A bloke desperate to have a giant misspelt tattoo lasered off his back was ignored by a clinic - after they believed the colourful monstrosity was a prank. Christian Walton has lived with the gag inking 'My First Tatoo' in rainbow lettering for four years ever since appearing on MTV's hit show Just Tattoo Of Us.
For years, the fun-loving sales administrator reaped the benefits of his TV appearance through free drinks and VIP booths in clubs and says it helped get him more interest from women on dating apps. But being the owner of such a unique tattoo in vibrant colours means Christian's been forced to ditch white shirts on nights out - and he's now decided to get rid of it.
The 23-year-old texted Laserways Clinic, along with a picture of the tattoo, to find out how much it would be to see the back of it for good. But after hearing nothing back and sharing his disappointment on Facebook, a pal who was also getting a tattoo lasered off there said he'd find out why he hadn't had a reply.
The friend later revealed that somebody at the clinic apparently thought he was 'taking the p*ss' as they've had competitors reach out previously in a bid to gauge prices.
Laserways Clinic have since admitted they did initially suspect Christian's enquiry to be a 'joke or a competitor' at first but said that they would not work on his tattoos as they couldn't guarantee a satisfactory removal due to the 'multiple colours and depth' of the inking.
Christian, from Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, said: "I just wanted to get it lasered so the colours would fade a little bit as they're really bright. Then I'd want to get it covered. I think they thought I was having them on when I sent them a picture of it, because I didn't get a response after that.
"After I posted about it on Facebook, a girl reached out to me, saying that she was going in for laser treatment the next day. She said she'd ask about me. She said the guy thought I was taking the p*ss and that he thought I was a competitor trying to figure out prices.
"I find that funny in the grand scheme of things. Anyway, he said there was too much colour in my tattoo for him to do laser treatment on it. Since I didn't have any luck getting an appointment, I might just leave it be for now. I might keep it for a little bit longer before trying to get it covered at another point."
The tattoo was created on hit MTV series Just Tattoo Of Us, which Christian appeared on in 2018 with then-best friend Megan Green.
Christian said: "In 2018, I applied for Just Tattoo Of Us with my best friend, Megan. I never expected to get onto it, it was just a joke between us. We went down to London, we were so involved in it, We were so up for a laugh, that's just the kind of people we are. The tattoo took about three-and-a-half hours to get done.
"We saw the tattoos as a laugh, we didn't fall out over them or anything. The tattoo is definitely bigger than hand-sized. It goes from the base of my neck to the middle of my back, it's in between my shoulder blades.
"My parents didn't believe me when I told them I'd gotten onto the show. When they saw the tattoo for the first time, their reaction was very intense. It was my first tattoo and it was so bright, big and bold But I don't think they had any hesitations about it, they just let me get on with what I want to do."
Christian's appearance on the show has earned him a few perks over the years, but they weren't enough to justify leaving the tattoo on his back. Christian said: "There have been a few times where I've been recognised from the show while I've been on a night out.
"It's gotten us free drinks, a bottle of champagne and even a free VIP booth in a nightclub. It came with its good stuff, we got stuff out of it. I even mention it on my dating profiles. On my Tinder and my Hinge, I'll get women asking about it. It kind of works in my favour to be honest. I'll write in my bio that I got my first tattoo on a TV show.
"I just feel like it's been there for a while now, I've lived with it for over four years. I just want something new, I'm tired of being the guy who has 'My first tattoo' spelt wrong on his back. I'm kind of over it now. I see it as being permanently scarred because I can't get it covered. I'd have to have it lasered a few times.
"I can't even wear a white shirt at the moment because it shows through, especially when I'm dancing in a club and I get sweaty and the shirt sticks to my back. It's like being stuck with it, like being cursed. I don't have an idea of what to get it covered up with, I'm open to ideas. I see clips from the show constantly on TikTok, and it'll get millions of comments. It's hilarious.
"It's so funny how I went from being a normal lad from Newcastle to going viral over a TikTok about a tattoo I got four years ago."
A Laserways Clinic spokesman said: "The tattoo that Christian has is one of such multiple colours and depth that even the best medical grade technology would struggle to remove it completely. When assessing our clients' tattoos for laser removal, we use our many years of experience and expertise to take into account how the tattoo will look post-treatment.
"In Christian’s case for example, if we were to start the removal process we would be unsure as to how the tattoo would look once completed. Would the treatment be of any benefit to Christian or indeed make his situation worse? For example, leaving him with a half-removed tattoo or a patchy final result.
"Having taken these factors into account the likelihood of Laserways being able to provide Christian with a good result are very slim, therefore we would not treat this tattoo at any of our clinics."
MTV was approached for comment.
