Roughly a quarter of British adults now have at least one tattoo, and among under-40s it
is closer to a third. The questions people bring to a consultation have changed accordingly —
less “will people judge me” and more practical ones.
Tattoos and work
There is no law in the UK preventing an employer having a dress code that covers visible
tattoos, and some still do — parts of the armed forces, some client-facing roles, some
airlines. In practice the ground has moved a long way in twenty years, and most employers
have quietly dropped policies they no longer see the point of.
The practical advice has not changed though: think carefully about hands, neck and face.
Not because they are wrong, but because they remove a choice you cannot get back. Most
artists will ask whether you already have work elsewhere before agreeing to those placements,
and that question is asked for your benefit.
The age question
In the UK it is illegal to tattoo anyone under 18, and parental consent makes no
difference whatsoever. This surprises people every week. Piercing rules vary by placement and
some require ID. We will always ask, and we would rather have an awkward conversation than
break the law.
Tattoos and getting older
The most common worry, and the most overstated. A well-executed tattoo with sensible line
weight ages perfectly well — it softens, it does not disintegrate. What ages badly is fine
detail crammed into a small area, and sun damage. Sunscreen does more for a tattoo’s
long-term appearance than anything else you can do.
Medical and practical points
Tattoos do not prevent you having an MRI, though very rarely older iron-based pigments can
warm slightly — tell the radiographer. Blood donation rules in the UK require a four-month
wait after a tattoo or piercing, not a permanent ban.
Regret, honestly
Surveys put tattoo regret somewhere around one in five, and the pattern is consistent: the
regretted ones were chosen quickly, chosen young, or chosen because someone else wanted them.
Almost nobody regrets a tattoo they thought about for six months. If you are not sure, wait —
we are not going anywhere.