tina

Can I see your tattoo?

My back is in progress and last session I realized that getting one's back tattooed is like getting your ribs done all over again. I foolishly thought going into it... "At least my ribs are done. Nothing could hurt that bad." If I'd given it an ounce more thought and considered the anatomy involved I might have realized that ribs wrap from front to back... fucking duh! I told Scott we will be finishing this thing in 30 minute increments. What a cry baby I've become in my old age.

That's because your back is weirdly sensitive. Ever asked someone to rub your shin? Nope. But back rubs are awesome because your back has a million sensitive spots, all of which feel super fucking awesome when getting tattooed, especially the lower back. You already know that tattoos hurt, and you seem to be acutely aware that the back will hurt, too. You also know that you're already on this path (didn't you just get your hand tattooed?) and that the back is the ultimate canvas. you just need to figure out what you're getting and who's gonna do it, although something tells me that you have more than a few ideas in mind.
While I did find the process to be painful (and expensive), I have no regrets at all about doing it. It was so exciting to see it come together, session by session. There's something about having a full back piece. It's something that I've always admired, but for years, I didn't think I'd be able to make the physical/financial/mental commitment to go through with it myself. Completing it was a big milestone for me, and I have a beautiful souvenir of the experience that I get to wear for life.

8.1 Thou shalt not google "Hatchet Man flash" hoping to get a glimpse of the aforementioned Smith Street sheet because you know very well that shit is not on the Internet and you are going to be upset with what you do find.

9. Thou shalt not Freak The Fuck Out if you get a microscopic pimple on your new tattoo.

10. Thou SHALT freak the fuck out if you get a microscopic tattoo on your pimple.
11. Thou shalt not EVER get tattooed by a friend of a friend in his kitchen, motel room, truckstop, etc. Use ONLY reputable tattooers working in actual shops.

6- Thou must act on good advice , especially if they have committed to starting a thread , and get tattooed .

Can I see your tattoo?

My tattooist wouldn't tattoo me with numbing cream on as it can cause infection and leave you In more pain.
 
My tattooist went mental when I said I had used numbing cream and he point blankly refused to do my tattoo due to the problems it causes. 
I had the tattoo on the other arm and I'm still having side effects from the numbing cream on my arm it was put on at 08.30 this morning and my arm is still numb now at 17.40.
 
Keep your tattoo clean and avoid numbing cream 
 

That doesn’t look good, I’m sure more experienced people than me can answer. If the tattoo overlaps then they really shouldn’t have been working on it until it healed I would have thought. You also say you put numbing cream on a 1 day old tattoo which is not good at all. I would guess the cream but can’t say for sure. Hopefully it heals up ok.

People do it all the time. Get what YOU like, it’s your body.

I have this on my knee ditch

too late ? not sure what you mean, it will be there  every halloween for a very long time,
 and if you like a certain style tattoo, it's never "out of date"

Ah ye woops 

My question was regarding certain elements of colours for coloured tattoos being banned as per the EU regulation at the beginning of this year - not just all tattoos in general. 

Yes, I read about it. There isn’t a single scientific study that supports that. It’s the same ink that’s used in America. I’ll say again, if there was anything toxic about that ink, with 66 MILLION tattooed people in America, we’d know.

As far as chemicals I’m not too sure. There are claims but I don’t know wether this has been proven, I wouldn’t worry too much as people have been getting colour tattoos for years. 
As for the length of time once the first tattoo has healed you will be fine to tattoo around it. As you are not going over the same part of skin you should be fine to do it whenever you want. 
I believe colour is more traumatising to the skin but in general all tattoos need the same amount of healing time, 4-6 weeks as you said. Good luck with your next piece!

@Dangave good advice. It takes 4- 6 weeks to heal, longer if it went in rough. If it itches, you might try a cold pack, but DON’T scratch it.
Good luck.

Hi, you should be washing it with antibacterial or antimicrobial soap a few times a day anyway, and yes, after only 3 days it wil be sore and oozing a little, it's an injury to your skin, after washing it, gently dry it with a clean paper towel and apply a VERY light coat of something like cocoa butter or aveeno lotion,don't scratch it.

I can't tell from the pics, but it takes 4-6 week to heal a tattoo, longer if it went in rough. Nothing you can do until it heals, so just enjoy your favorite adult beverage or edible and chill out. Worst case scenario is you have it touched up.

I am also a beginner in tattoos and have read a lot about tattoos recently. Regarding the first question, as long as there are no scars or lesions on the skin, this tattoo is fine. As for the recovery time of the tattoo, it depends on the technique of the tattoo artist. It usually takes a month to complete. Once the previous tattoo is restored, the next one can be started.
This is the information I found recently, please correct me if I am wrong.

that's not me, I think about a tattoo before I get for about an hour, many of my tattoos were spur of the moment , sometimes on several tattoos I didn't even know what I was getting until I got in the chair, also some of mine were flash off the wall.
 

Welcome. This site is for tattoo enthusiasts.  The best thing you can do is look for a competent tattoo artist and discuss your ideas with them. Ask friends who is good, look on line, go to a tattoo convention. Good artists aren’t cheap and are usually booked out for a month or two (or more).
I’d also watch a couple of seasons of ink master - fast forward to the critiques; you’ll learn what to look for in a good tattoo. You’ll also see some great tattoos and some awful tattoos. Learn the difference.
Good luck!

Looks like you are putting too much stuff on it. Let it dry heal.

yep. adding anything to a fresh wound besides antibacterial soap isn't a good idea. 
I hope it comes out ok. Please keep us posted. 

Unless the cream had bacteria in it, it can't cause an infection. The infection has to come from someplace. On the other hand, the artist wiped the cream off, a layer of skin came off with it, and they tattooed you anyway? That's really irresponsible, if you are describing what happened accurately. I'd find a new artist and quit using numbing cream. It looks like some sort of allergic reaction to the cream, but I'm not a doctor.
Tattoos hurt. I'm old school, but I think you should earn your tattoo. I've got hundreds of hours in the chair, lots of very sensitive parts tattooed and I've never used numbing cream.