The increasing number of people getting tattooed or pierced has led to a rise in people wanting to rid themselves of their body art. A 2003 Harris Poll found that 17 percent of Americans wish they had not gotten their tattoos. Americans are not the only ones unhappy with their body art decision. According to a study by the British Journal of Dermatology, in the United Kingdom 75 percent of tattooed people regret their decision to get inked.

People regret their body art for many reasons. Some claim that their body piercings negatively impact their careers; others are unhappy when their tattoos fade and distort over time. Those no longer satisfied with their body art have several options, many of them painful and expensive, to rid themselves of their piercings and tattoos. Those options range from covering their piercings with clothing to surgically removing their tattoos.

Some reasons for removing tattoos include:

• Professional Problems
• Because of the person’s name on it
• They don’t like the way it looks
• They think it was stupid
• It faded over time
• It is visible when they don’t want it to be.
• They think it was a bad decision
• They are a different person now.
• They affect their jobs or getting a job.