A woman who began getting tattoos aged 18 has gone viral as she announced her “parents were right” and she had begun the process of having them removed.
Jaycee, now 23, lives in Chicago and works as an esthetician, and is planning to remove 14 of her 21 tattoos, many of which she got to honor her family and her favorite childhood movies and books.
“Others that I am removing don’t have as much meaning,” she told Newsweek, including some she got simply “for aesthetic purposes, growing out of them quickly.”
While she considers her tattoos well done, she has decided to remove them because “the majority that I got between the ages of 18 to 21 don’t really resemble who I am as a person anymore.
“And even if they do still align with me, the older I’ve gotten the more I wish I didn’t get tattoos covering my arms.”
Jaycee shared a video to her TikTok account @moonlady444 on March 1, showing her drinking from a bottle of water with her arms covered up after a laser session, and wrote: “Me every 8 weeks because my parents were right and I do regret the tattoos I got at 18.”
Drinking water oxygenates the blood and helps the circulation of white blood cells, which assists the removal of tattoo ink after each laser treatment for tattoo removal, according to Think Again Laser Clinic.
TikTok @moonlady444
Jaycee told Newsweek the laser treatment, while going well, is a “long process,” and will take around three years to get each of her 14 tattoos completely removed, but “in the end, it’ll be worth it for me.”
Her video, viewed over 2.4 million times, sparked a big reaction, with commenters debating their own tattoos and whether they should have waited until they were older to get them.
One user admitted they “regret every single one” of theirs, but another hit back: “Can’t relate, they tell a story and give perspective on different stages of my life.”
“My mom forbid me to get a tattoo at 18, I’m so grateful now, I would have a Harry Potter tattoo now,” another admitted.
And one admitted their “only tattoo regret is not thinking about placement more because I used up prime space early on.”
Not all of Jaycee’s ink is getting removed, as she told Newsweek: “I am keeping my smaller and hidden tattoos—my dad’s name on my ankle, small writing on my ribcage, and one small candlestick on my inner bicep from my favorite childhood book.”
TikTok @moonlady444
As for other 18-year-olds considering their first tattoos, she acknowledged it’s “such a personal preference” and tattoo “regret isn’t experienced by everyone.”
“However I do think frontal lobe development is a real thing. I am 23 now and regret over half of my tattoos. They’re well-done tattoos, they’re pretty, I just don’t want them on me anymore.”
According to research published by the National Library of Medicine, the frontal lobe matures during adolescence and is fully accomplished around the age of 25. The frontal lobe, also known as the prefrontal cortex, is involved in cognitive functioning including decision-making, personality and behavior, and impulsivity.
“Personal style changes and a lot of maturity happens in your early 20s and late teens,” Jaycee went on, clarifying that she does not want to “stop people from getting tattoos,” but “my advice would be to start small, meaningful, and slow.”
“Just because you’re able to get tattoos doesn’t mean you should get them all at once. I wish I took more time with them, because they’re addictive!”
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some extra details, and they could appear on our website.