaly looks like a large spot or blackhead. I hate it and it does look stupid :)
But with regards to tattoo's, my mum has a Huuuuge wizard on her arm with the face of my father on and i love it! not for me personally but each to their own! My friend had a rose on her leg, got fat and it stretched, lost weight and it stayed...stretched lol poor girl it looks like a childs scribble...with thorns :)