Until a couple of years ago, tattoos were the appanage of sailors and conmen, and anyone else donning them was looked down upon by the society because they couldn’t have been but some low-life trying to rip off those belonging to these two categories. With celebrities making tattoos cool and hip, more and more teens are getting them, without being aware of the costs and the pain they will have to undergo later on in life, when they will want them removed, a new piece by the Daily Mail reveals.

Getting a tattoo is not half as painful as it is made to be, and, even if it were, thinking of the end-result is more than enough to make people suffer in silence, as they say. They are neither too expensive, which makes them one of the most affordable trendy accessories of the moment. The fact that no one under 18 or 21 should be able to get one without parental consent is not stopping youngsters from getting inked either, since there are plenty parlors willing to work on them. Are tattoos really worth it, the Mail asks? No, they are not.

While permanent body art may seem the coolest thing to do right now – which applies particularly to teens – years from now, they could turn to be a hindrance, especially if they’re done in very visible places like the hands, neck, arms and chest. Having a tattoo removed, though, is an entirely different story, as it’s a lengthy process, painful and thousands of times more expensive than it was to get it in the first place. There is also scarring and discoloration of the skin (from burning it with the laser) and the lack of guarantee that the tattoo will be completely removed.

Other than the fact that tattoos done with inadequate equipment or in not so sterile conditions can lead to all sorts of infections and complications, the Mail piece points out, there are also the future consequences that should be taken into account. For some reason or another, for instance, removing green ink seems to be almost impossible, and not few have been the cases in which those having one such tattoo were permanently disfigured, requiring skin grafting and extensive plastic surgery to repair a mistake they had made many years before.

All in all, the Mail seems to underline, tattoos may look cool but, in the long run, they’re anything but that. While not advising against having permanent body work done, doctors and plastic surgeons do encourage anyone thinking of getting a tattoo to seriously consider their choice – because it will be one they will most likely have to live with for the rest of their lives.