Psychology and wellbeing - Tattoo regret is common

"Almost a fourth of men and women between age 18 and 50 currently sport a tattoo, and almost 15 percent have at least one body piercing, according to a survey from Northwestern University. Survey results were published in the June issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Dr. Anne E. Laumann, associate professor of dermatology at the Feinberg School of Medicine, and colleagues conducted the study in 500 randomly selected people aged 18 to 50 from across the United States in 2004. (...)

Laumann and co-researcher Dr. Amy Derick, of the University of Chicago, found that year of birth was a predictive factor for tattoos: 36 percent of people aged 18 to 29; 24 percent of those aged 30 to 40; and only 15 percent of those aged 40 to 50 had tattoos. Sixteen percent had obtained their first tattoo before age18.

People of lower educational status were more likely to have a tattoo and also more likely to have more than one tattoo than those of higher educational status.

(...) About a quarter of study participants had regrets about their tattoo. About 5 percent had already covered a tattoo with a new tattoo and a further 17 percent said they were considering tattoo removal. Individuals who were younger than 18 when they were first tattooed were more likely than older persons to have regrets.

“These data indicate there is a sizeable population of persons interested in tattoo removal, and that supports ongoing research on pigment composition, labeling and removal methods,” Laumann said.

(...) Few states have effective regulation relating to body art, Laumann said, and up to three fourths of children younger than age 18 who have tattoos or body piercings did not ask permission of or even inform their parents."

Source: Northwestern University News