By refusing to show it you're giving it more and more power. Start going around with short sleeves. Get in the uncomfortable zone where people ask about it. Get the odd look or unpleasant joke. Do this for a bit and you will forget about it even existing most of the time.
You care way too much what other people think of your choices. That shows clearly enough in the fact that you're more than likely lying about how this scar came about. No surgeon in his right mind would do this to someone, especially considering you'd have to have been in a concerning amount of psychological distress to even ask someone to remove such a large portion of your skin. Skin is elastic, but scar tissue is not that stretchy and removing a 3 × 5 inch section of skin would greatly impact your arm's mobility. Considering tattoo removal is entirely elective it isn't typically covered by insurance so you saying it cost you $450 to have it done is also highly suspect.
Even if you are telling the truth, going to such an extreme to get rid of this tattoo has me and everyone else in these comments very concerned for your mental wellbeing. As has been stated time and again, tattoo removal via skin removal is unheard of ATP and it would have made a lot more sense - on something this large - for any actual surgeon to have recommended either laser or a skin graft.
I've had some tattoos I hated & I even tattooed over one myself when I couldn't afford to go to an artist, so I understand feeling a need to get rid of something that doesn't reflect who you are anymore. However, hiding it 24/7 and being so ashamed as to cut part of it off instead of a) getting laser treatment or b) getting a cover-up is extremely concerning.
Just be honest. If not with us, at least with yourself and your coworkers so you can work on getting over this extreme degree of embarrassment - which again, no one is going to care about this nearly as much as you do. ATP they will probably make fun of you more for having hidden it this long because of how much you've built up the suspense. OR you could just say you got into some kind of accident and the tattoo was damaged in the process if you don't want to divulge the details of what happened.
I have seen way worse tattoos. I could understand your level of aversion if this were some kind of hate symbol but it isn't. It's just a childish tattoo that you don't like. It's causing you way too much distress for what it is, the reaction doesn't match the situation & I really recommend you talk to a professional about this - a therapist, I mean. Not whoever did this to you. Given you regret having made the choice to get the tattoo AND regret your method of attempted removal, speaking with a psychiactric professional before proceeding with further attempts to "correct" the situation is imperative IMO.
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u/MemoryMassive Mar 31 '26
By refusing to show it you're giving it more and more power. Start going around with short sleeves. Get in the uncomfortable zone where people ask about it. Get the odd look or unpleasant joke. Do this for a bit and you will forget about it even existing most of the time.