Inked and Unhappy: Tattoo Buyer’s Remorse on the Rise
Unsightly scars, unrelenting itching, infection and worsening immune systems are just some of the reasons for regret
The tattoo craze isn’t slowing down. According to a new Pew survey published last month, nearly one-third of Americans have tats, and 22% have more than one. Women are more likely than men to have a tattoo and the group most likely to be inked are the Millennials, aged 30–49.
The global tattoo market was valued at $1.89 billion in 2022 and is expected to grow from $2 billion this year to $3.92 billion by 2030, according to Fortune Business Insights.
The rise is due in part to the fact that people are more accepting of tattoos. Members of the army and military are inked, as are leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate. And larger areas of the body are being covered, like sleeve tattoos — in which an entire arm is patterned with a unifying theme.
But with increasing numbers of tattoos comes escalating side effects. There was a lot of buyer’s remorse in my dermatology clinic, as well as complications like unsightly scarring, red, unbearably itchy allergic rashes, and bacterial infections that sometimes spread throughout the body.
