Colorado leads the nation in tattoo regret, study finds

Have a tattoo or two that you regret? Well, if you live in Colorado you definitely are not alone!

A new analysis by Goldie, a scheduling platform for tattoo artists, found that Colorado ranks No. 1 in the nation for tattoo removal and cover-up searches per capita. The study examined Google search data to determine how frequently residents of each state searched for terms like “laser tattoo removal” and related queries, then adjusted for population. Washington and Arizona ranked second and third.

Researchers say the finding may be less about bad ink and more about volume — Colorado’s strong tattoo culture means more people are getting tattooed in the first place, which naturally produces a larger pool of people who eventually have second thoughts. Nationally, studies have found that people who get tattooed before age 21 report a 38% regret rate, compared with just 7% for those who waited until after 21.

This isn’t the first time Colorado has earned the dubious distinction. A separate analysis in 2024 reached a similar conclusion, finding that Coloradans were searching for tattoo removal at higher rates than any other state.

The timing tracks with advances in removal technology. By 2026, picosecond lasers — which use ultra-short pulses of energy to break up ink particles — have become the industry standard, offering improved results on multi-colored tattoos with fewer side effects like blistering or scarring.