How to select and care a Tattoo

Tattoos are no longer taboo — they’ve been part of mainstream culture for some time now and it’s clear that they’re here to stay.
Men worldwide get their bodies tattooed for a million and one reasons, including marking a drastic change in their lives, or highlighting something that influenced them, either in a positive or negative way.
Others use bodyart as a medium to reveal their sense of pride or to underline important milestones or aspects that marked their lives (literally), such as a newborn baby, a lover, or a religious belief. Whatever the reason, there’s no denying that many men get a tattoo simply because they think it’s cool and looks good. That’s right, some guys get tattooed just to make a fashion statement, and a subjective statement at that, as bodyart is something personal to every individual.

body tattoo

Donating Blood

Donating blood platelets or plasma has always been a noble pursuit to help those in need. In recent years, finding suitable donors has become increasingly more difficult, causing a drastic supply shortage. The American Red Cross has been encouraging more people to come forward, but a lot of willing donors are being turned away.
Wait 12 months after a tattoo if the tattoo was applied in a state that does not regulate tattoo facilities. This requirement is related to concerns about hepatitis. Acceptable if the tattoo was applied by a state-regulated entity using sterile technique. Only a few states currently regulate tattoo facilities, so most donors with tattoos must wait 12 months after tattoo application before donating blood.
In order to avoid wasted time, they ask these questions to screen the potential donor. And although tattooing and piercing are much safer than some medical professionals like to indicate, there is still always a chance of getting and carrying a disease unknowingly. Especially Hepatitis, which has been the object of many heated arguments and stringent regulations.
If you should happen to contract a disease from a tattoo or piercing, it should show up in a screening after 12 months, which is the reason for the waiting period. Yes, maybe it’s a little over-precautious, but would you want to be the one on the receiving end of dirty blood? If there is even a slight chance, it is better to be safe than sorry.

Tatto selection process

The most important thing you can do before getting a tattoo is taking the time to find the right studio and/or artist. Many people just decide on a whim that they want to get a tattoo, and enter the nearest studio without much thought about what they are doing.
Shop around! I’m sure if you were about to make a major purchase, like a car, you wouldn’t buy one from the first dealership you went to.
ou don’t have to be an artist to be able to tell quality artistry from a bad job. Whether you get a chance to view pictures in an artist’s portfolio, or see a live example, really look closely at the work. It’s easy to be swayed by pretty pictures. Don’t get caught up in this trap!

When it comes to choosing a tattoo, there are generally two types of guys. The first type will take extreme caution and put some deep thought into the selection process — he seeks perfect conceptualization. His tattoo likely holds a very deep meaning and could even take months of research.
The second guy is not as heavily involved in the selection process; his choice is more spontaneous. A lot of these men may have been longing for a tattoo for some time but never really reflected on why they want one. They’ll generally choose a tattoo because of how it looks rather than what it represents.

You’ve decided on the artist for your new tattoo, but now the question: what to get and where to put it. Although this is all really a matter of personal preference, there are some things that can possibly help you in making this decision.

The Pain Factor.

The question I get asked most is, “Where does it hurt the most?”. Well, there are no hard and fast rules about this subject, but based on many opinions over the years, here are some ideas:
Most Painful Areas: Abdomen, Spine, Chest
Least Painful Areas: Buttocks, Arm, Back
If you’re looking to get a tattoo on your foot or hand, and especially your face, you’re probably going to have a difficult time finding an artist to do it. Many studios have policies against doing tattoos in these areas. The studio where I apprenticed happened to be one of them. Some artists feel strongly enough about it to turn down potential business by refusing to do this type of tattoo.

Artist conscience

You may not realize it, but many tattoo artists bear the burden of becoming the conscience of naive and impetuous customers wanting tattoos that could potentially cause them a lot of problems down the road.
If they feel you don’t seem to be ready for that kind of heavy responsibility, they cannot in good conscience allow you to get such a tattoo. True, you could probably just find someone else to do it, but at least they can rest knowing they were not the cause of ruining your life.

Tatto reflection

Don´t forget that a Tattoo is a reflection of you. You can pick up the latest tattoo-related magazine, and you will see some examples of great artwork of some very “outspoken” tattoos. Demons, serial killers and sexually explicit tattoos can be artfully perfect, but this may not be how you want people to view you. Whatever you have tattooed on you is the impression people are going to get about what kind of person you are. Granted, this is no-one’s business but your own, but if you want to project a certain image, your tattoos should reflect that.
The problem, though, is that too many people are lazy when it comes to choosing their tattoo design. They rely too heavily on flash and will pick something right off the wall in a matter of minutes because they like it, and insist that the artist do the design exactly as it is on the flash page. I think this calls for a discussion on the purpose of flash art.
The prudent flash artist will fill his flash sheets with dolphins, hearts, tribals and other trendy pictures that draw the eye of the lazy consumer looking for a quick-find. The flash artist and the tattoo artist both make their money whether the customer uses an ounce of ingenuity or not, so many of them really don’t care if they see a thousand reproductions of the same design.

The problem I have is with people having such a lack of creativity that they actually don’t care if a thousand other people are out there wearing their exact same tattoo. I guess this is the difference between people that get a tattoo because tattoos are “kewl” and the people that get a tattoo because they appreciate it for the artistic quality. That is also going to be the difference between the people that regret their tattoos in 20 years, and those that still love them.
It’s great to look at for ideas and inspiration. If you see a piece of flash you really love and you are sure you want it for a tattoo, fine. But for goodness sake, be creative with it! Use the flash drawing as the base for your own design. Take the time to think about it and make some changes to the original design to make it a better example of your inner self.

How to Take Care of Your New Tattoo

Now, you have your fresh new tattoo, and you want to take good care of it! From this point on, your artist is not responsible for any infection or problems you may have with your tattoo if you don’t take proper care of it.
Leave the bandage on either 2 hours or overnight. If you are going to be sleeping on hotel sheets, hey, the bandage is cleaner. Best to wear some sort of cotton clothing that covers it so that if the bandage comes loose in the night you don’t end up stuck to the sheet. It won’t be funny that you left a print of your tattoo on the sheet when you realise it ripped away a healed layer of skin.
The only exception to this rule is if your artist covered your tattoo with saran wrap or some kind of plastic. This is extremely detrimental to a tattoo, so it should be removed immediately. You’re better off not having any covering than to be suffocating your new tattoo with plastic wrap.
After you remove the bandage, you will want to wash your tattoo. Most hand and body lotions are made of alcohol and oil, and just don’t work as well. But the most important thing is that you look at the ingredients in whatever you are going to use and make sure there is no fragance.
Remember to wash your hands before applying the lotion. If you have handled money your hands are filthy. If you pet an animal and then rub in lotion, eeeuuuuugh, think about where they might have been. Be sensible, remember that it is a wound that needs your help to heal.
So keep on using the moisturizer for 2-3 weeks, at first I would say it is not too much to put it on once an hour. As soon as the tattoo begins to feel a bit tight or dry, feed it moisture! The more you do, the quicker the skin will heal over. The idea here is to prevent scabbing. A scab will be the pigment pulled up and out onto the surface. Obviously if you want the brightest possible tattoo you want to leave the pigment beneath the surface. The best possible healing will be a couple of peels, like after a bad sunburn, like a snake shedding skin.

Advices

Yes, you can (and should!) shower with a new tattoo. It’s OK to get your tattoo wet - just don’t soak it. Submerging your tattoo in a bath or hot tub can cause serious damage, so you’ll want to avoid those for 2-3 weeks, but showering is perfectly fine as long as you don’t saturate your tattoo. If you get soap or shampoo on your tattoo, just remove it quickly with water. Swimming - whether it be a pool, fresh water or salt water - should be avoided for at least 2 weeks.
No direct sunlight for 2-3 weeks. This is absolutely vital with red ink, it can easily develop a photosensitivity and you don´t want to experience the intense itch of this reaction. But with every color of ink, even black, the sun is a major cause of new tattoos looking blurred.
If you work out, or do contact sports, give it a bit of a break. Worry about getting contact abrasions that could knock off the healing skin, or in a gym worry about over-straining delicate perforated tissue and getting a stretch mark, or touching a piece of sweat-contaminated workout equipment with an open raw area….. wait a couple of weeks.
It is up to you to protect your investment. By giving your tattoo proper care while healing you insure that you will enjoy it for the rest of your life. It will age as gracefully as you do.

What to Do if You Don’t Like Your Tattoo

If you have a tattoo that you wish to have partially or completely removed, you should first consider your options and decide which method might be best for you.

Laser Removal

Today, lasers are the most common method of tattoo removal. They work by targeting the ink with pulses of highly concentrated light that break the ink into tiny fragments, which are then cleared away the your own immune system.
Experts in removal therapy say that technology has advanced to the point where scarring is minimal, sometimes non-existant, but this can vary depending on the situation.

Intense Pulsed Light Therapy (IPL)

IPL, is the newest and greatest dermal enhancer currently being used. Instead of laser light, it uses high intensity light in pretty much the same manner. A gel is applied to the skin and then a wand is used to emit pulses of light onto the skin area being treated. This method is said to be less painful than laser therapy, and more effective, resulting in less total treatment sessions. The bad news is that it`s expensive.

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