Getting A Tattoo - What to know about tattoos.

A tattoo is in medical terms a dermal pigmentation. Basically it is a mark or marks made by inserting (with a needle) pigment into the skin. When you get a tattoo the needle goes into the dermis layer of the skin, the deeper layer of skin. This is why the tattoo stays on you forever, dermis cells are very stable. You will have your tattoo forever, sometimes it will fade. Being out in the sun will be the main cause for fading. Be sure to wear sunscreen on the area to keep it from fading. If your tattoo does fade you can go in and get it re-touched. This should not happen for years though.

There are health risks with tattooing. You are breaking the skin barrier so you need to make sure it is sterile. Even if you go somewhere that is sterile, you still have a chance of getting an infection. An infection is rare, it will be noticeable; you will have redness and or pus at or around the site. Go into the tattoo place and have them check it, they should know if it is normal or not. Then, you will probability need to go to your doctor or a dermatologist and let them help you clear it up. Infection will occur if instruments are used on more than one person without being sterilized because they come in contact with body fluids and blood. It is very rare in places that practice sterile techniques. Another thing that you can have is an allergic reaction. I have never heard of this, it is very rare but the risk is there however minimum. You will be kept from giving blood for 12 months after getting a tattoo, unless it was done in a state regulated place using sterile technique given by the Red Cross. This is a law made by the FDA in 2000. Chances are if you recently got a tattoo they will not let you give anyway. I think this is because it is hard for them to tell if the place you went to is sterile. They do say that if the place you went to is eligible they can provide a voucher for you. Look into it, I have not done this. I have four tattoos and two were before 2000 and the other two were after. When I got the two after 2000, they never said anything to me about a voucher if I needed it. I think it is something you have to ask for and call before you go if it is something you will need. If the place you go to is sterile they should open all tools that they use from sterile single packages. Everything else should be sterilized in front of you. The place I went broke the needles in front of you and put them in needle safe containers. You should research where you are going to get your tattoo and call to ask questions. This is not something to mess around with, and it will be on your skin forever.

Make sure your tattoo shop is a very clean and very sterile place. Some charge more than others but it is worth it knowing you are going somewhere clean. You want your tattoo artist to be licensed. They show you the sterilizing procedure and show you that they are opening sterile tools, so you know where it is coming from. Not all places do this, and I would not go to one who doesn’t. You need to really careful picking a place to get your tattoo.

Tattoos do hurt. It will depend on how you handle pain, but you will feel it no matter how tough you are. The outer side of the tattoo, the outline hurts the worst. I am not sure why this is, maybe they use a different needle than when they fill it in, I am not sure. Another factor is how big the tattoo is and where you put it. The worst tattoo for me was the one I put on my ankle. I also have one on the outer lower part of my ankle. This hurt worse than the ankle because it is an even bonier area. Areas that have more fat will hurt less than an area that is bony. Where I have gotten my tattoos they were really good to me when it started to hurt. I would just say the word and they would put some kind of thick pasts/gel on it and it would hurt less.

When you go in to get tattooed they will draw the tattoo on special paper that will transfer the tattoo on your skin. Once you okay the tattoo they will clean the area and place the paper on your skin. Then they press down and the tattoo trace transfers onto your skin. Next the will do the outline first and after changing needle heads they will finish with the coloring and shading. When it is all done they will wipe it clean and show you the tattoo and bandage you up. When they bandage you up they will put an antibiotic ointment on. You want to keep the bandage on for 24 hours. After that you can shower but you want to use an antibiotic soap. Blot dry with towel, do not rub! Keep applying an antibiotic ointment until it is healed. You do not want to use Vaseline because it can cause the tattoo to fade. Some place will have ointment that you can buy. Do not submerge your tattoo under water. You can shower, but stay away from swimming or hot tubs. You also so not want to take long hot baths. They will go over all of the caring instruction with you and give you a sheet with all of the information on it so you do not have to worry about remembering it all. The tattoo will feel itchy and start to scab when it is healing. Towards the end it might get flaky, DO NOT pick at this! If you do it might pull off some of the color. Always put sunscreen on your tattoo, especially when it is healing. If you continue to put sunscreen on, even after it has healed, it will prevent your tattoo from fading. The color will stay nice and vibrant.

When deciding about a tattoo, remember to think long and hard about it. Out of the four tattoos that I have I wish I could get rid of two of them. It is a crappy feeling because it is stuck on you forever. I am in the process of trying to remove one on them right now. Research the place you decide to go and make sure it is sterile! Call the place you decide to go if you have any question before hand, or after during the healing process.