A fitness influencer has revealed how a small tattoo has cost her more than £11,000 to remove – with the ink leaving her husband saying it reminds him of the Hooters logo and her dad furious.
Gabriella Ellyse Abutbol was just 18 when she and her pals decided to get inked for fun, picking out a design that she’d spotted on the internet.
But the influencer, who is in her early thirties, quickly grew to hate the inking – branding it a “big black blob”.
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I was with a couple of friends, we thought it would be fun, and we found a picture of an owl with dreamcatchers as the eyes on Pinterest,” she told Need To Know.
“I was young and thought it looked cool.
“I 100% regret getting it.
“The tattoo looked like a big black blob on the side of my body, and I just want my natural skin back.
“Considering I show my body a lot, I hated the way it looked.”
Gabriella, who hails from San Diego, California, US, wasn’t the only one who wasn’t a fan – with her other half comparing the owl to the famous American restaurant chain’s busty branding.
She said: “I’ve actually been with my husband for 10 years but he used to always say it reminded him of the Hooters owl.
“So it made me want to get rid of it even more.”
Not only that but it also caused a family fallout, with Gabriella’s furious dad refusing to speak to her after she got it done.
She said: “My dad was really against tattoos and when I got it, he was so mad he completely cut me off and didn’t talk to me for a few months.
“Now he laughs and tells me it’s the worst investment I ever made, because the tattoo cost $500 (£370) to get and over $15,000 (£11,100) to remove.”
Gabriella started the removal process four years ago at a med spa in Carlsbad, where she claims she endured 18 “unbearably painful” laser sessions – with little to no results.
She said: “They kept telling me my tattoo was just unusually deep and that I needed to be patient but something didn’t feel right.
“Everyone around me kept saying it should have faded much more by then.
“They only used one lidocaine injection, which didn’t numb the area at all, and I even needed laughing gas because the pain was so unbearable.
“Looking back, I honestly don’t know how I made it through 18 sessions. I was just so determined to get rid of the tattoo.”
The influencer eventually switched to San Diego dermatologist Dr William Groff – and says the difference has been “night and day”.
She has now racked up around 32 laser removal sessions in total, spending £11,100 ($15,000) so far, with the final bill expected to hit up to £13,300 ($18,000).
She said: “I’m hoping I only need one or two more treatments.”
“The side of my body is an incredibly painful area to treat, so having the area fully numbed makes a huge difference.
“For me, I’d rather pay more to have the procedure done by an experienced physician using techniques that prioritise both comfort and healing than choose a cheaper option that leaves me in unbearable pain.”
Gabriella, who undergoes treatments roughly every eight weeks, admits her parents warned her against getting inked in the first place.
She said: “Looking back, it was one of the biggest mistakes I’ve made.
“Personally, I think people should wait until they’re older before making a permanent decision like that.
“Who you are at 18 is completely different from who you are at 30 or 40.
“What seemed cool back then definitely doesn’t feel that way now.”
Gabriella insists the cost of removal is “worth every penny”.
She added: “At this point, I’ll do whatever it takes to finish the process.
“After coming this far, I can’t imagine stopping before it’s completely gone.
“If you’re considering tattoo removal, I’d recommend doing your research and seeing an experienced physician who specialises in laser removal.
“I never would have gotten it, and I’ll never get another tattoo again.”
