Thinking about tainting my body a.k.a. Tattoos

[Greenday]

Yep, that's right, I'm seriously considering getting a tattoo. I've always joked around about it but I'm probably going to do it when I get home after the semester. There were only two tattoos I've been willing to ever get. The first one was a sign on my lower back, pointing down to my rear, that says, "Exit Only". And I'd only get that if I ever went to jail. The other one is a heart that says Mom on it. Can you guys guess which one I'm thinking about having done? I'll give you a hint. I'm not going to jail anytime soon, that I know of.

I've always believe if you are going to get a tattoo, it had better be something that'll mean a lot to you. I can't even begin to describe how much my mom means to me and how much she's done for my sister and I. So in 40 years, when I think about it, it's not something I'm going to regret.

And as far as finding a place to get it done, I'm going to talk to my aunt. She's had a few tattoos done. A couple really small things, and two for her sons, so she knows where to go.

[iradney]

I've got two tattoos. They're both on my spine, just below my neck, and I'm considering getting a third.
The first is a chinese symbol for dragon - I got it after escaping from an emotionally abusive relationship, to remind myself that I am a strong person. The second one is also a chinese symbol, for courage. I got that after moving across the country to be with TTO - I dont do things like that, so it was basically to remind myself that it is ok to take risks.
The third one I haven't done yet, but it's going to be a pair of angel wings with a 5 pointed star in the middle. It's going to be for my sister that passed away 6 years ago. I just dont know where to put it.

Basically, if you're getting a tattoo coz "everyone else is doing it", don't. If you're commemorating a period in your life, or someone special, like your Mom, make sure that you go to a reputable tattoo parlour. You can ask the artists if you can see their portfolio to see if you like their style, as each one has their own style. Also make sure they use new needles and they dont recycle their ink.

If you do go for it, remember to wash well that day! Tat artists need a clean canvas to work on :) It is painful, but after a few seconds the endorphins kick in and you get a kind of buzzy feeling. You can try get a henna tattoo of the image you want if you want to see if you like how it looks as well. Good luck! :D

[Bright_Star]

I wanted to get a heart tattoo on my breast but somebody told me that once on it stays on FOREVER & the only way to remove that is with a laser. I said..."No thanks! Don't want no laser on my "girls'.....lol.

[blas]

Oh come on iradney, I'm the biggest baby alive and I survived 4 tattoos.

Unfortunately, I'd give anything to have 3 of them removed.

The only neat thing is that me and Holly from the Girls Next Door both have the same tattoo in the same place. Except hers is pink and mine is black.

Just think it through very thoroughly Greenday.

[Greenday]

It's nothing something I'm going to regret. I see these girls getting stuff like a butterfly done on their hip or something equally stupid. There's no purpose behind that. It's stupid. At least the one I want means something to me.

I was talking to my mom about it today. She was telling me about my grandfather's tattoos and how he regrets having them. I can't remember what one of them is but the other one says, "Death Before Dishonor". He got that when he was 15 and in the Navy during WWII. I like that second tattoo personally.

[Lyse]

I have a celtic knotwork pentagram on my lower back. It was something that I had considered for a couple of years before I found a design that I really liked. Before the end of the year I will also have a pheonix/firebird done on the side of my back. It too has a lot of meaning in it. My usually recommendation for anyone considering a tattoo is to wait six months to see if the urge passes, and to imagine a few decades out whether it would have any meaning other than being young and impulsive. Sounds like you're good on both accounts.

[April]

I've got five tattoo's, plans for 2 more in the works :)

Many of them I chose for no particular reason but I liked them. And nearly 10 years later after the first one, I still love them and have zero regrets.

My next 2 are going to be of my childrens eyes. Once I do a bit more research and find a totally awesome portrait artist. (I want Cat Von D but I don't think she is coming to colorado soon)

So, my only advice is to make sure that is what you want and go for it!

[lordlundar]

I'm not going to jail anytime soon, that I know of.

You're sure on that?:angel:

biggest piece of advice I can offer is that these do not go away, consider what it's going to look like 30-40 years down the road.

[powerboy]

I have been wanting 3 tattoos. One is the superman symbol, to remind myself that I am strong inside. The second is of a cross on Right-Hand ring finger. The third is a W.W.J.D. inside a little circle, and to make it look like a bracelet. I am thinking about going with my bosses brother, next time he goes.

[Fera Festiva]

Don't have any myself, although I'm working up to it (too much of a wuss, although I do have several piercings). The boyfriend has a couple - the Pleiades (a constellation) on his back is my favourite. It's pretty original.

His tattoo artist gives the folowing advice: think about the design you want for at least six months before you get it done. Make a copy of it and put it up somewhere you'll see it every day (like next to where you keep your toothbrush or on your alarm clock). If you're not sick of seeing it after six months, then do it. And to echo what Lyse said - consider the meaning it'll have when you're older. A friend of mine has a really fugly tattoo of Snoopy and Wodstock on a motorbike, which made perfect sense to her when she was 19. :rolleyes:

[AFpheonix]

I wanted to get a heart tattoo on my breast but somebody told me that once on it stays on FOREVER & the only way to remove that is with a laser. I said..."No thanks! Don't want no laser on my "girls'.....lol.

http://www.engadget.com/2006/12/26/new-tattoo-ink-means-4ever-neednt-be-permanent/

Only in black at this point, but according to the NPR story I heard about this originally, they're working on other colors now.

[Jinxy]

I've got 9 at present count, I just had the one I really didn't care for (and the most obvious) fixed and I love it now.
Everything I have was gotten for a very specific reason and I have everything someplace where it can be hidden if needed.

If it's something that you really want and have put a lot of thought into go for it.

Jinxy who thinks that getting them is addicting

[myswtghst]

Chiming in to say, yes, muy addictive. :) I've got three at this point, and I got the first two within a month of each other. All three of mine were planned out in advance, things I'd contemplated, and in places I can easily cover. I've also made a promise to my mom that I'll keep em in places where they won't show in my wedding pictures. ;) I'd like more eventually, but am making sure I'm decided before I go ahead, and still need to find a new artist (I moved away from the guy in MI who did all three of mine).

At this time, I have:
A fairy in a bottle on my lower back, a design I drew myself and wanted for YEARS before I had it done.
A dragonfly on the top of my left foot, it was my graduation present to myself, inspired by my love of insects.
A kodoma (forest spirit from Princess Mononoke) on my right ankle, for good luck and to make me smile.

All three hurt (they're all over bones), but none hurt nearly as bad as piercing my tragus (that little piece of cartilage kind of covers the hole in your ear), and they all just itched like crazy while healing.

My advice? Think about it for a while (as I see you've already done), and have a good sketch that's accurate in size of what you want. Get recommendations and find someone who has ink you like, then follow up with their artist. While you're healing, I used A&D cream (for diaper rash) found in the baby aisle at drug stores, and I've also learned that tapping on the tattoo keeps you from scratching it when it itches. Hope that helps!

[Spiffy McMoron]

Chiming in here...

I have three tattoos right now, two of which are in the process of being completed (next appointment is on May 29) and have plans for many more. (An entire backpeice, from shoulders to lower back, among others.) The two on my thighs weren't bad, but they really started to hurt when the needle was on the hip joint and when the design wrapped to the back of the thigh. I agree with everything that has been said here--make sure that the design is something that you want to have on your body. If not, covering up an unwanted design can be pricey--my first, cheapie $100 tattoo needed $250 to make it look good.

During the session, breathe regularly. I find chewing gum helps. If you want a space that won't hurt much, a general guideline is this: the more sensitive an area (back of the knees, near the armpits) the more that the tattoo will hurt. Afterwards, I recommend Tattoo Goo to heal it (It's a type of vitamin E cream that won't cause the colour to leak.) It will itch like a sumbitch from about day 3 to day 6. Avoid the sun for a while, and follow your tattoo artists aftercare instructions.

[TNT]

Then a friend I knew for several years passed away from cancer last year. She was 19. I thought to myself that I can't go my entire life WISHING I did something instead of actually doing it. I want the life experience. My friend never had the chance.



My former psychiatrist of many years was also a specialist in geriatric psychiatry. He often gave me this to chew on: "I've found that my elderly patients seldom mention any regrets about the things they've done. Instead, they regret the things they didn't do."

On the subject of tattoos, I was never much one way or the other for them until I saw the butterfly a friend of mine has. It's stunning. Absolutely stunning. When she's 70, it's still going to look great.

[Heksubah]

For years my best friend and I had discussed getting matching tattoos, since we've been best friends for almost thirteen and a half years now. We had a few points we wanted to make sure we hit, though, if we were going to do something like this.

A: Definately no Best Friends Forever or each others names. That was out the question. There remains the possibility that, down the line, we may not be friends and if that is the case I know I certainly would not want her name in permanent ink stuck on my body.

B: It had to be something we would both like. Duh!

So as a Christmas present to her last year I paid for us to both get the tattoo. The design we picked had multiple meanings to both of us, and multiple meanings that tied to our friendship. The background was an infinity symbol made of vine and then over it were two flowers, one at either end. The flowers were our birth flowers, a morning glory (her!) and a narcissus (me!). The infinity symbol represented our hope for a continuing friendship, and if you turn it sideways it makes an 8... we were both born on the 8th of our respective months, thus correlating with the flowers as well.

And for a really crappy image of it, here's our lovely shoulders all swollen and icky the day we had it done (I really need to get a new shot now that it's all healed and pretty).

http://www.shantyraidio.com/pics/Karatat3.jpg

And no, I personally didn't think it hurt. My only issue was the fact that the chair I was sitting in had an issue with not being grounded so when he started tattooing me I got hella shocked in my hip, yowza! They kept telling me I might feel the tattooing down nerves in my arm and I was telling them, "Yeah, I feel it in my hip! Ow!" We realized what it was, though, and put a cloth over the metal part of the chair. *rubs her hip and mutters*

[Heksubah]

Aww, thanks! They look a lot better now than they did then. They are very overbright there since they had just been inked. I am planning on getting two more.

One by the same artist involving a rose and a feather quill. The rose, because when I lived in St. Louis a neighbor who was a gardener once uprooted a decrepit rosebush in his yard to replace with a new one. When I was passing by and asking him about his gardening he asked me if I wanted the old one. I thought it was just a dead thing but he assured me it would grow and bloom. I took it home and it turned into the most beautiful amazing bush and ever since I have adored and worshiped roses. The quill because I am a writer. I spill my random writing out on A Deranged Mind (http://www.aderangedmind.com) in blogs and short stories as exercises for practice 'til I finally start 'the big one.'

The second, I'm not sure. I just know that it's buy two, get the third free up to $50 (or basically a $50 discount) so I'm getting a third by the same artist at some point. The artist joked with my best friend and I that he asked one of his coworkers once, "How will we know that people aren't trying to cheat us on that discount?" The coworker just eyed him and gave him an odd look, "You mean you can't recognize your own work?" He got the point then.

[CanadaGirl]

It's nothing something I'm going to regret. I see these girls getting stuff like a butterfly done on their hip or something equally stupid. There's no purpose behind that. It's stupid. At least the one I want means something to me.


Uh, thanks for the vote of confidence. That's what my second is and where it even happens to be. Jeez.

http://tn1-3.deviantart.com/fs12/150/f/2006/337/f/c/my_new_tat_by_devilious_red.jpg

The butterfly is a reminder to make changes when the opportunity arises. Change and transformation are inevitable for us all, but it does not have to be traumatic.Butterfly symbolism is also closely tied to the idea of spirits and souls.

[Emrld]

I have three tatoos.
The first is on the inside of my right ankle. I went in and asked for a red outline of a heart . . . he started with the black ink - he thought I was saying stop cause I was gonna chicken out (WTF - customer says Stop on something permenent you stop) needless to say his co-worker came and took over - colored it in red for free and even gave a little disscount on top of that)
A few years later I went to talk to another local artist that at the time was quite well known across the country. He ended up agreeing to make it look better than it did an mimum charge. At the end of the job he thanked me for not being one of the annoying air-head girls - and refused a tip from me.

The second Tattoo I got (@10 years later) is a Celtic Knot work shamrock that also looks like the Tree of Life. I took a sketch in of the image and asked the artist to put his own flavor to it. I let him pick the green he used. . . he knows his inks better than I do and how they will look on different skin tones . . .he is the professional. (lower back)

The third I had done about 6 months later by the same artist. He loved the concept when I was talking to him about it even though their was no challange to it. It is my dog's actuall paw print. She is the first dog I have ever owned and had been with me over 5 years when I got it done. (took dogs paw placed it on a water soluable ink pad - had her walk on paper - washed paws - and took the print I liked best into him) After it healed I went back past with the dog (we didn't go in - just stood in the doorway - health code and all that) and I told him she wanted my thumb print on her ankle - he laughed/ knew I was kidding. The large Harley Rider whose eyes were watering thought I was serious. (Inside left ankle)

Best advice - go into the shop(s) you are thinking of - talk to the artists - see if you "click" with any of them - follow all of their care instructions - don't hesitate to call if you are not sure about anything after all you will be wearing their artwork they want you to be happy and it to look good.

[Greenday]

The butterfly is a reminder to make changes when the opportunity arises. Change and transformation are inevitable for us all, but it does not have to be traumatic.Butterfly symbolism is also closely tied to the idea of spirits and souls.

See, at least it means something to you. The girls I know that got it, got it because its a butterfly and butterflies are cute.