‘I got a huge chest tattoo when I was a teen — now I regret it’

David BenjaminNovember 13, 2025

A tattoo artist and TikTok creator has said that one of her ‘biggest regrets in life’ was getting her chest tattoo. Ray Charles, who is based in Phoenix, Arizona, took viewers on her laser removal journey, after admitting that she ‘made a mistake as a teenager.’ (Picture: @hintermasken/TikTok)

(Picture: @hintermasken/TikTok) — In the video, Ray said that her chest piece, which covers her neck, shoulders and chest down to her breast bone, ‘seemed like a great idea at the time.’ But now, she is ‘dealing with the consequences.’ The tattoo artist added: ‘The regret is real.’ (Picture: @hintermasken/TikTok)

(Picture: @hintermasken/TikTok) — During the footage, Ray showed viewers the process behind laser removal, which she described as ‘super, super painful.’ She said that ‘although pain is subjective,’ the closest thing to compare it to is being ‘snapped with a burning rubber band.’ Ray explained that this particular video was her seventh round of laser removal, and that her skin was ‘pretty cooked,’ despite using numbing cream two hours before her appointment. (Picture: @hintermasken/TikTok)

(Picture: @hintermasken/TikTok) — However, in another video, Ray revealed that she wasn’t erasing the entirety of the tattoo — she was just removing a colourful design beneath it. The artist set the record straight after the original video went viral, and online trolls took it upon themselves to share unsolicited advice and opinions. (Picture: @hintermasken/TikTok)

What do experts think about tattoo regret?

Claudio Traina is a London-based celebrity tattoo artist who owns Sixty Ink in London. Having inked everyone from Doja Cat to Teddy Swims to YungBlud, he’s a pretty authoritative figure in the business. He spoke with Metro about tattoo regrets, and explained that most come from ‘tattoos that were either objectively bad or tied to something — or someone — people want to forget, like an ex’s name.’ (Picture: Claudio Traina)

What has caused tattoo regret?

However, alongside these classic ‘mistakes,’ Claudio also revealed that the pandemic brought a new wave of bad tattoos. But it’s only now that we are seeing the tattoo regret from this period. He explained: ‘During Covid, tattooing blew up on social media. Suddenly, people with zero training or passion were tattooing from their kitchens and calling themselves “artists.” A lot of friends and clients trusted these people and ended up with tattoos they now regret, sometimes even feeling scammed by people who weren’t real artists.’ (Picture: Claudio Traina)

What has caused tattoo regret?

Claudio told Metro that this had a ‘huge impact on the industry’, saying many legitimate studios struggled while non-artists cashed in, and now many of those pop-up ‘artists’ are quitting after leaving a mess behind. ‘They hurt our community, our careers, and an art form we’ve dedicated years mastering,’ Claudio said, adding that ‘most of us even come from formal art backgrounds or creative careers.’ (Picture: Getty Images)

What does a psychologist think about tattoo regret?

Metro also spoke with Ioana Rotaru, psychotherapist and director of Ioana Rotaru Therapy, about tattoo regret and why people often make major life decisions so young. Ioana explained that, for many people, it’s down to wanting control over their lives and needing an outlet to express themselves. (Picture: Ioana Rotaru)

What does a psychologist think about tattoo regret?

‘When we’ve been limited by society or our parents’ rules, we feel inhibited and tend to rebel against that,’ she said. Therefore, an easy way of self-expression that gives an instant sense of self-control is getting a tattoo. On the life decision front, Ioana also described a tattoo as a ‘clear visual symbol that projects to the world who we are.’ Especially when the symbols, images, and quotes that we tattoo belong to a certain tribe or aesthetic. ‘So many of our decisions when we are young are made on impulse, because things are a “vibe” or trend.’ (Picture: Ioana Rotaru)

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