The origin of the word tattoo seems to actually come from Samoan culture, which features intricate and detailed designs that are both a right of passage and a cultural artifact. Outside of Polynesia, before the 18th century, people would describe the tattooing process as painting or even scaring. Some forms of ‘tattoos’ are actually unintentional. When coal dust, carbon, or even gunpowder would get into a wound, it would leave some permanent pigmentation in the skin.

It’s somewhat shocking how bad these designs are, as the art of tattooing is older than a lot of other skills humans have developed. Mummified human remains have multiple tattoos, showing at least some interest in the artistic expression on one’s skin. Ancient Egyptians also had more figurative tattoos around five thousand years ago, cementing it as a pretty old art form. Despite all this time, it seems some artists still can’t draw their way out of a wet paper bag.

One advantage we have over our ancient relatives is the ease with which we can get rid of unwanted tattoos. Ease here is relative, it can still be a painful and costly process. But no doubt a laser is better than what humans had to deal with before. Women tend to regret their tattoos slightly more often than men, though this may be due to the fact that men have better coping mechanisms for bad tattoos. About half of the respondents in this study who wanted to get their ink taken off had higher education, including at least a university degree.

Tattoo regret isn’t always limited to terrible designs. Research shows that often enough, people who seek laser tattoo removal got their ink done as adolescents. Often this is proceeded by bouts of emotional pain, as the person regrets the pain and getting tattooed and the monetary cost of paying for it in the first place. In general, most study participants indicated that both the regret of a tattoo and its removal are very personal topics. 

Similar studies indicate that the earlier an adolescent gets a tattoo, the more often they express regret for their decision. The research suggests that people who get tattoos relatively early tend to do it from peer pressure and a lack of impulse control. As they age, they will often regret these specific tattoos, but not the process of tattooing in general. Older tattoos might reflect bands and fandoms the person was obsessed with but no longer cares about. 

While some end up removing tattoos due to health reasons, like the pigmentation causing allergic reactions, in the majority of cases removal was driven by psychological regret. Overall, most people who get a tattoo do not end up regretting it and only a minority actually gets the piece lasered off. This could be partially due to better tattoo artists being able to take a ‘bad’ tattoo and convert it into something more aesthetic.