According to the Pew Research Center, one third of adults in the United States have a tattoo, and 22% have more than one. Getting body art can be a great way for individuals to express themselves and improve their self-image, but unfortunately, they can also go wrong. One UK study found that a whopping 78% of people with multiple tattoos regret at least one of them, and 31% have even considered having one removed. And that’s why online communities sharing photos of bad tattoos are so popular…

The [Terrible] Tattoos subreddit, whose name we’ve had to censor, makes it very clear that there is no shortage of unfortunate tattoos in this world. But apparently, there’s also no shortage of people who enjoy judging tattoos either, as the community has amassed 577k members over the last 11 years. We reached out to the group's moderator team to learn even more about the group, and lucky for us, u/ReverseLazarus was happy to have a chat with Bored Panda.

ReverseLazarus shared that she just recently joined the group's mod team, as the subreddit had a significant increase in subscribers a few months ago and was in need of some help moderating. "I mod several other large subreddits, so I volunteered," she explained. "I've been subscribed to this sub for years because I love seeing tattoos of all sorts, especially the ones that give me a good chuckle!"

When it comes to why there are so many unfortunate tattoos out there, the moderator says it can come down to plenty of reasons. "Some people don't want to spend a lot of money, so they turn to scratchers. Others are scratchers themselves and tattoo themselves and their friends for the hell of it," ReverseLazarus shared.

"Then you have those who did not expect their artist to be as bad as they were, and they're mortified with the final product," the moderator continued. "For me, those are always the most painful posts we get! I have quite a few tattoos myself, and while I know most of them do not fit the [crappy] label we give to the posts here at [this subreddit], I do have several that are 15+ years old and have aged rougher than I would have liked. I still love all of them though and would never consider them to be [bad] because they have so much meaning to me, but I cannot control the opinions of others," she added with a smile.

ReverseLazarus also told Bored Panda that her favorite posts in the subreddit almost always involve really cool panthers. "My favorite part of this subreddit are those who post their [bad] tattoos while proudly stating how much they love it because it has so much meaning to them," she added. "[Crappy] tattoos may not always be as [unfortunate] as you think!"

"There are two paths for someone with a [crappy] tattoo to take," the moderator says. "Embrace the suck and learn to love it, or find a way to erase it from your body (with either a skilled cover-up artist or expensive tattoo removal). No matter what you decide, we'd love to see your [bad] tattoo!"

For a previous Bored Panda article featuring unfortunate tattoos, we got in touch with Richard Fullam from Tattoo Removal Experts to learn more about what it takes to eliminate a particularly bad tattoo. “To remove a tattoo, you need a course of laser treatments spaced at least 6 weeks apart,” Richard shared. “The pulses of light from the laser shatter the ink into tiny particles, enabling the body’s white blood cells to pick them up and take them to the liver where they are flushed away.”

“The tattoo will gradually fade until, in most instances, it cannot be seen,” the expert explained. “An average tattoo takes around 6-8 treatments to remove. The process is safe, and with the best technology there should be no damage to the skin. It is a bit painful, however, if you can tolerate being tattooed, then the removal process normally is not a problem.”

Richard also previously shared with Bored Panda that his clinic has received an increasing number of calls recently from people who regret their tattoos on the same day they get them. “Sometimes, they watch the tattoo being inked, know they hate it, but don’t have the confidence to question the tattooist,” he shared.

“There is always a reason for someone wanting a tattoo to be removed, whether it’s the design, size, position etc.,” Richard explained. “Some are just really bad ideas, like a recent client who had his ex wife’s name tattooed on his penis. If you are getting a tattoo, do your research, find a good tattooist, agree on a design, then think long and hard about whether you're going to be happy with it for the long term. Also remember, just in case, that black/gray tattoos are a lot easier to remove than multicolored tattoos.”

Has this list convinced you to rethink your next tattoo, pandas? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, of course, but if you’re unsure whether that piece you’re considering will be considered beautiful by anyone, it might be wise to hold off. Keep upvoting the pics that give you secondhand embarrassment, and feel free to share in the comments what the worst tattoo you’ve ever witnessed was. Then, if you’re interested in checking out Bored Panda’s last article featuring the same subreddit, look no further than right here!