What You Need to Know Before Getting a Tattoo

DOES THE DESIGN HAVE A PERSONAL CONNECTION?

If not, it should.

It’s important for tattoo newbies to choose a design that has a personal connection to them. It’s not just about how a tattoo looks, but also if it connects with who you are, your personality, and if you can feel it in your heart. If you can look at your tattoo several years down that road and still love it, then you’ve chosen the right design.

A FEW MORE TIPS FOR CHOOSING THE RIGHT TATTOO DESIGN

So, you thought choosing a tattoo design was simple? Well, think again, although choosing a tattoo design isn’t rocket science. But there’s more to it than one would think, especially if you’re new to tattoos. Here are some other things to consider when picking the right design for you:

• Small, highly-detailed tattoos generally don’t age well. Your tattoos naturally fade as your body ages. Fine lines become thicker. Darker colors fade into less dominant colors. Crisp edges grow softer. Those changes look even more drastic on smaller tattoos that have a lot of detail, as well as on tattoos that are photorealistic.
• During the design-choosing process imagine your tattoo being extra large. Take a smaller element of a larger design and make that your tattoo.
• The simpler your tattoo design – especially your first design – the better. That’s especially true for smaller tattoos, but it’s a good rule for tattoos of any size. Don’t add too many things to the design, but keep it to one main subject, one secondary subject, and one background element.
• Choose a design that includes your favorite colors, favorite images, and a style that you like.
• Think it through and then think it through some more. Give yourself a few months to think about your tattoo design. If you still haven’t soured on the idea, then there’s no reason you shouldn’t get it.
• On the other hand, spontaneity is sometimes a good thing (especially if you’re in a rational frame of mind) when deciding suddenly to get a tattoo.

You should never make a rash decision about something that’s as permanent as a tattoo, even if it’s a decision you make spontaneously. But many people who made a spur-of-the-moment decision to get a tattoo end up having regrets about it.

Choose a design that you won’t outgrow, such as political statements or pop culture references that will seem incredibly dated a few years from now. In today’s fast-moving world with its rapidly-changing tastes, some things seem outdated in even in a year.

HERE’S WHAT HAPPENS TO THE SKIN WHEN YOU GET A TATTOO

So what really happens when an artist pulls out his tattoo needles and works on a person’s skin? For starters, the ink has to reach the dermis layer of your skin – the layer that lies just below the outer layer of skin (the outer layer is called the epidermis).

The dermis consists of nerves, glands, blood vessels, collagen fibers, and more. The ink particles get dispersed in different parts of the dermis, including a dermal cell that’s vital for healing wounds. But the ink has to reach the dermis because skin cells constantly die and slough off on the epidermis. If tattoos just were in the epidermis, they would only last a short while. Exfoliation, a term you’ll frequently hear regarding skin care, is the process of manually scrubbing or washing off the dead skin cells that can make your skin look dull and less lively.

Modern tattoo machines and needles must reach the dermis layer if the artwork is to become permanent. Tattoo machines can pierce the skin at a frequency from 50 to 3,000 times per minute, which sounds a bit daunting, but it’s simply part of the process.

Your tattoo artist dips the needle into ink and then turns on the motor that moves the needle and applies it to your skin. Each tattoo needle is a piece of metal with several ends to it (anywhere from three to around 25). Needles that have fewer ends are used for outlining work, while those with more ends handle shading and coloring.

The two most common tattoo machines are the rotary and the coil. A rotary machine, as its name implies, has a rotating circular bar that moves the needle up and down. A coil machine, meanwhile, uses a direct electrical current to move the needle. The artist controls the current with a foot pedal.

Don’t suffer in silence when dealing with tattoo pain

“Pain”. The word keeps coming up in our tattoo guide for beginners. The point of it isn’t that we’re trying to scare you, but it’s a thought that weighs heavy on the minds of most folks getting their first tattoo.

That said, a tattoo session isn’t a test of pain tolerance and endurance. While pain often is part of the experience, the anticipation of pain shouldn’t keep you from getting a tattoo for the first time. Besides, there are plenty of ways to deal with pain if it becomes uncomfortable, and what’s uncomfortable for someone else may not be uncomfortable at all for you.

BUT, HOW DOES A TATTOO REALLY WORK?

Tattooing consists of making thousands of tiny wounds in the skin, which prompts your immune system to kick into overdrive. Blood cells called macrophages rush to the site of the tattoo and engulf ink particles – the body’s attempt to clean up, but it also plays a role in both making your tattoo permanent as well as causing it to fade over time. It’s a necessary trade-off.

A tattoo needle acts more like the tip of a fountain pen rather than a syringe in that the ink is suspended from the tip of the needle until the artist pierces a hole into the skin. Capillary action then draws the ink into the dermis layer of the skin.

How the ink stays in the skin has a lot to do the macrophages that consume cellular and foreign debris. They rush into action whenever your skin receives a wound, consume the foreign matter – in this case, the tattoo ink – and then store it. Macrophages eventually wither and die, only to get replaced by new cells that gobble up the ink left behind by dying cells. It’s a never-ending process involving the natural healing qualities of your body.

DON’T IGNORE THESE WARNING SIGNS DURING AFTERCARE

For most people, the healing process after a tattoo goes smoothly. The surface layer of the skin usually heals in a couple of weeks, although the rate of healing also depends, in part, on the quality of your aftercare. If you experience the following signs and symptoms, see your doctor as soon as possible.

• Continued swelling several days after you get your tattoo.
• Skin that’s tender or warm, or has a persistent burning sensation.
• Green or yellow pus, or a foul odor.