Don't touch your tattoo with dirty hands, and don't let anyone else touch it with dirty hands, either - people will come up to you and try this - watch out!

Back to Top

Can I go tanning with my new tattoo?

You must keep your tattoo covered with a dry bandage or cloth if you plan on tanning, either in the sun or in a tanning booth. Don't allow any tanning or sunblock products to come in contact with your tattoo until it is fully healed.

Once your tattoo is healed, use sunblock regularly to protect it. Sun exposure can lighten your tattoo, ans well as make the outline fuzzy and thicker than it would be without the damaging effects of the tanning rays. Good sunblocks are available in the form of easy to apply sticks and roll-ons, and these can work well for covering detailed work.

If using artificial tanning, such as Mystic Tan, you can cover your healed tattoo liberally with petroleum jelly, such as Vaseline or A & D ointment, then wipe it off about a half an hour after applying the tanning solution. This will keep the rest of you dark, while keeping your tattoo bright.

Back to Top

I've heard of people getting infections in their tattoos. How does this happen, and what does it mean?

A tattoo is an open wound, so can become infected, just like any other open wound. Additionally, it contains pigments that can react with different elements, which increases the infection risk. Avoiding infection risks is as much your responsibility as it is the cleanliness of the artist applying the tattoo. There are many reasons a tattoo may become infected. Among them:

Allowing it to come in contact with chemicals, animal hair or other unsanitary conditions. While the inks used in tattooing are common and safe, they can react with many other chemicals.

Picking at the tattoo or scratching it can result in infection from re-irritating it.

You can have infection in your body (such as the beginning of a cold) and that infection will look for any easy way to come out of the body. Under normal circumstances, if you don't have any open wounds, the body looks to the lungs, sinuses, organs, etc. to eliminate infection. An open wound is also a place where the body may look to eliminate infection. Don't get a tattoo if you know you have a cold or have any other cuts or scrapes that look like they might be infected.

Other Problems

Other causes of infection can come from an artist "overworking" the skin, which basically means they've spent too much time in one place and have irritated the skin far more than what the skin was designed to handle. This is most common when attempting to tattoo an area of skin that isn't stretched tightly. Make sure you go to an artist who is experienced and careful!

An infection can occur from an artist behaving in unsanitary behaviors - not cleaning their area properly, not wiping down their machine and other equipment between tattoos, touching unsanitary surfaces while tattooing, or other unsanitary practices.

I take pride, not just in the quality of my work, but the clean and sanitary practices that go on behind the scenes while I work. I am experienced, professional, and not only meet, but I exceed the standards put forth by the local Health Department. You can feel confident putting your trust in me because I take cleanliness just as seriously as the artistry invloved in applying a tattoo.

All of that said, most infections are not life threatening, they simply slow down the healing of a tatoo and may result in some loss of color, and in some cases, scarring.

Back to Top

How long do they last? Will I need a touch up?

Tattoos will last a lifetime. With modern inks, your tattoo should stay vivid for a lifetime. You may need a touch up after the initial healing, if there are any areas that are lighter than others. This is especially true in the case of designs that have a large area of one solid color, particularly black (like a tribal design) because when filling in solid areas of color, it is very easy to miss a few spots since light spots are hard to see before healed. After 2 weeks, you'll notice right away if there are any obvious areas that need to be touched up.

Tattoos are basically healed after 2-3 weeks, but take about 6 months to "cure" into the skin. After 6 months, your tattoo should pretty much stay the same, although over the years, the texture of your skin will change with age. Heavy sun exposure can lighten a tattoo and cause the outine to thicken a bit more than it would by itself, especialy heavy sun exposure in that first 6 months of curing time. Dry skin will make your tattoo appear lighter - try applying some lotion over dry skin and watch your tattoo look bright again!

Back to Top

When do tattoos need to be touched up?

This depends on many things. Under most circumstances, the answer is either never, or once, since modern inks are very strong and hold much more steadily over the years than older style inks.

However, there are many cases when you might need one touch up after the initial tattoo. An area might scab slightly during healing. When doing all black tattoos (like tribal), it's difficult to pack the color completely solid in one pass. Black takes longer because it is the highest contrast from the skin tone, so the more you have to work the skin, the more damaged the skin becomes. That leaves little room for error, so there are typically a few spots in a tribal piece that need to be filled in after the intial healing.

For the same reason, if you have one large solid field of one color in your tattoo design, there will likely be a few spots that need a touch up after the inital healing.

Sometimes, if the tattoo is large one and takes a long time, the skin's pores will "open up" and won't allow the ink to be deposited in the skin and the resulting colors tend to be very light. Some people's pores will open up after only a few minutes, but fortunately, this is rare. For most people, this doesn't happen until after a two hours or more of one sitting, for larger pieces.

After the initial touch up, there won't likely be any need for touch ups ever again. In some cases, it might be beneficial to get a tattoo touched up after 10 years or so, since your skin may have changed greatly over time.

Back to Top

Can I get a tattoo over a scar?

Yes, however, the texture of the scar will still show through the tattoo, and the scar tissue may require a touch up since it's thicker than skin without scars.

As an artist, I recommend choosing a design that doesn't necessarily completely cover a design, but instead, a design that runs through a scar. That way, the tattoo distracts from the scar, making it less noticeable. If a design completely covers a scar with all areas engulfed in ink, the raised areas of the scar can become even more obvious.

Back to Top

What if my body changes where I get a tattoo - for example, if I get pregnant, will that change a tattoo on my stomach? If I get tattooed on my arm and work out a lot, will stretch marks ruin my tattoo?

A tattoo on the stomach can be affected by pregnancy. Pregnancy can cause the skin to sort of break apart, and this will affect a tattoo on the stomach. It also can affect a tattoo placed on the hip, but is less likely.

Tattoos on the arms generally won't be affected by sudden "bulking up" unless it goes all the way around an arm, such as an arm band. It's usually the skin on the underside of the arm that gets stretch marks, not the visible part on the outside of the arm.

The key to doing a tattoo on the outside of the arm on someone who will likely gain mass is to place the tattoo properly centered, so that when mass gain occurs, that the tattoo stays "centered" on the arm.

Back to Top

How does a tattoo work? How is it applied?

A tattoo is applied using small groupings of very fine needles. The needles move up and down at a high speed and prick the skin. Because the needle is dipped in ink, the pricking motion deposits some of that ink into the skin.

It's the second layer that actually holds ink. The first layer of skin heals over the ink, which is why tattoos on those with darker skin tones sometimes look light. It's because the first layer contains natural pigments and, when they grow back over the tattoo, can create an effect like looking through smoked glass.

Back to Top

What colors work well on darker skin tones?

Black, red, orange, deep pinks, greens work well on darker skin tones. White can be used, but appears more yellow. White, on any skin tone, is best used only for highlights and blending, since it tends to hold unevenly.

Blues can look green, since with darker skin, the first layer grows back over the tattoo, which is deposited in the second layer. The first layer of skin contains your natural pigments, so darker skin will cover the tattoo with a yellowish layer, like smoked glass.

Back to Top

My tattoo feels raised. What does this mean?

If you've had the tattoo for a year or more, then it's likely one of two causes: a) your artist went too deep, or b) your skin scars easily.

Sometimes a normal, smooth tattoo will become raised when exposed to sunshine or certain chemicals (like those sometimes found in brand new, unwashed clothing) and may even itch, then return to normal when the exposure ends. It's hard to say what causes this, but it is a somewhat common experience among the tattooed, even with tattoos that are very old.

If it's a new tattoo (up to 6 months) then only time will tell. It can be very normal for the outline to still be raised after a few weeks or even months. I've seen (and have) tattoos that were slightly raised for months after getting it done, and slowly, they've flattened out. If it's otherwise healed, keep using a good lotion on it (cocoa butter is good as long as you're not applying it to broken skin or a fresh tattoo) and it may settle down.

Also, after a year or so, the ink deposited under the skin begins to sort of crystalize and actually harden under the skin, so on a thick outline, you may detect slight raising after the tattoo has cured into your skin. This is normal and under most circumstances, only noticeable to the touch, and even then, you have to look for it to find it usually.

Some artists do believe that it's good to be able to feel a tattoo slightly after it's fully healed and to them, it means the outline will hold better over time. I am not one of these people. Experience has shown me that a long-holding, clean and beautiful tattoo actually hold better over time with a lighter approach in my opinion.

Back to Top

I want to get a portrait. What should I know before I select an artist?

First of all, you must have a very crisp and clear photograph at a decent size. An old beat up wallet size photo will not provide the means necessary for an artist to properly succeed. This is imperative.

A realistic likeness will not likely be able to be produced at a small size. Plan on a size close to 4"x4" for accurate detail.

Any artist who says they will do a life-like portrait in one sitting is not likely going to do a great job. Expect to sit through 2 or three sessions. Expect the first few sessions to look very incomplete and spotty and sketchy. With human portraits, depth needs to be built up slowly and in layers, not with crisp, blocky lines. A good portrait is a process. Be prepared for this, as there will likely be two weeks between sessions.

Research your prosepective artist's work, and discuss the portrait with them. Keep in mind that some artists are very eager to do portraits as many good artists find portraits very stressful, as the desire for perfection seems unattainable and some may decline to do them out of a desire to not take any chances with their client's expectations. In tattooing, there is no eraser, and no "undo" button. A slight hand movement while shaping a nose or mouth can drastically alter the appearance of a familiar face.

For all of the reasons above, expect to pay much more for a portrait, and treat your artist well upon each visit. An old saying in the business goes: "A good tattoo isn't cheap, and a cheap tattoo isn't good". When it comes to portraits, this couldn't be more true.

Back to Top

Am I supposed to tip the artist?

It is customary to tip your tattoo artist for a job well done. Tips range from $5-50 or more, with the typical amount being from $10-$25. While you are under no obligation to tip, if you are unhappy with the service you are provided, withholding a tip is a good way to send the message that you were disappointed with your artist.

Back to Top

Can you do my name in Chinese lettering (kanji)?

Here is the thing about Chinese lettering (kanji) and names. There are no letter-for-letter equivalents of kanji to the Western alphabet, and the only real way to translate a Western name is if the name is something they have a character for, like nouns and verbs. I have several pages of supposed translations of kanji to names, but I can't vouch for the authenticity of any of these. You're best bet in my opinion is to pick something that represents the person to you, from their favorite hobby, or distinguishing feature or their zodiac sign or their Chinese zodiac (which goes by the year they were born) so that at least what you have means something.

Back to Top