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Can't believe someone did this on purpose: 55 times people inked permanent mistakes

Bored Panda · Feb 06, 2026 15:30 · 8 min read

“Can’t Believe Someone Did This On Purpose”: 55 Times People Inked Permanent Mistakes

It seems like everyone and their mom are getting tattoos these days. Yet, it doesn't take a genius to understand that a 2 AM idea shouldn't be transferred to your skin. Bad tattoos are a genre of its own: some are funny, others are cringy, and some might even make the owner cry. So, check out another collection of bad coverups, bad ideas, and even more terrible executions of tattoos that should've have been temporary.

As years go by, more and more people want to get tattoos. Naturally, that means that tattoo regret rates are rising, too. Research shows that in the 11 years between 2012 and 2023, there was an 11% rise in adults who said they regret at least one tattoo that they have.

Bad decisions are funny when they're not yours. Knowing that, Bored Panda has made another compilation of regrettable tattoos for people to learn from and chuckle at. Some of these were bad from the very start – at the stage of conception. Others, however, became victims of poor execution. Still, let it be a lesson: always think twice (maybe even more times?) before you get your tattoo.

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#1 A Bobby Pin- Done By Billy Gamble At Top Secret Tattoo, Waco, TX

#2 A Memorial Tattoo To Face Life Without Mom

#3 Bad Harry Potter Tattoo I Gave Myself While Manic Because My Mom Replaced My Bipolar Medication With Vitamins Behind My Back

Let the person who hasn't made a bad decision in their life throw a rock at me – I'll wait. Essentially, isn't this what bad tattoos are – bad decisions that everyone can see? Granted, lists like these are good PSAs about why it's good to think (more than) twice before you get a tattoo. Additionally, they allow us to bask in some schadenfreude and be happy that it's not happening to us.

Statistically, it's pretty common to get a tattoo and later regret that decision. According to a 2023 Pew Research Center survey, 24% of Americans regret at least one of their tattoos. Some sources claim that 40% of Brits say the same and even consider having their body art removed. However, that also includes semi-permanent makeup, such as eyebrows, lips, and eyeliner.

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#4 Hmmm

#5 My Very First Tattoo In 1994 When I Was 15

#6 My One Of A Kind Hand Tattoo

A big portion of the folks who are now removing their tats are in their 40s. In a way, it makes sense: Millennials are older now, having kids, paying mortgages, and getting into healthy lifestyles. The remnants of their youth may have lost their power and meaning, so, it's only natural for them to want to get rid of them.

Research on tattoo regret shows that as tattooed people get older, they're more likely to regret their ink. Here are some other factors that influence whether folks regret getting a tattoo, too:

Whether they were impaired or intoxicated during the tattooing process.
If the tattoo was on their face, neck, wrist, or fingers.
Their body had a bad reaction to the tattoo, like an infection.

#7 Feeeeerosious

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#8 A Personal Submission

#9 Everything Happens For & Raisin

It also depends on the reason why a person gets the tattoo. For those who do it as a way to immortalize a person, event, or a personally significant phenomenon, tattoo regret is way less common. Those who get their first tattoos when they're older are also less likely to complain or want their tattoos removed later in life.

#10 Uppercase Lion With Lower Case Face

#11 Came In With A Sad Wolf, Came Out With A Lion Imposing Respect

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#12 Divorced My Wife And Didn't Want To Do A Cover Up

Although face and neck tattoos are the most commonly regretted, they're also among the least popular. When Advanced Dermatology asked people about their tattoo regrets, only 9% of the people surveyed said they had a neck tattoo. 3% had face tattoos, another 3% had tattoos on their ears, and only 1% had tattoos on (inside?) their mouths.

#13 Found This "Coverup" In A Hobby Group

#14 Here’s My “Leg Sleeve” From Back When I Was Manic

#15 My First And Only Tattoo. It Seemed Like A Good Idea When I Was 18 (2002)

The most common body parts to be tattooed are upper arms (42%) and lower arms (32%). The ribcage takes third place, with 29% of the people surveyed saying they have a tattoo there, followed by the chest (20%). Upper arms remain one of the most regrettable spots to get a tattoo. Others include upper back, hips, face, and buttocks. Interestingly, folks are also more likely to regret smaller tattoos.

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#16 Update On Tattoo Everyone Hates LOL

Okay I went to urgent care lol, doctor prescribed me 2 creams and an oral antibiotic. I’d like to thank everyone who was helpful and actually answered my question compared to the ones who took it as a chance to get their corny one liners out. And for those who were wondering, my friend did it but we’ve done tats in other styles and the plan was to just get it professionally recovered if it doesn’t work out. But yeah if you’re ever wondering if your tat is infected (pic three) then yh you should see a doctor.

#17 Rate My Tat (Be Honest)

#18 Girl I Went To School With Got Tats From One Of Her Friends In Some Dingy House

He’s no longer tattooing, so sorry if you wanted one of these bad boys.

Out of the 600 people that Advanced Dermatology surveyed, 46% said they got the tattoo they regret most when they were under 20. 45% claimed to get their most regretted tattoo in their 20s, cementing that the older you are when you get a tattoo, the less likely you are to regret it. I can personally say that’s true: I can't tell you how many stupid quotes from songs or books I would've gotten if I'd gotten my first tattoos before I was 20.

#19 Daughter Of A Friend Paid $300 For This Tat

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#20 Is This Guy Salvageable?

I have both arms done for the most part and this was the one time I went to someone other than my normal guy (albeit this guy being from the same shop.) the work was really good fresh but I don’t know if it was the ink or what; didn’t experience any infections or bad healing. It just ended up looking awful. I don’t want to cover it up, I like the tattoo. I want my regular guy to save it but I don’t know if it’s salvageable. Thoughts?

#21 Saw This In The Wild. Forever Bad

What has been your luck with tattoos, Pandas? Do you have any that you now would like to disappear from your skin forever? Share the most regrettable tattoos you have gotten with us in the comments! And if you'd like to see more horrible tattoos, we've got some more for your morbid enjoyment here, here, and here!

#22 Bad Acab Cat Is Just What I Needed

#23 What He Wanted / What He Got

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#24 I’m… Really Trying To See The Vision. Supposed To Represent A Mom & 2 Kids

#25 15 Year Old Me Should’ve Never Had A Tattoo Machine

Let all my friends tattoo their names years ago and am really regretting it not to mention I wouldn’t consider most these people to be a friend these days.

#26 My 18 Y/O Brother Got A Tattoo For His GF Of 3 Weeks

#27 Oops!

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#28 My Friends First Home Tattoo

#29 Do These Count

#30 My Coworker Got This, What Do We Think?

#31 Touch Up From A Local "Artist"

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#32 Lucid Drams

Three years together and she’s out here proudly wearing “LUCID DRAMS” across her chest like it’s some deep life philosophy. It’s supposed to be Dreams. Nobody caught it. Not her. Not the artist. Just permanent, confident nonsense right above her heart. We went out and she kept showing it off, talking about the “meaning,” while everyone did that quiet side eye thing. Someone even asked her to spell it and she did, loud and wrong. A dram is a shot of whiskey. She’s literally flexing Lucid Alcohol Units. I’m not saying anything. If you don’t proofread something that lives on your body forever, that’s your problem. I’m already tired of calling it an “inside joke” so I don’t look dumb by association. I’m not putting a typo in wedding photos.

#33 Found In The Wild. I Have No Words

#34 Wolf Goes Aroooo O_o

#35 Is This Even Fixable??

I got this tattoo by my best friends roommate, who had done some work on her. This was nowhere near my first tattoo ( I have about 30 and have been getting tattoos for almost 30 years. I knew better than to get a home tattoo. Not his fault it got infected by a dog stepping on my foot at the dog park, but his touch up made it worse. The paw print is MUCH bigger than original and the stupid pink “splash” of color makes people think my foot is scarred up. It’s my most hated tattoo. So, opinions? Will this be a huge and expensive cover up? Or is there no hope?

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#36 My First Tattoo I Got Back In 2015... My Ex Did It

#37 Yep. That’s A Crab

#38 Can’t Believe Someone Did This On Purpose

#39 Nothing Beats A Rose? Right?

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#40 My Brother's Classmate's Tattoo

#41 I Let My Sister Practice On Me When I Was 17

#42 Misspelled Word On My New Tat

#43 Got A Drunk Tattoo 2 Years Ago In A Kitchen At 2am, Covering Soon

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#44 Tattoo I Got At 15... Getting It Lasered Off In 2 Months

#45 Looks Like A 10 Year Old Drew This If You Ask Me

#46 My Tattoo Got Infected And Came Off

#47 What Should I Do?

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#48 How Bad Is This?

#49 This Masterpiece. Yes, This Is Real

#50 Yikes

#51 Infection, Where The H**l Have You Been Loca?

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#52 Had An Artist Tell Me The Edges Will Always Look Weird Cause Of How My Skin Moves. Is There Any Hope For Fixing It?

I’ve had different 2 artists go at it. The original artist who did it didn’t pack the ink in properly so it almost fully fell out. Second artist went over it properly and said the edges will always look weird. After the second artist it got super infected and scarred badly. After that I gave up on fixing it. It’s been a few years now and I’m thinking about trying again but I’m also scared of it getting worse. I’m just curious to get some opinions. I’m in no rush to fix it. Considering this was the most painful experience ever.