Nina Worthe

I got my old cutting scars tattooed over. I am very pleased with the result, in effect, I got my arm back! It's still healing, I'll put up a picture in a week or two when I'm past the ridiculous milky skin phase.

I got my old cutting scars tattooed over. I am very pleased with the result, in effect, I got my arm back! It's still healing, I'll put up a picture in a week or two when I'm past the ridiculous milky skin phase.

Hello all,
I very recently (Thursday, actually) got my first tattoo. I am quite pleased with it, an arrangement of an owl and flowers.
It is a scar coverup, with the intention of making my arm something I'm proud of in stead of something to hide away. I've been hiding it for over 8 years, by the way, these are the first pictures featuring my left arm since then :) Added bonus? You can't see the scars at all. They're just gone. La, the tattoo artist, in fact used the deepest and whitest of them as highlights on the feathers and the beak, and many others are now bits of flower. It's amazing, how it feels to take something that you have been hiding for so very long, and to in one day, turn it into something you just want to show everyone.
The idea is long in coming, with the owl being a reference to Minerva's little owl (and my love of nature). Sunflowers are my favourite flowers, and cosmos link to traveling along my country's roads. Mostly, though, it's because I find it beautiful.
Fine line black and grey, with lots of grey wash that right now just looks dark, but that should lighten with healing (she said two weeks, maybe a bit more, to see the effect). This was taken the next day, so it's very fresh here.

Done by the lovely La at Fallen Heroes Tattoo in Johannesburg.

I got my old cutting scars tattooed over. I am very pleased with the result, in effect, I got my arm back! It's still healing, I'll put up a picture in a week or two when I'm past the ridiculous milky skin phase.

Usually we require two weeks notice in writing as well as a doctor's note.

What I struggle with is the person wanting the exact same thing. It's strange to me, looking at someone else's skin and saying: "yeah, give me that". Very Buffalo Bill esque, to my mind.
Could it have something to do with how we perceive fashion and mass media consumerism nowadays? Similarity is good and desirable?

Did tattoo number 11 last night. It says "Bhakti" in Sanskrit on a dedicated yogini. Tiny tattoos with tiny groupings and tiny stencils are a BIG thing. We were all really happy with the outcome. She has other Sanskrit on other fingers by my teacher, so it was cool to put this next to his work. 3 liners are no joke. Not forgiving at all. We like to joke that you can see your heartbeat in it. Really pleased with how my hand strength and control is coming along. Thanks for looking!

I've recently taken back my arm from ugly scars, and let me tell you, it feels so good to have a part of yourself back! Welcome here.

the saggier they are, the better they bounce!

I don't think I'm busty enough to have to worry too much about that!
For those it does happen to, they probably either a) don't care since saggy boobs are saggy boobs whether you have a tattoo to hang over or not, b) stop wearing revealing clothing, or c) sports bras help pull everything back in place and they only have to be saggy in the shower... ?
:D

I've recently taken back my arm from ugly scars, and let me tell you, it feels so good to have a part of yourself back! Welcome here.

@Nina Worthe, another poster mentioned getting hives as a result of sun exposure, so I didn't want to sound like I was admonishing anyone because there are always exceptions. But there seems to be a consensus that a little sun exposure is beneficial for most people -- I was told as much when I was found to have very low vit. D a few years ago and was put on a prescription.

Hello all,
I very recently (Thursday, actually) got my first tattoo. I am quite pleased with it, an arrangement of an owl and flowers.
It is a scar coverup, with the intention of making my arm something I'm proud of in stead of something to hide away. I've been hiding it for over 8 years, by the way, these are the first pictures featuring my left arm since then :) Added bonus? You can't see the scars at all. They're just gone. La, the tattoo artist, in fact used the deepest and whitest of them as highlights on the feathers and the beak, and many others are now bits of flower. It's amazing, how it feels to take something that you have been hiding for so very long, and to in one day, turn it into something you just want to show everyone.
The idea is long in coming, with the owl being a reference to Minerva's little owl (and my love of nature). Sunflowers are my favourite flowers, and cosmos link to traveling along my country's roads. Mostly, though, it's because I find it beautiful.
Fine line black and grey, with lots of grey wash that right now just looks dark, but that should lighten with healing (she said two weeks, maybe a bit more, to see the effect). This was taken the next day, so it's very fresh here.

Done by the lovely La at Fallen Heroes Tattoo in Johannesburg.

My reading of the story is that the judge made the order on the basis that she could contract HIV or Hepatitis or similar as a result of getting tattooed. There's also mention of her having been tested, window periods etc.
To me, if that is the primary concern of the court, it seems like the judge shouldn't stop there ... Why not ban her from drinking alcohol in excess, having unprotected sex etc. also? The odds of her getting HIV from a tattoo are vanishingly small in comparison with other risky life activities. I think that's the main silliness of the story.
For what it's worth my wife is still breastfeeding our son and just started a big side piece. He's over a year old and there have been no bumps in the road so far. I think where any kind of illness could pose a problem is in the early stages of nursing, the first few weeks or months, moreso than down the road when the baby is eating solids and whatnot as well. Maybe we're cavalier about these things in our house but we haven't worried about it overly.
Breastfeeding seems to result in such positive health outcomes for babies (and arguably mothers too) that I would venture to say a judge should have no business making this kind of order without pretty pressing grounds for doing so, in my opinion, not just because of the effect it will have on the family in question but for the broader signal it sends out potentially. It's kind of depressing here in Ireland to see how many mothers who might want to try breastfeeding have formula pushed upon them almost immediately, even though ostensibly we're supposed to be trying to improve the rate at which women breastfeed.
The main reason I posted the story, though, is that it illustrates a judge with a pretty skewed perception of the health risks associated with getting tattooed are. We'd have more than a few HIV cases on this board at the rate we get tattooed here, if his fears were well-founded. I suspect he's not the only one out there of that generation in positions like that who holds those sorts of ideas.

Welcome! It's wonderful that you were able to turn something negative and upsetting into something that reminds you of nature and things you love. I, too, love sunflowers - beautiful big things!

There's always http://hanzismatter.blogspot.com to ask as well... And for a good laugh too :)

yea... no. I'd rather spend that money on better things. Like tattoos :P

yea... no. I'd rather spend that money on better things. Like tattoos :P

Excellent advice regarding this tattoo and so much more.

I just wanted to address what you said above.
I don't like to share too much about my personal life, but I will on this occasion. I suffer from a mental illness, but am a fully functioning person who gets up and goes to work every day, shares a smile and laugh with collegues, lifts weights at the gym, and spends a lot of time with my friends. Not many people know about my mental struggles, and those that do it's only because I have told them. Mentally ill people generally don't look sick (yes there are cases where it's apparent someone isn't well by their actions). When we are ill we don't have a runny nose, or a cough. When I am sick, and when I am well, I still don't like to be touched by strangers.
Mental illness is surprisingly common. It still has a stigma attached to it, and I would bet money on the people who you think are mentally and emotionally stable, that there are a few of them who are sufferers, but you wouldn't pick it. I guess what I'm trying to say, is don't be so casual with flippant remarks regarding the mental health of people. You can't judge how they are doing mentally on whether they lash out at being touched by strangers. That is stupid.

As long as the watch is a nice Rolex, you'll be fine. Anything else, beware!

Prob goes without saying but wait till the tattoo is healed before you start wearing your watch.

@Pugilist no problem!
Also just for the record, I am not a doctor, have absolutely no medical training, and there is little to no research on the subject published at all. With that being said, I still maintain that the entire situation is a giant cloud of grey area with a lot of suggestion for appropriate action and nothing conclusive to rightfully take a stance one way or another as to whether it is child endangerment to get tattooed while breastfeeding. As a tattooer, to me, it's not worth the risk.

The other day I was wearing a pretty dorky anime t-shirt and shorts and waiting for an ice cream when I noticed a small girl sneaking glances my way, as little kids do when they know they're not supposed to stare at strangers but sort of really want to anyway. First she looked at my shirt, then at the dolphin-fish on my leg, and then gave me a conspiratorial smile. Like: you can wear cartoons on your shirt AND on your leg?!

Thanks guys :)
It always feels dumb asking questions like this, but hey, if you don't ask, you'll never know.