Everyone falls in and out of love – that's just life. Most people move on and heal, but others bear a scar – be it an ex's name or anniversary date – for the duration of their time on this earth. While it's quite unfortunate to carry the name of someone whom you may hate, there are at least four ways to work around the situation.

1. Put another tattoo over it
As People magazine reported, one of the most epic tales of a covering up an ex lover's name was when Johnny Depp altered his ink from "Winona Forever" to "Wino Forever." It's the quintessential story of boy meets girl, boy tattoos girl's name on his arm, boy breaks up with girl and fixes his tattoo. People who can handle the pains of heartbreak with grace may find some humor in re-doing their tats. 

2. Treat yo' self
Others, not so much. But the good news is that there's always retail therapy. Think you won't feel at least a little better after some shopping? Think again.  As Psychology Today pointed out, research conducted by TNS Global showed that more than half of Americans engage in retail therapy. It's known to have positive effects, so go ahead and treat yo' self if you've been dumped. Buy some nice sweaters so you'll never have to see the name "John" again. 

3. Accessorize to compromise
If you're not down with big sweaters and long shorts in the summer, you can always just over-accessorize to compensate for that reminder of your former lover that exists on your flesh. In the way that people tend to play up their strengths, you can dress up other parts of your body to make up for the fact that the jerk's name is on your shoulder. 

4. Get it removed
Of course, you can always take a page out of Eva Longoria's book and have the offending tattoo removed. As People pointed out, the gorgeous actress had three tattoos dedicated to her ex on her body. After the split she removed the word "nine," which was a reference to her old flame's jersey number, and also took the anniversary date off of her wrist. Laser tattoo removal is likely your best option if you're not one for hiding your flesh. Nothing quite as satisfying as literally ridding yourself of your ex once and for all. 


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