Miley Cyrus regrets 80% of her tattoos — and study shows top reason others do too

Miley Cyrus regrets 80% of her tattoos — and study shows top reason others do too Sophie-May Williams Published November 21, 2025 3:47pm Share this article via whatsappShare this article via xCopy the link to this article.Link is copiedShare this article via facebook Comment now Comments Click to see more Back Next Do you have tattoo regret? So does Miley Cyrus. Earlier this year, the Wrecking Ball singer sat down to answer five questions honestly and provide an insight into her life behind closed doors — and one of them opened up a conversation about her ink. (Picture: Getty Images) In a video with The New York Times, the reporter asked Miley: 'What's a mistake you've made that you still think about?' Without hesitation, she responded: '80% of my tattoos.' While the Grammy-winner admitted that she doesn't regret them enough to get laser removal, she did joke that she 'didn't need' a lot of them. (Picture: Getty Images) The main tattoos that came up in the discussion were portraits of her pets. 'I love my cat, but like, I didn't need that,' she said bluntly, pointing to the ink on her left arm. Miley then drew attention to her right arm, where she has a visible tattoo of her dog. She said again: 'I love my dog, but I don't know, having a pitbull in every picture for the rest of my life is kind of intense.' (Picture: Getty Images) Miley concluded this section of the interview with: 'There are just a few I could do without.' The Something Beautiful singer isn't the only person who regrets their tattoos in the 21st century, though. From a TikTokker who is having her chest tattoo removed, to a creator whose mid-30s femme aesthetic doesn't match her younger emo self, it's a common phenomenon supercharged by the accessibility of tattoos. (Picture: Getty Images) In 2022, the Indian Journal of Dermatology published a study called 'Demographics, Motivations, and Regret in Dermatology Patients,' specifically looking into tattoos. The research aimed to determine the demographics, the characteristics of tattoos, motivations for getting tattoos, tattooing practices and tattoo regret. (Picture: Getty Images) Their results concluded that tattoo regret is a 'significant issue,' but motivations differ between genders, age groups and other demographic characteristics. The study analysed 302 participants (140 were females, and 162 were men), between the ages of 16 and 62. The mean age was 28, and all participants had at least one tattoo which featured letters or numbers. The tattoos that proved to be the biggest mistakes were ones participants got at 19 years of age, according to the study. (Picture: Getty Images) Furthermore, 80 people (26%) revealed they regretted at least one of their tattoos, while 34 of them (42.5%) had undergone laser removal, or covered the existing ink with a new one. The most common reason for regretting the tattoo was simply because they didn't like it anymore. The most common motivations behind the inkings were ‘to feel independent’, ‘to feel better about himself/herself’ and ‘to look good.' The women participants received higher scores for wanting to 'be an individual.' (Picture: Getty Images) Ioana Rotaru, psychotherapist and director of Ioana Rotaru Therapy, backs this up. Speaking with Metro, she described a tattoo as a 'clear visual symbol that projects to the world who we are.' Ioana added: 'We want to have control over our lives and feel like we have the freedom to be who we are. An easy way of self-expression that gives an instant sense of self-control is getting a tattoo.' (Pictre: Ioana Rotaru) The ultimate regret rate was higher in males, who scored 66.3%. Interestingly, 43.3% of people who had tattoos performed by an amateur regretted at least one tattoo. Those who had their tattoos performed by a professional tattoo artist only expressed 19.3% regret. (Picture: Getty Images) This proves the point of Claudio Traina, celebrity tattoo artist and owner of London's Sixty Ink. Over the years, Claudio has tattooed everyone from Doja Cat to Yungblud to Teddy Swims. He revealed that, during the pandemic, there was a huge spike in unlicensed and amateur tattoo artists. (Picture: Claudio Traina) He told Metro: 'During Covid, tattooing blew up on social media. Suddenly, people with zero training or passion were tattooing from their kitchens and calling themselves "artists." A lot of friends and clients trusted these people and ended up with tattoos they now regret, sometimes even feeling scammed by people who weren’t real artists.' While these non-professional tattoos have left many people with regrets, they've also negatively impacted the industry. Claudio revealed that many legitimate studios struggled while non-artists cashed in, and now many of those pop-up 'artists' are quitting after leaving a mess behind. 'They hurt our community, our careers, and an art form we’ve dedicated years mastering.' (Picture: Claudio Traina) Back Back Start Start Next Next Next GalleryNext Gallery

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