People live life attempting to avoid the constricting feeling of regret. That matter isn’t helped when people make lifelong decisions, such as tattoos, in high school. In a Northwestern University study, it was found that 25 percent of study-takers had tattoo regret, with 17 percent contemplating removing their tattoo(s) altogether. Considering that approximately one out of five American adults has a tattoo, this regret is quite common. How much would that regret percentage decrease if people held off on getting a tattoo until they were older?

When people are younger, they may get tattoos based on trends, celebrities or something else that may be a transitory fad. If someone is going to make a permanent decision, shouldn’t it be based on something more than a temporary sensation? Think of someone getting a fruit-sized tattoo of Britney Spears in the 2000’s when she became irrelevant nearly a decade later. High schoolers should put more thought into the decision before getting a tattoo and make sure it has significance for them.

“I regret not doing stuff I wanted because I was afraid of what other people would think. However, I recommend not getting a tattoo at a young age because your body is a temple, and you shouldn’t mark it with insignificant things before fully going over the thought,” Spanish teacher Mrs. Gabriela Zaviezo said. However, if an event has had such an impact in someone’s life that they wish to commemorate it in tattoo form, that’s his or her decision. But when someone is at such a young age, they should be extremely confident that they are going to be okay with that specific tattoo for the rest of their life. If not, they should talk with others for input before they make decision that will stay with them for the rest of their life.