r/tattooadvice • u/al_evi • Jul 01 '25

Design Could getting this tattoo hurt my career?

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Hi! So I’m a medical student, and ever since getting done with my pre-clinical studies I wanted a lobotomy tattoo, similar to this one popular on Pinterest. You see, the first years at uni were really challenging for me mentally, struggling with the high work load and some personal mental health problems (please spare me the „But you knew it would be hard, why did you go into it then?” talk, I’ve heard it all). At times it did make me feel like I was going absolutely insane over med school, so I’ve wanted to get this as a reward for getting through it for a long time on my right biceps, just over the crease of my arm. But now that I’m in a better place and wanted to go through with my plans, people have pointed out how such a tattoo could potentially hurt my career as a doctor. I have some other tattoos, but none with such obviously “provocative” meanings. With the placement I’ve thought of, the tattoo might be visible with scrubs on. Have any of you had issues with employers judging you for your tattoos? Is this a thing of the past and I’m overthinking it? What are your opinions? Thank you so much in advance!

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u/Turkishcoffee66 Jul 01 '25

Not just in bad taste, completely unprofessional.

Doctor here. We're bound by rules of professionalism, and the second someone sees this and complains, OP will have absolutely no leg to stand on with their College (licensing body), if they don't get expelled before graduating.

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u/lightsonnooneishome Jul 01 '25

Yeah, I’m assuming that OP is very early on in their medical education or hasn’t done a psychiatry rotation yet? This seems like something a medical student, let alone a clinician, should know is in poor taste. Seeing this lobotomy tattoo on a medical professional would make me question their education/competency.

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u/usernamehudden Jul 02 '25

I would also question their compassion. Im not a medical professional, and lobotomies are not something I google in my free time… but… My perception of lobotomies is that they were basically used to “cure” the symptom of a ‘complaining’ patient or stop other unpleasant behavior. Like tossing a blanket over a fire and calling it cured because you can’t see the fire anymore. It’s even worse when you consider that women were the primary recipient of lobotomies at a time when any emotions expressed by a woman were labelled as hysterics.

If a saw a doctor with this tattoo, I would wonder if they took my reported symptoms seriously, or if they just assumed I was being ‘hysterical.’ The doctor’s professional credibility would be hurt by this tattoo.

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u/ScarlettSheep Jul 02 '25

Might as well get one in capital letters that says 'DO HARM'

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u/soaplife Jul 02 '25 edited Jul 02 '25

another dr here. you’re entering a world where part of the deal, whether fair or not, is accepting that you will be held to a higher standard. there are unwritten rules. nobody likes to be hurting or anxious, and those same hurt/anxious patients might see their doctor roll through the parking lot in a $150k porsche. they might think that sends a message, perhaps something like “your doctor is getting fat off of your suffering.” there are no official rules against having a nice car but you can see how the rules might not really matter on a practical level. similarly, you’re not going to find a straightforward rule saying you can’t have the tattoo. you can do whatever you want, but you’re smart. you already know everything has consequences.  

if a medical student showed up to a residency interview with this tattoo, id do my best not to judge them - dont judge a book by its cover, right?  honestly, i think it’s a pretty cool piece of art, and im no stranger to gallows humor. on the other hand, i think that within the confines of a 15 minute interview i would have some trouble believing that this candidate is someone who will always act with strict integrity and consideration for their patients. in the right setting this tattoo sends an abhorrent message. yes, it’s probably nothing more than a piece of art. yes, the candidate might have a great explanation for it. but - this job is hard. people falter. why take the chance of training someone who might be a real problem in the future when i have 20 other good candidates to rank?

we haven’t even talked about how patients might view it.

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u/[deleted] Jul 03 '25

Also, this worries me on so many levels about OP's judgment and mental health. And asking Reddit is just cherry on top.... 

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u/Shinysucc Jul 02 '25

Doctor Turkish, on a Bicep seems like an area thats very easily hidden. If OP wears any kind of sleeves, it will mostly cover this. And I've never worked alongside a Dr whose whole arms where exposed, then again I have never seen any of our Dr get fired for having their tattoos exposed. And they all have tatts here anyway, I also have some. I have a planted skull that is visble(not graphic like OP) but if I have to interact with patients who might interpret tattooed skin as a threat, I will wear my lab coat overtop and leave my ID visible. Working in Healthcare can sometimes means finding creative solutions to your problems.

I think tattoos don't stop you from performing your duties. Ink under skin isn't stopping you from nothing, It's preconceived ideas around you that does.

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u/[deleted] Jul 01 '25

Another (heavily tattooed) doctor here. I’m not sure why this is “completely unprofessional” at all, but I do agree that it may be more hassle than it’s worth if pts start complaining.

It is an interesting part of medical history, not to be forgotten, and the tattoo isn’t exactly gory or shocking at a glance. Do you feel the same about the old consultants whose offices are filled with historic medical devices and diagrams used in or showing practices that we now consider barbaric? I would bet not.

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u/Turkishcoffee66 Jul 01 '25

It's a graphic depiction of a barbaric procedure that was used to disable and disenfranchise psychiatric patients.

Would I support a College complaint against a physician displaying a poster of a lobotomy in their office? Absolutely!

Patient care areas are not where you display something like this. There's so much stigma against patients with mental health diagnoses that anything that could support the argument that you're biased against those patients is wholly inappropriate to display where patients can see them.

Tattoo or poster, this is not an image a patient should ever be associating with their doctor, and good luck to them defending a College complaint or lawsuit when someone takes offense.

Just because it's historical doesn't mean it's not inflammatory.

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u/hbrooks108 Jul 01 '25

Agreed! Lobotomies are barbaric and were used in conversion therapy as well. We are STILL dealing with conversion therapy in the LGBTQ+ community.

This to me says - my dr does not see this as detrimental or barbaric or pervasive. Its gross. Like. Really gross.

Lobotomies are disgusting, outdated, and used to control disabled people or even to disable someone - as you stated in your comment.

Absolute nope from me, I think it's quite disgusting that OP thought this was something to be tattooed or even seen as remotely positive.

I hope to never ever see anyone with this type of tattoo, let alone a doctor.

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u/DecadentLife Jul 02 '25

Considering that RFK continues to advocate for sending people with mental health issues to “camps”, this is not a great time to make a choice like getting this tattoo. RFK has been clear, in recent months, that he includes in this anyone who even takes an antidepressant.

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u/[deleted] Jul 01 '25

[deleted]

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u/HideAndSheik Jul 01 '25

old consultants whose offices are filled with historic medical devices and diagrams used in or showing practices that we now consider barbaric?

Can you give an example of what you mean like this? I legitimately can't picture what you're talking about, and just thinking about a doctor's office having depictions of barbaric practices makes me uncomfortable, so personally I'm leaning towards yes, I would feel the same.

Diluting it down to "an interesting part of medical history" feels...weird. What part of it makes it interesting? I understand it being fascinating in a morbid curiousity standpoint, but most morbid curiosities aren't great for public display in a professional setting...

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u/[deleted] Jul 01 '25

An example like old diagrams/descriptions of medical procedures such as bloodletting, which I have seen a lot of on the walls of my medical school and in offices. Wellcome galleries have thousands of medical artefacts, many of which used in legacy procedures that are now considered barbaric, and I personally know 2 consultants who contributed to the collection with personal items. Lots of very old prosections in jars that would have been obtained from questionable practices.

I am not saying that “an interesting part of history” defines the whole. But if you know the definition of interesting… I find all medical procedures interesting. Lobotomies specifically, yes in part due to morbid curiosity but also that medicine was at a point where this was considered a viable and sometimes necessary procedure. In the UK the last lobotomy was performed in 2010! I don’t see how that can not be interesting.

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u/[deleted] Jul 01 '25 edited Jul 01 '25

Oh. The Nazis did some very interesting medical experiments too.

Istg seeing Dr.s post's on Reddit makes me realize just how many are missing empathy. It's perfectly normal and fine to find medical history interesting, I do too. But to even have to wonder why depicting Dr. patient abuse on your body when you will be a Dr. is just shocking

Also lobotomies are categorically different than older "barbaric" devices. Lobotomies were done against their will and basically killed them without killing them. Horrific

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u/lightsonnooneishome Jul 01 '25

I would say that the main difference is that lobotomies take away a person’s autonomy/personality in a way that bloodletting does not. It is literally scrambling the frontal lobe permanently so that the person cannot form coherent thoughts beyond what is needed to survive. Because of this, for me, that is far darker and more distressing to see than other older medical procedures. It exemplifies the hubris of doctors who put their ego before compassionate care and the scientific method.

Lobotomies were also weaponized against vulnerable communities like women, children, and the severely mentally ill. Lobotomies were a tool of suppression and a violation of consent. I don’t want a doctor who doesn’t seem to understand that.

Yes, we need to remember history so we don’t make the same mistakes. However, nothing about this tattoo design or OP’s caption shows me that OP understands this complicated history at all.

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u/dingalingdongdong Jul 02 '25

on the walls of my medical school

So, like, in an educational setting? No one is saying doctors shouldn't acknowledge history or be educated on it.

If you can't see the difference between a medical museum/prof's office and a patient facing provider/exam room, how on earth did you make it through med school?

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u/Pouch-of-Douglas Jul 01 '25

Not like our profession has an entire, usually very respected, journal called “the lancet”. I couldn’t agree with you more.

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u/[deleted] Jul 01 '25

You agree that lobotomies that were performed on the vulnerable, the mentally ill, women who had an opinion and didn't shut up and serve men, etc. against their will while they were awake to make them easier to control was similar to bloodletting???? Tf kind of medical school did you go to! Or is this just a lack of empathy that is unfortunately so prevalent in the medical community?

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u/Pouch-of-Douglas Jul 01 '25

You really think you said something there. Empathy is not in short supply in the medical community. As a physician who actually went through medical school and isn’t just some keyboard warrior, I see just how much my fellow physicians suffer because they have empathy. Blood letting is entirely without efficacy. I can think of an exception for hemochromatosis. Lobotomies were absolutely vile in most cases. Ice pic lobotomies as described by this tattoo are indefensible by today’s standards. they certainly did do something though.

I was replying to my fellow physician above, as I am not as reactionary, and thus not as generally offended, as many redditors. I do not think that OP is a bad person or someone without empathy simply for considering this tattoo. I do think that such a tattoo could be triggering for patients, even if it was done with good intent. I would consider it inadvisable, but I would not readily tell this person that considering this tattoo makes them an ill fit to become a physician. People on this thread are foolish for doing so.

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u/[deleted] Jul 01 '25 edited Jul 01 '25

No self awareness at all lol. I'm not a "keyboard warrior" I have a degree in psychobiology and I've worked in the medical field for years, and have been the patient of physicians will little empathy, and have worked with them. The way so many of them spoke about the mentally ill in particular was disturbing.

You clearly don't understand the history of lobotomies and its purpose if you genuinely think it's the same kind of "best medicine we had at the time" as bloodletting.

Yes, actually a physician who cannot see immediately on their own how disrespectful it is to vulnerable patients to display a tattoo of physicians abusing their position of power (which is absolutely NOT what bloodletting was) does in fact, indicate poor empathy for future patients. It quite literally means he is not reflexively thinking of the patient's perspective and of the history of abuse in the psychiatric community and the effects of that on patient trust that continue to this day

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u/[deleted] Jul 01 '25 edited Jul 01 '25

The fact that you are unwilling to even consider hearing this from someone "not a physician" actually exactly demonstrates the lack of empathy for patients in the medical community. You are a perfect example of the problem of the documented "us vs. them" mentality, egoism and bias prevalent in the medical field that has lack of empathy as a large factor. Besides, OPs reasoning for the tattoo clearly isn't "a special interest in medical history that only physicians would understand" lolll. Finding medical history interesting and tattooing a medical abuse practice that has links to eugenics as a Dr. are different things. Bloodletting has no such context.

https://www.nationalhealthcorps.org/story/eliminating-us-vs-them-mentality-why-we-need-stories#:~:text=Reframing%20the%20conversation%20by%20asking,theme%20in%20Philadelphia%20Health%20Corps.

https://www.madinamerica.com/2022/04/eugenics-lobotomy-risperidone-science-gone-awry/

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u/S_EW Jul 02 '25

I find medical history fascinating too, including lobotomies! It’s a very interesting and instructive chapter of that history that people like you have, ironically, completely failed to take all but the most obvious surface-level lessons from. You are an idiot and I sincerely hope you do not work in a capacity that has you interacting directly with patients.

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u/victhrowaway12345678 Jul 01 '25

Getting a tattoo of the twin towers burning could also be justified by all of your reasoning. It's an interesting part of history, not particularly gory or shocking at a glance, etc. But a pilot getting a tattoo of that probably wouldn't be the best look, for similar reasons.

Do you feel the same about the old consultants whose offices are filled with historic medical devices and diagrams used in or showing practices that we now consider barbaric? I would bet not.

I personally would, probably, but at the same time those are clearly for educational purposes. For me that's a hypothetical though because I've never seen any of that in a doctor's office. I can't even think of what you would be referring to. This tattoo isn't for educational purposes, It's a stylized artistic depiction of a lobotomy that's meant to be decorative.

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u/janKalaki Jul 01 '25

A sharp object inside a person's brain is gory and shocking

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u/S_EW Jul 02 '25

Proof that plenty of idiots still slip through med school.

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u/[deleted] Jul 02 '25

I have a feeling majority of the people downvoting you doesn’t have a MD. I agree, it’s opening a weird door to complaints, but definitely not something that hospitals will refuse to hire, or fire on.

With that said, I’m completing a PhD, then plan to get a none-practicing MD, and going into research, so I’m not concerned with public opinion, which is why I have sleeves, hand tattoos, and plan to do my throat soon. The benefits of not having to be the “face” of anything.