Body art has gone mainstream in recent years, with almost three out of 10 Australians sporting at least one tattoo. But while that flashy sleeve or meaningful quote might sound like an excellent idea now, many people aren’t thinking about the effects that tattoos can have a decade or two after the day they get inked.
The thing about tattoos is that they’re a lot easier to get than they are to live with — or remove. But before you start calling the tattoo parlour, let’s think about where it might lead. What serves as an ideal design at age 35 may not work so well for the tastes, ambitions or lifestyle of your 45-year-old or 55-year-old or 65-year-old self?
But what if you regret it later? You’re looking at expensive and painful removal sessions. This is not an indictment of tattoos — it’s the verdict of an informed decision. Here’s why staying tattoo-free is probably one of the most intelligent choices you will ever make for yourself.
1. Tattoos Are Permanent (Mostly)
Thanks to contemporary laser removal technology, we can now delete tattoos, but it’s anything but a walk in the park. Professional tattoo removal in Sydney takes several time-consuming sessions, separated by months, and could still leave a scar. Darker inks and tattoos applied years ago can be particularly recalcitrant, leaving shadows or scars. And the price can add up pretty quickly — what seemed like a cool thing to immortalize in your 20s might feel like a burden in your 30s when tastes change.
2. Career Limitations You Might Not Expect
Even in much more casual corporate settings, exposed tattoos can still spark unconscious biases. Sectors like law, banking, healthcare, and corporate roles generally favour a traditional look. However, attitudes are evolving, and some employers may still be hesitant to promote an employee with a tattoo on their collarbone that glorifies Thor. Should you want to change your career, your tattoo could prove to be a surprise impediment. And if you end up deciding its holding you back later, professional tattoo removal is an expensive and long process.
3. Health Risks You Might Not Know About
- If tattoo artist does not follow proper sanitization, there is a fair risk of infection.
- If the ink from your tattoo has metals or chemicals, it can still make you itch, swell or develop a rash years later.
- It has been suggested that some pigments (red and black) may change in an MR scanner and produce mild to moderate burning or swelling of the site of the tattoo.
- As someone gets older a tattoo might dull and smudge if it’s been in the sun, the aging of the skin causing it to go flat.
4. Trends Fade, But Tattoos Don’t
Remember, lower-back tribal tattoos were in fashion? Trends fade but tattoos are forever — or at least, they’re extremely hard to get rid of. What we believe is meaningful or stylish now is likely to seem embarrassing in 10 years. Today, there are no shortages of those who regret acting on a flash of rebelliousness by getting inked in the name of ex-romantic partners, phases or passing pop culture movements. There will be tattoo removal clinics but it’s far easier and cheaper not to have regrets in the first place.
5. Tattoo Removal Is Expensive and Painful
Tattoos hurt to get, and they also hurt to get rid of — and it costs a lot more. One single session of laser removal can cost you around $100 to $500 and most people need between 6 to 12 sessions before they see results. That’s thousands of dollars and months (or years) of treatment. Ask yourself: Is the design worth the future pain and expense of removal?
Final Thoughts
Tattoo removal services exist, but saving yourself the trouble, not to mention the money in the first place is just wise.
Your skin is a canvas, and you need to make a choice you won’t regret! Choose flexibility and freedom, or a perennial statement that might not age well on you? The decision is yours.
