“The results of this survey make for stark reading,” says Dr Stephen Crabbe, leading the study. “Even today, society still seems to judge women more for having tattoos.

“Despite living in a more tolerant society than ever before, where equal rights are correctly pushed across all groups, tattoos remain a subject that sees prejudice cast unfairly.”

Of the women who regretted their tattoos in the study, nearly 30% said they simply got bored of the design. A further 23% said the tattoo no longer held the same significance or value that it once did.

One in three young adults now has a tattoo, and women are driving this trend as we look to body ink as a form of vital self-expression.

Lena Dunham (above) is one in a growing number of people who experiment with tattoos as a means of asserting identity.

“Been tatting myself up like crazy this month,” the actor and director wrote on Instagram last year, as she shared a photo of a rose tattoo on her thigh.

“I think it gives me a sense of control and ownership of a body that’s often beyond my control.”

Women 'feel more judged' than men for having a tattoo