tattoo question

I got my first tattoo today.... (about 3" by 2.5" on the top of my right arm)
CLICKY (no direct image as its big lol)

now I seem to have come across a few slight issues....

Everyone seems to think that they go really red and sore...but mine hasnt (there was a bit of redness on the outline when it was done but not any more), is that normal aswell? (people are thinking its a transfer lol....for £50 and actually feeling it being done i'd hope not!)

also some have said that the colour seeps out a little...again mine hasnt (and I have lightly washed it 3 times so far as per the instructions on the aftercare and gently patted it dry)

I was suggested to stay off using savlon on it for 24 hours (not a problem) and that it would be really itchy....but it just isnt itchy 95% of the time, the other 5% its only a minor thing


I don't know if something is up or I went to a good tattoo parlour with a good artist or if it is my body.....can anyone help with it?

EDIT: looking at it a couple of the outlines seem a touch thin compared to the others, is it a good/bad idea to pop back in and ask for it to be gone over (the guy said that if it needs to be touched up it can be done for free (or cheap id imagine)
(and should have probably called the title questions not question lol)

I would've expected to see a little more redness on the outlines but it just looks like it was inked earlier today and well cleaned tbh.

As for the colour fading and the itching you're getting half a story in there, the colour may appear slightly less vivid when fully healed depending on how good the tatooist is and the itching won't kick in properly until the scab starts to form.

cheers for that, there was a little redness about an hour ago but other than that nothing

when I said seep out I mean physically, I found this to be a bit true just a second ago when I was drying it with a paper towel (would call it loo roll but its industrial grade and about as rough as a badgers anus) and there was some colour on that and on the sponge that i used to take the soap off with

I have to say so far aside from the initial unusual feeling of being inked (little painfull getting the outline done, worst bit was having a twitch halfway through, luckily the guy still managed to do the job (with only one or 2 tiny bits to be need to be redone (and some colour) and got the whole thing done in an hour :D)) that its nothing too bad and I would do it again for something that was meaningful and something I really like (like this....bit late to regret it if i did :lol:)


oh and for scabbing what am I to expect? like a proper big ass scab over it or like one when you get a light graze? and is it going to be one big thing or blotchy? need some idea of what im going to get lol

also feels weird having abit of a shaved arm lol

Nice artwork! Lines are a bit thick for my liking, but the colouring is nice.

Best thing is vaseline intensive care once the scab forms as it keeps it supple and makes it less likely to crack, if a crack goes too deep it can split the skin and you will end up with a line that needs recolouring. The scab should be quite thin and wont be there all that long, but whatever you do dont pick at it or it will bleed and you will be needing recolouring. Incidently the best time to get a tattoo is after a couple of weeks holiday somewhere hot as your skin will be in great condition from being moisturised constantly with suncream and aftersun (Providing you haven't got burnt as that dries it out)

I've been given permission by the wife for my third and last one, gonna get something tribal across my shoulders.

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Originally Posted by jamin

Nice artwork! Lines are a bit thick for my liking, but the colouring is nice.

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Thanks, I think in all honesty it needs the lines a little thick as it is a yellow fill in the edges and it closely matches my skin tone (well can see its yellow now lol)

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Originally Posted by jamin

Best thing is vaseline intensive care once the scab forms as it keeps it supple and makes it less likely to crack, if a crack goes too deep it can split the skin and you will end up with a line that needs recolouring. The scab should be quite thin and wont be there all that long, but whatever you do dont pick at it or it will bleed and you will be needing recolouring.

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well I have been told not to use vaseline by a LOT of people including the artist as it can trap in dirt and o use savlon/preparation H (its going to be a cold day in hell when I go to buy prep H when I dont need it!) and use that or is intensive care something different like a creme/cream?

:lol: Preparation H.....feels good on the (w)hole

edit: nevermind, intesive care isnt the same as the petrolium thing....but I have the savlon stuff instead so will use that

just washed it again, and its beginning to sting now....using just imperial leather soap (unscented and mild and white...) and its beginning to feel a bit smart (as in sore) lol

and when im washing it there is a little red coming out (seeing it on the sponge im using), im guessing thats just a little blood though as there is very little and its the same colour (kindof palish red....possibly some plasma and stuff in there)

Now this is 100% serious I'm NOT making this up and it's something I've done with all my tatts.

Pop down to Boots or wherever has a Chemists and get yourself some Anusol.

Yes, yes, I KNOW it's pile ointment but it has a strong anaesthetic which will considerably ease the itching and it's medicated so it'll help prevent any infection as the tattoo heals.

Yes, I know rubbing arse cream on your arm seems daft but man, once that itching kicks in you'll be glad you got some.

Oh, and DON'T you DARE pick it!

When you wash it just dab it with a cloth, DON'T scrub it at all.

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Originally Posted by Nick

Yes, I know rubbing arse cream on your arm seems daft but man, once that itching kicks in you'll be glad you got some.

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Well considering someone I know swears by preperation H I'm not suprised!

Its ok now....might be the soap/water/sponge actually as its not hurting anymore

also says on the aftercare not to use any ointment for 24 hours, so ill get some this afternoon after uni and then pop it on after I get back, just need to remember to wash it at least 4-5 times each day

Who said to wash it that often?

Seems a bit excessive to me.

I've just washed all mine twice a day, once in the morning when I have a shower and then at night before bed.

Unless you're doing something sweaty/dirty I wouldn't wash it too often... getting a wound damp all the time slows the healing process.

Just let it dry and scab over.

Treat it like you'd treat any other graze... you wouldn't wash them 5 times a day would you?

Nick: It's my first one so I'm just having to go by what is on the sheet that I have :) says washing it regularly will help the skin adjust quickly

who said?.....the aftercare instructions from the tattoo parlour I went to

EDIT: is the right term parlour or studio?

What's the other cream for piles? Preparation H? When I got my tattoo done I went into boots and ended up speaking very loudly across the counter "I don't suppose you've got any preparation H" without realising whatsoever that it's actually pile cream. I wondered for weeks why everyone had stared at me at that point.

I have 10 tattoos and i always did the same with each of them:

Wash them twice a day, put a thin smear of tattoo Goo over them. Tats scabbed up a little. Don't pick at the scabs, let them come off naturally. It may itch a bit, don't scratch them!

As for colour fading, well, only one tat did that. It was the red. I waited a couple of months for it to heal and then went back to have it coloured a bit more. Fine now. No colour bleed with mine.

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Originally Posted by Knoxville

I would've expected to see a little more redness on the outlines but it just looks like it was inked earlier today and well cleaned tbh.

As for the colour fading and the itching you're getting half a story in there, the colour may appear slightly less vivid when fully healed depending on how good the tatooist is and the itching won't kick in properly until the scab starts to form.

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what he said. Mine didnt itch on the outline but DID itch like mad when I had the white done.

However.....over 6 years on....it still itches somedays!
[img=http://img329.imageshack.us/img329/8192/23032007bd7.th.jpg]

heh I thought Zak33's would have been the key to the tardis and not a reference to a very popular game :)

I'm to damn chicken to get one done - simple as really.

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Originally Posted by Nick

Pop down to Boots or wherever has a Chemists and get yourself some Anusol.

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Originally Posted by finlay666

Well considering someone I know swears by preperation H I'm not suprised!

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Originally Posted by Kezzer

What's the other cream for piles? Preparation H? When I got my tattoo done I went into boots and ended up speaking very loudly across the counter "I don't suppose you've got any preparation H" without realising whatsoever that it's actually pile cream. I wondered for weeks why everyone had stared at me at that point.

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And if doesn't work, you get to say that immortal line "For all the good it did me, I may as well have shoved it up my arse"

On topic, I hope it still looks that good when you're 80 and wrinkly :P

I only wish I plucked the courage up to have one done myself, ah well.

I swear by Preperation H as well. I've used it on 4 of my 7 and the 4 are alot brigther than the other 3. Smells a bit funky, but it works!

Preperation H Ftw

dont recall if i was told to wash mine :(

after another but.....money and wife wont let me since is going to be monster

The itching can get really bad, make sure you have a plan to take your mind off of it if it does.......else you might not be able to control the scratching...

When I had my first tattoo done, I put too much Savlon on it, and it formed part of the scab which subsequently leeched some of the colour out.

When I had my second one, I used Savlon again, but a lot less this time and that was much better.

The third one I had was a large back piece, and it took 6 sessions. As the tattooist knew me quite well by then, he told me what he did to care for his tattoos. Absolutely nothing! No cream, no extra washing, nothing. After it had stopped the initial bleeding, he didn't even cover it up, unless he needed to to stop it getting dirty. It scabbed over pretty quickly and once that scab was gone, that was it. I followed his example, and it was the quickest tattoo to heal, and had the best colours.

My advise is don't wash it unless it needs it. Don't put anything like Savlon on it (unless the itching is driving you crazy!) and don't cover it up whenever possible. Exposing it to the air is the best way to get it to scab over quickly and leaving your body to heal naturally is the best thing to do.

Steve

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Originally Posted by mycarsavw

On topic, I hope it still looks that good when you're 80 and wrinkly :P

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dont care if it doesnt, no doubt I will have developed alzeihmers by then and will have no idea what it is, how i got it or what it means, and even if it looks bad im not worried, the place do cover ups and an 80yr old grannie was in the morning i got mine done

cheers SteveL, I'll just go with nothing, its fine if I dont wash it so im not too worried, just I was a tad concerned with a little seeping of blood/fluid when I first washed it (it was the same-ish colour as the orange/red/black so I started to freak lol

TBH I don't think im worried about fading, less likely to live if my parents see it (they knew I have been planning it for months (well over a year actually) but don't know I have actually gone ahead and got it done :lol:

I never treated my tatts special in any way, covered them with gauze till they scabbed & then just let nature take its course. The outlines and colours on the oldest ones are still prettymuch perfect after nearly 20 years. I found good tubegrip was good for keeping arm tats covered. Jelonet dressing under the gause to stop it sticking.

They will bleed and or seep a little colour until the scab forms, this is normal mate. Wouldn't advise the excessive washing though, makes it more likely to damage the scab.

wow you are all so lucky my tattoo bled like a bit** for about 4 hours after i left the shop wasnt a dodgy tattooist as my missus had one done at same time and hers never bled at all

also mine ithched like hell for a while

i put savlon on mine and let it get to fresh air as much as possible



ALSO MAKE SURE YOU ALWAYS PUT SUN TAN LOTION ON IT


i always do gotta mate whos had his tats for about ten years and he spends all day in the sun and they look really faded now
i had mine 5 years and it still looks the same as it did when i got it

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Originally Posted by danroyle

ALSO MAKE SURE YOU ALWAYS PUT SUN TAN LOTION ON IT

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Its ok...im in newcastle! (also been inside most of today and had a black short sleeve tshirt over it)

well I have just washed it the once today before I went to uni, other than that not done anything special and it seems to be going wrinkly there and is a tad dry, should I wash it again (possibly cling it before I get in the shower) and then stick some savlon on it? feels dry to the touch

lil slight emergency update...........

The tattoo seems to be wrinkly and dry now and a bit tender, I would guess that this is it beginning to scab, so im going to gently put on some savlon as I'm meant to be at a friends party tonight (not going to drink...for a start I have no idea where it is lol) and possibly cling film it just incase

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Originally Posted by finlay666

savlon/preparation H (its going to be a cold day in hell when I go to buy prep H when I dont need it!)

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Oh come on- if you're man enough to have your body repeatedly stabbed by needles, then you're man enough to walk into a chemist and buy some piles medicine.

I swear by Anusol HC (hydrocortisone). I don't have any tattoos:eek:.

Lol! You have got to love to comedy of treatments named after body parts Anusol and Vagisil are my 2 faves! Do you think the drugs company deliberatley name them like that to amuse bored chemists!

and another incredibly helpful post :rolleyes:

doesnt matter, checked it with someone else and its fine, so im going to wrap it and go to bed (cant let ink get on the sheets etc)

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Originally Posted by finlay666

and another incredibly helpful post :rolleyes:

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Was it unhelpful? Preparation H is apparently the best treatment for tattoos, and yet you're too shy to walk into a chemist and buy some.

I have to buy it for my, um, piles. Face it mate, you could have it a lot harder. Piles hurt, by the way. A lot.

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Originally Posted by finlay666

lil slight emergency update...........

The tattoo seems to be wrinkly and dry now and a bit tender, I would guess that this is it beginning to scab, so im going to gently put on some savlon as I'm meant to be at a friends party tonight (not going to drink...for a start I have no idea where it is lol) and possibly cling film it just incase

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Thats just the scab forming, not sure clingfilming it is the right decision (if you infact made it) it may do as much harm as good, good call on laying off the booze for a couple of nights though.

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Originally Posted by Rave

I have to buy it for my, um, piles. Face it mate, you could have it a lot harder. Piles hurt, by the way. A lot.

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:lol: Take it the new job is making them worse as well - ouch at the thought of those speed-humps ;)

Shouldn't have gotten them tattooed then!

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Originally Posted by Knoxville

Thats just the scab forming, not sure clingfilming it is the right decision (if you infact made it) it may do as much harm as good, good call on laying off the booze for a couple of nights though.

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well I didnt clingfilm it in the end, just made sure I didnt sleep on that side (bed seems ink free so it worked lol)

just need to remember to clingfilm (or not dunno which) i go for a shower tonight as I forgot yesterday morning

Rave: Its not exactly helpful when I had already been told it, and I said I wasnt going to buy it as I already had aftercare treatment stuff

You don't need to cling film in the shower now man, just make sure you wash and dry it carefully.

cheers knoxville, i'll bear that in mind :)

Aye you need to let it breathe.

Most important thing as everyone has said (but I'll say it again for emphasis) of all though is ffs DON'T PICK IT once it scabs over. Not at all, not even if you think that itty bitty piece is about to fall off anyway so you'll just help it along. It will make gaps if you pick it.

Believe me, after rather a lot of tattoos in my life and being too impatient I can tell you, it's a pain in the ass having to go back months later for 'fill-in' sessions.

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Originally Posted by rox0r

it's a pain in the ass having to go back months later for 'fill-in' sessions.

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Only if the tat is on your ass, surely? ;)

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Originally Posted by mycarsavw

On topic, I hope it still looks that good when you're 80 and wrinkly :P

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Because of course when you're 80 and wrinkly you're going to be thinking "Oh I wish I didn't have this tattoo, my skin would look so much better without it" as opposed to "Thank the Lord I'm still alive."

imo opinion the only time you might regret it is if you have a name done. Not regretted mine for a moment in nearly 20 yrs, dont recon i'll start either.
Women on the whole tend to regret them more than any man i know.

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Originally Posted by Kezzer

Because of course when you're 80 and wrinkly you're going to be thinking "Oh I wish I didn't have this tattoo, my skin would look so much better without it" as opposed to "Thank the Lord I'm still alive."

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Of course.

Note the :P signifying humour :)

Right.. I'll get some anusol today after my lecture.....at least I can show them the tatt and say its for that lol

I noticed it had started to flake a little off my tshirt today (just a tiny little bit but some seems a little flaky) so I stuck a dressing on it as I'm in uni nearly all of today and dont want to knock it and have more rub off my tshirt...im guessing it was a sensible thing to do but what is good to use as a dressing? Melolin?

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Originally Posted by finlay666

I noticed it had started to flake a little off my tshirt today (just a tiny little bit but some seems a little flaky) so I stuck a dressing on it as I'm in uni nearly all of today and dont want to knock it and have more rub off my tshirt...im guessing it was a sensible thing to do but what is good to use as a dressing? Melolin?

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Don't use a dressing. All the time it's not exposed to the air is time which is going to slow down the scabbing/healing process.

It sounds to me like you're treating it far too carefully. Leave it open to the air, dry it carefully when it gets wet and apart from that, forget it's there! I "over-cared" for my first tattoo and it's the one with the worse colour now.

Just chill!

Steve

As SteveL said, there is such a thing as over-caring for your tattoo. If it starts to scab lots you can just put some cream on it like savlon. Personally I used preparation H most of the time, but when it started to scab quite a lot I might've moved to savlon cream once or twice.

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Originally Posted by finlay666

I noticed it had started to flake a little off my tshirt today (just a tiny little bit but some seems a little flaky) so I stuck a dressing on it as I'm in uni nearly all of today and dont want to knock it and have more rub off my tshirt...im guessing it was a sensible thing to do but what is good to use as a dressing? Melolin?

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Are you always this worried about everything? :confused: I think you need to chill out about this tattoo and stop "over-caring" for it. if you keep putting dressings on it, putting creams on it, washing it over and over, etc. it's going to take ages to heal and it'll look crap!

• Stop messing with it.
• Stop putting dressings on it.
• Stop washing it all the time.

Leave it open to the air, dry it carefully when it gets wet and apart from that, forget it's there!

Steve

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Originally Posted by SteveL

Are you always this worried about everything? :confused: I think you need to chill out about this tattoo and stop "over-caring" for it. if you keep putting dressings on it, putting creams on it, washing it over and over, etc. it's going to take ages to heal and it'll look crap!

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well its my first one and id rather not eff things up with it, taken the dressing off, a bit more of the flaky skin has come off, just going to wash it now and leave it for the rest of the night and get some prep H to stick on it in the morning....is that enough caring for it (the guide didnt say anything after 3 days so I haven't got much idea what to do, and im not intentionally over caring, just not wanting to waste £50+ down the drain by having to get bits done again)