(photo by freakychick)

It’s really important to take your time when choosing your first tatto.

That’s the advice from Dean Cameron, web owner and tattoo collector at Tattoo My Brain, an online tattoo gallery specializing in unique designs from all over the world.

Why?

Because 25% of first-time tattoo owners regret their choice of tattoo design!

Considering a tattoo is something you will spend the rest of your life with, there are a helluva lot of unhappy inked campers out there.

How does it happen? Well, the impulse buy is alive and well even when it comes to perma-ink. Many people stumble into tattoo parlours with no idea what they want. They look blindly through pages of designs while their eager friends urge them on.

But soon the friends get bored and change their tune, and instead of cheering, they start sneering for you to hurry up and choose something. Says Dean,

“I’ve seen this scenario played out again and again all around the world. In the end people choose a design they aren’t 100% certain about, and as a result… regret it for the rest of their life!

My father is a prime example. When he was a younger man he and his friends went out one night and decided to get a tattoo. My dad told me later that he was the last one to choose and his friends were telling him to hurry up, so in the end he was forced to select a design which he regretted later. He used to tell us as children that “if you ever decide to get a tattoo when you’re older don’t ever let your friends rush you or you’ll regret it!”

Enough of the horror talk. You – dear friend – have been warned and so you don’t have to make the same mistake over and over again. Here are Dean’s tips on how not to regret your first tattoo:

1. Take your time. The fact is quite simple – you need time and a lot of designs to choose from in order to select something that you will love and not get sick of after 3 days. Remember tattoos last forever, so selecting one that you absolutely LOVE will take more then 5 minutes browsing through a couple of folders in a tattoo parlour!
2. Remember it’s all about location, location, location! People continue to get tattoos on parts of their bodies that they regret later! So, think twice before going in and asking your local tattoo artist to ink up your genitals or face!!! Or, you’ll have to spend more money on laser removal, which leaves an ugly scar.
3. Pick a tattoo – then wait to see how you will feel about it after a week.

Online web galleries are great. You don’t have to hurry when making a decision. You can browse at your leisure, and in the comfort of your own home. You can download and print off your favorite designs so you can have a closer look at them. When you are ready, you just bring them into the tattoo parlour with you.

Do you have any cool tips for first-timers? Or a tattoo that you’ve regretted. Leave them below in the Comments field.

Tattoo My Brain has thousands of tattoo designs all grouped into categories so they are easy to browse.

Hurry now as Dean Cameron is offering a special membership price of only $34.95. Get it now before he raises it to $67.00!