15 years ago when I was first succumbing to the siren song of a tattoo gun, a friend of mine did the same. I got a small Japanese kanji behind my ear. She got Mickey Mouse riding a lawnmower at her pubic bone. And I remember thinking to myself, is that smart? Is that something that she's going to look at years later and think, "Man, that's really reflective of me?"

Granted, she could've gotten it covered over with something else if it lost its novelty. And while tattoos are no longer forever, they're certainly a pain in the ass to remove.

So let's say you've found yourself in the same position, and many moons later, your "Mötley Crüe Rules" no longer fills you with pride (which is absurd, because Crue always rules, but maybe it just doesn't make sense to have it plastered on your forehead anymore). What options do you have?

Obviously there's the laser route, which works by zapping your tat with super-concentrated light that breaks up the ink, which is then carried out of your body via the immune system. It's effective, but can cost hundreds to thousands of dollars depending on the size and type. That, and the bigger the tat, the more sessions you're going to have to sit through to get it removed. (Check out How Stuff Works for more on the entire process.)

There's a lot of do-it-yourself cream options available, where you just purchase a two or three-step kit of goo and spray, and voila! Your tat magically disappears. It's tempting to go this route for sure – not only is it cheaper, it's more convenient and less annoying. But that said, if they were really that effective, chances are medical removal offices would be out of business.

And if neither of those appeal to you, there's always cover-up. But don't attempt to mask it with Maybelline – opt for something like Dermablend, the cover-up of choice for most drag queens (or so I'm told.)

But before you embark on some kind of removal, remind yourself of how badly you wanted it when you first got it. Do you feel the same way now about removing it? Just a thought...