Do you have a Tattoo?

[Dizzy]

I still dont get why anyone would want to pierce their nipples, however i also said i didnt nkow why anyone ever got a tattoo, but got one done a few weeks ago and am dying to get another, so my mind could be changed(altho i doubt it, needles ick)

I have wanting to get a tattoo for a long time but have put it off for a number of reasons - mainly being too chicken . I have the exact design I want locked in a drawer at home.

How many of the forumites have tattoos, do they regret getting them done or do they love them and want more.

Also interested to find out how much they cost so it might give me the courage to finally go and get mine done.

[Yliander]

I have a tattoo low on the small of my back - I don't regret it in the least - I love it - although in hindsight I should have had it done a little higher *shrug*

mine is an orginal piece designed by a friend - it wasn't designed as a tattoo - but I loved it and when he gave me the original I asked if I could use it as a tattoo. It took about 2 hours to get done - and while it did hurt- the closer the skin is to the bone the more it is supposed to hurt - as soon as the needle was removed from my skin the pain stopped.

the cost was $200 - half of which was birthday money from my mum - she was rather unimpressed to have helped fund more of my body art.

I would like to get another one - actually another 2 and while I know what I would like to have finding the exact design is difficult. Anyone read/write Hebrew?

[azande]

I have two, a small one just above my right shoulderblade and a bigger one on my left shoulder/chest/upper arm.

I had the small one done first to see if I liked it, it took around an hour and half to do, and it probably cost me around 30 or 40 pounds 8 years ago.

The second one took 8 sessions of two hours each (including one only dedicated to the design of it with the tattooist) at 50 pound a session (the design one was free). This was 5 years ago.

Never regretted having them done, and I am studying the design for my third.

[Aleks]

I have three, all small, all done within 2 weeks of each other.
Two are of spiders (see my avatar!) and are on/around my left 'chest'. The third is on my right hip.
I have never regretted the tattoos themselves, though have regretted the many changes in my body shape that has distorted them occasionally over the last 15 years.
I have ocasionally vowed that three is enough but every time I pass a tattoo studio I reconsider; there's something about the smell of a tattoist's that urges me to have another....

[LMC]

I also have 2 - a small Celtic style spider on my left shoulder (which I designed myself and ended up upside down - funny even at the time!) and a ring of ivy leaves around my right ankle. Also considering a 3rd at the base of my spine, but mulling over design...

The back of the shoulder is apparently the least painful place to get a tattoo done (which is why I had my first one there, I'm also a chicken when it comes to pain!). The ankle was OK - a bit 'ticklish' round the back (Achilles tendon!) but no real problem. I would say that the 'pain' is like a paper cut in 'sharpness' but without the stinging sensation that comes with a paper cut - so quite bearable for the 20-30 minutes it takes to do small tattoos like mine.

The ankle tattoo was 3 years ago and cost me £90, from Tusk, Covent Garden/Holborn (just off Drury Lane and about 5 minutes walk from my office). Not cheap, but the guy did a great job and it healed very cleanly and quickly. Highly recommended - after all, a tattoo is for life (unless you want to spend 100s/1000s of £ on laser surgery )

From the "life" point of view, good idea to find a design that will 'age' gracefully. The tackiest thing I ever saw was a woman with an ancient Tweetie Pie on her arm Oh, and if you go for foreign letters, make sure it does mean what you think it means (as Yliander has obviously considered ). I once had a tattoo discussion with a drunken woman in a club who had noticed and admired one of mine, and she showed me her two Chinese character tattoos, one on each breast, which said, apparently "Left" and "Right". I'm still convinced that any tattooist would have actually used the characters for "Stupid" and "Twat"...

EDIT: As Aleks has said, be careful where you put them too - they can distort with weight changes if you go for bum/thigh/similar changeable area!

Regrets? Nope.

[Lory]

I've never considered having one, as I know they wouldn't suit me.

[Tazmanian Devil]

I have 2

The first I had done when I was 15 on my Right arm of a leaf, Cost £15. I will at some point be getting it covered with a ying n yang design (already have the design) I don't regret having it done it just don't look much like a leaf anymore where I have obviously grown in the last 11 years.

My other one is a Tazmanian Devil (of course) on my Left shoulder, Had that one when I was 18, cost £35. Again I don't regret having it done I think it kinda suits me

[Rhythm King]

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, I was stationed in Germany. We had a big multi-national NATO exercise and as part of this, an American was assigned to our HQ. He was a complete pain and professed very anti-English and British sentiments, on a regular basis. At the end of the 6 weeks, the Royal Engineers with us managed to get him very drunk on the last night, and took him into Hameln, where they got a huge Union Jack tattooed on his chest!!!

I don't have any tattooes ("Do you have any tattooes Brad? How about you?" *wrinkle nose* ), but understand there are modern ones which last for about 5 years, then fade and others which only show up under UV light.

I have a number of friends who have had them over the years and it seems to be about a 50-50 split, over whether they regret them or not. Some of these people have resorted to having them removed, but the ones who have done so have always had some sort of mark, or scar remaining.

My thoughts? If you're going to have one, make sure you want it, make sure it's something you're not likely to regret later and get it done somewhere reputable (I know we're talking tattoo parlours here - stop laughing!)

R-K

[DianaS]

I don't have any tatoos but one of my friends designs them. He recommends that you carry your design with you for a month and look at it at least once a day modifying it as appropriate. If after the end of the month your not sick of the site of it Go ahead Use a top tatooist and take a friend who is clear about what you want.

Remember they last a life time, so the expense of time in design and cost of a top tattooist is well worth the investment

My son had a tattoo for his 18th He passed out but was over the moon
I think it looks silly but there you go

[LMC]

Oooh, the one bit I forgot:

It's really very attractive when all the differently coloured scabs start dropping off - be careful WHEN you have your tattoo done in relation to special events etc... (I was dropping green ivy leaves/flakes of ivy leaves all over the floor of the holiday chalet I was staying in just a week or so after I had my last tattoo done )

[Frankie_4711]

I have one - top of my left arm. Had it done twice as the first one wasn't done very well - I'd spent years making sure I knew what I wanted and where I wanted it, but hadn't thought about who was going to do it and then got it done on the spur of the moment in a place that turned out not to be too good! Anyway, a few years later I had it gone over (same design, just touching up the dodgy bits!). Never regretted it, and want to have another one. Was surprised at how much it didn't hurt (not saying it was painless, but thought it would have hurt more than it did) - the only way I can describe the pain is like someone drawing on you with a biro, but pressing REALLY hard! Mine took about ½ an hour and cost £20 each time (13 and 8 years ago)

[ben632664]

I have two tattoos. I have one thats about 6 inches by 4 inches on the back of my head! I have a shaved head so you can clearly see the tattoo, but if ever i get fed up with it or feel I need to 'hide' it, I only need grow my hair slightly and the tattoo dissapears. The second one I have is on the inside of my wrist and is about 2 inches square. I really love my Tattoos and cant see me ever regretting them as they mark a time in my life that I will always remember.
The one on my head causes alot of interest. Its quite a good ice breaker and topic of converstion when you meet somebody as its something different they can comment on and leads into a good flow of converstaion.

I think that some people see a 6ft1 - 16 stone, young man with a shaved head and a big tattoo and can have misconceptions about me before they have even met me, which is a shame. But I always say - nevr judge a book by its cover.

So now all of you lovely forumite will instantly recognise me should we meet by the tattoo on the back of my head!

[Lory]

but if ever i get fed up with it or feel I need to 'hide' it, I only need grow my hair slightly and the tattoo dissapears.

Hmm, I'm sorry to have to inform you, that your plan might start to fail when you reach your 40's

[ben632664]

Hmm, I'm sorry to have to inform you, that your plan might start to fail when you reach your 40's

Erm... Yeah... Forward planning was never really my strong point

[drathzel]

I have a tattoo! I got it done in about feb time and i am still in love with it! I got a paw print on my lower back. It was small and cost £20 only took 30 mins ( he stopped for 5 mins in between outline and colour in bit)

I had to get it touched up where it hadnt taken too well, it was free and took 5 mins!

I want another one, but dont know where.

Like Yli my only regret is not getting it slightly higher up!

I was so proud of getting mine as i had an acute fear of needles before hand!

[David Bailey]

Quote from my bible:

"Tatoo: Weird military shows in which soldiers march up and down for a bit and then there's a dog display team. Used to be televised (for the other sort of tattoo, see Body art)"

And under Body art, it says:

"Actually, I think you'll find it's call a tattoo. When Picasso painted Guernica, it was not, as I understand it, a toss-up between a nightmarish pyramid arrangement of horrors in black, white and grey representing the effects of fascist bombing, or a big eagle with "Mum" written underneath it. I could be wrong.

The second edition is out in November, that's my Xmas sorted then

[Baruch]

Here's a pic of mine. It's not a very good picture, as it is actually round, but it's the best I could take with my mobile phone.

It's based on an iron-age design from an artefact found in Moel Hiraddug, North Wales, and it's on my upper right arm. I've had it for 4 or 5 years now, and I still like it. I've been considering having another done on my left arm, but I haven't got around to it yet, mainly because I've had other uses for the money.

[azande]

Lots of tattoists suggest Savlon to use on your skin while it is healing but I found that the Bach Rescue Remedy Cream works a lot better. (I used Savlon on the first tattoo and the Bach cream on the second).

[Yliander]

Lots of tattoists suggest Savlon to use on your skin while it is healing but I found that the Bach Rescue Remedy Cream works a lot better. (I used Savlon on the first and the Bach cream on the second).

my tattooist recommended an antiseptic cream used by breast feeding mothers - can't remember the name but it worked a treat - applied it from day one and had very little scabbing - also had quite complex instructions on covering it with gladwrap to keep it moist and then after a week of that moved to non-stick dressing much easier to apply.

And after that it’s was supposed to be zinc cream on it whenever I went swimming etc or at least sunscreen when it's going to be exposed to the sun but in this I haven’t been so good – the dear thing barely gets sunscreen.

[azande]

Yeah, I haven't been that good with suncream either...

Another thing, bear in mind the depending on your skin some colours will take on easier and others will not, especially red is a tricky color... fortunately it works well on my skin.