A Full Sleeve of Regret?

Posted on : September 1, 2014  By : Wellness

Tattoos are very on-trend right now and you’ll notice that there’s a lot of people getting inked all of a sudden who you’d never have expected to want a tattoo a few years ago. Influence from celebrities, pop culture, fashion trends and peer groups mean more and more people are going under the needle, and if we’re being honest, these are pretty lousy reasons to get a tattoo anyway.

Here at the Apple Wellness Center we specialise in laser tattoo removal in Calgary and as such we see a lot of people coming to us expressing regret about tattoos they had done only a couple of years ago, or sometimes even more recently than that. Unfortunately, not everyone is thinking ahead when they decide to get inked.

Large Tattoos are in Fashion…

The types of tattoos that are currently in fashion are often large pieces that cover big portions of the body. For example, full sleeve tattoos are extremely fashionable at the moment, with many people deciding to have entire sleeve designs permanently etched onto their bodies in just a couple of sessions. Full sleeve tattoos were usually something that was built up over time, with small additions being added over a number of years. But today, more and more people are having these large and complex tattoos inked upon their arms as one design to be completed over a couple of weeks or months.

It’s hardly surprising with many celebrities, extremely popular amongst the younger generation, sporting these designs. Our own home grown talent (or national embarrassment, delete as appropriate) and influencer of kids, Justin Bieber has an arm covered in ink, plus many other designs on his body.

Is a Full Sleeve Such a Great Idea?

Despite seeming like a great and fashionable piece of body art at the time, sleeve tattoos are often a source of regret soon after. They’re not easy to conceal, and even in a long-sleeved dress shirt, the design may be visible through it if it’s a pale colour shirt, and the designs often extend past the cuff and onto the hand. This obviously will have implications for the wearer’s career options!

Also, in many cases people haven’t considered what having a huge, dominating, indelible mark that covers their arm from shoulder to cuff will actually look like, and find themselves thinking that the tattoo doesn’t look as great as they thought it would.

It is possible to remove a sleeve tattoo, but it is a difficult and time-consuming procedure. Large multi-coloured designs are always the hardest tattoos to remove, but when they’re wrapped around an entire arm, the awkward positioning makes it even trickier. It can be done, but you’ll have to be prepared for plenty of long sessions under the laser to remove the traces of your unfortunate decision. We would urge anyone thinking about a full sleeve to carefully consider if that is actually what they want before going ahead!

If you’ve had a sleeve tattoo, or ink anywhere on your body that you regret and are seeking laser tattoo removal in Alberta, then please do not hesitate to contact us at the Apple Wellness Center. We have a great deal of experience in effectively removing tattoos and will be able to help you.

Posted in : Tattoo Removal