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Sorry to burst your bubble but this is yet another situation where bigger is better 😝

Good God, how's anyone to know from such a shitty photo?

You're saying it is on you, but you don't know its meaning? Why would you let someone permanently mark you with a symbol you don't understand? To me, the time for research is long gone.

Is it on you? How are we supposed to know? It doesn't look like much of anything.

He knows that now, but not when he did it? That be the big red flag for me not to go back to him. What's he not going to know this time that he'll realize later?

I heard back from my artist, he confirmed it's blowout which I already knew from you guys, just didn't want to know 😞 He said he should have used a different needle setup, was really apologetic and decent about it. Going in a few weeks for fix attempts. I guess thicken some lines, add color around it? Not what I wanted but what I got.

Small, thin lines on thin, delicate skin are prone to blow outs. Small tattoos with lines close together can turn into blobs. If you really think he is just blowing smoke, get a second opinion from a really good artist. Don't go to a hack, they'll just tell you they can do it and you'll wind up with a mess. Your next post will be, "Can this be fixed?"

Hello, nice to meet you all, I'm from Brazil, so sorry for my shitty english. I already have both arms and hands tattooed, all black and fresh, no fade at all. But now I'm working as a baker, 10hours a day with 3 of these big ***** ovens: And they're hot, the whole place is hot, hotter than Jessica Simpson was back in the day. So my question is, can the daily heat ruin the tattoos? fade overtime? age even more? The place is hell, literally, my boss is Satan. But the prince of hell pays very well, so I wasn't having any concern until that thought came into my mind. In the future I was even hopping to open my own bakery and continue to work as a baker all day, so as you can see this is a long time run. But I don't want to look like a wet newspaper from 1920s. So please, give your honest thought. Obrigado.

I'd think anything that ages your skin will age your tattoos also. Maybe not significantly, but it has to have some affect over years and years.

another thing to consider = do you live in Podunk or San Francisco?

long, slow, deep breathing

No matter what - you've got to let it sit for a couple of months, and what you see now might not be what you see then. It's got to settle in before reworking it, if needed. You might be surprised. In the event it needs re-working and if I were you, I'd initially find out specifically what their plan would be and then let us know (along with a link to this person's work) what that plan is . . .

Historically most of my tattoos were finished from late evening to late at night - and those artists said to keep their wrapping on until the next morning . . . but ultimately you should do what your current artist says or the outcome is on you. 😉

definitely go with what your artist says. 2-4 hours tops. never overnight.

Thank you. Healing first for sure. I'll have to think about how to handle this though. I had this done at one of the best, if not the best place in my city. There's a thought of they did it they should fix it, from a monetary point of view. But the fix, what maybe turn my clean line tattoo into some blotchy watercolor POS? I like color but not randomly scattered blobs. Yeah heal and let my attitude settle I guess. Maybe someone here will have suggestions about what would improve it best once it's healed.

yep ! you need to pre-hydrate and the best thing to do when feeling light headed is to eat some candy, of course eating a good meal before getting tattooed is a no brainer. that little tattoo should be an easy one,

At least with tattoos you get to choose the size!

I wouldn't do it now. You have lots of other real estate. Just get tattooed on less visible parts.

all you can do now is wait and let it heal, keep washing it like you did, use a light coat of Aveeno daily. stressing on it won't do any good.

Pricing is very subjective. It depends a lot on your area, the coverage, the design, artist's experience and reputation, their past experience with you, their mood, etc., etc. I wouldn't have a problem asking them (very nicely and non-judgementally) to explain the price and say I thought it would be less. A decent artist shouldn't have a problem explaining that to the person paying for their service. At the end of the day, you have 2 choices. Pay their price or go to someone else. You're not shopping for a can of soup.

if you are not 100% comfortable with a neck tattoo then don't get it,simple enough. yes,hand & neck tattoos are a serious step,I have both and I am good with it,but you need to be sure,or don't do it yet.

i just wanted to give an update and let anyone worrying about their tattoo know that mine looks a million times better after 3 weeks! it was ugly while it was in the peeling stage, but everyone's advice to let it go and wait was 100% spot on. :~)

I've gone down the dry healing route for the latest after the crap with the last one - 4 days in and do you know what, I think I'm going to stop with the lotions and potions for aftercare - seems to be healing just fine by itself without me poking at it with salve. Also my clothes aren't covered in crap, which is nice. Anyone else just letting stuff heal by itself these days? -

Great advice so far from everyone. If you are in So Cal, you will have lots a fantastic options if you need to have a touch up but let it heal for a several months. Let it really settle in before you do anything!

I'll bet the monks are still enjoying this one . . .

So then @Hogriderwas completely justified in his comment, you got something permanently tattooed on your body and have no idea what it says. Maybe find a forum for Buddhist monks and ask them.

You yourself demonstrate a lack of education. Monks choose Sak Yant for individuals that do not understand the Thai language (commonly westerners) and it is not the common course of action. Also unless you abide by the Sak Yant rules of conduct the symbol has little meaning as it is considered to be of sacred magical significance. The individuality of each piece also makes it difficult for another to infer its meaning, educated or otherwise, as the monks have their own traditions and pass their knowledge down through the generations.

You might want to know what a tattoo means BEFORE you get it. What if it means "kick me"?

Have you contacted your artist and/or talked to your doctor?

It's beautiful! But you know it anyway since you know your feelings are not based on reality. To give you some comfort, my anxiety passed quite quickly. Now, two and a half years ago, I fully love my tattoo and it makes me feel so much better in my body. It's a beautiful part of me now and I can't imagine I just had a bare arm once :). I even got a second big tattoo right on my chest from a different artist. I didn't have the same anxiety right away but a couple of months after getting it I was going through a difficult period so it hit me. Now I just realize it's like that for me with all big changes: I might want it, I might like it, but it is still going outside my comfort zone, so anxiety is natural and it just takes time to accept these things as a part of your new comfort zone. Hope it happens soon for you, my inked buddy! In the meantime, getting support from the community reeeaaaaaaaally helps :).

Welcome to the forum. Lots of great people and advice to be had here! Both of mine are in places where they can be covered by short sleeves so I haven't had the same experience. I do have many people who work for me who have visible tattoos...and it has had no impact on how they are perceived at work. Hopefully, your experiences will be the same. As you get more confident, you can always test the waters with friends and trusted colleagues and then expand your "circle" beyond them.

I think I might have felt this way many moons ago, but now I can't stop. Don't worry about it. You'll get used to it. I have an office job in a great company, and no one is bothered by my tattoos.