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By infmom, July 24, 2009 12:14 pm

I haven’t been writing much lately, because the 104^o heat around our not-air-conditioned house in the San Fernando Valley has made all kinds of things slow down. We close the windows and pull down the shades early in the morning before it starts heating up, and the house is never as hot as the outside, but still, day after day in a house that comes close to being 90^o gets wearying pretty quickly.

All of which got me to thinking about how one cares for tattoos in hot weather and abundant sunshine. Since I don’t have any new ink and I don’t spend a lot of time in the sun (I am a melanoma survivor) I don’t have to do much out of the ordinary. But for those of you who are in different situations, here are some suggestions.

If your ink is new and is in an area usually covered by clothing, be sure to wear lightweight fabric and loosely fitting clothes. Find some clothes at the thrift store that have a fairly busy pattern so that any weeping ink or stains won’t be so noticeable–and that you won’t mind discarding and replacing if need be. If your ink is new and it’s usually visible, do your best to stay out of the sun till it heals. The chemicals in sunscreen are not good for injured skin.

If you sweat on newly inked skin, it will sting.   You might want to keep some soft cotton handkerchiefs on hand to blot away sweat without hurting your ink.   Once again, the thrift store is a great place to look, and you can just toss the handkerchiefs when you no longer need them.

Sun has been known to fade the colors in tattoos (red is especially susceptible) and to make the ink change color (most noticeably, some black ink turns a murky dark blue or dark green). Once your tat has healed, obviously it’s important to protect it from the sun. Make sure you wear sunscreen and keep the ink out of direct sunlight as much as possible. If you go swimming, you need to be aware of the power of sunlight reflected off the water as well. The worst sunburn I ever got was when I thought I was safe because I was in the water.

What happens when tattooed skin gets sunburned? You need to be extra careful not to pick at it if it starts to peel, and you need to be extra careful not to let it get burned again. You paid a lot of money and put a lot of creativity into your ink, and it would be a shame to have it turn into a murky mess because you didn’t take simple precautions.

Do you have a sun-vs-ink tale to tell? Let me know.
photo credit: island home

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By infmom, July 5, 2009 12:49 pm

New tattoos can take a surprisingly long time to heal completely.  How you treat them during the healing time has a lot to do with how they’ll look afterwards.  This is definitely a time to be in no hurry.   But let’s say you’ve followed all the instructions, and now it’s weeks later and your tattoo is still itching, or oozing, or swollen?  Something’s not right.

Tattoo ink is not an inert substance.  The pigments in it can cause allergic reactions, and unfortunately there really is no perfect way to tell whether you’re going to react to any particular color.  You could have the artist do a few dots of each color in an inconspicuous place, wait a few days and go back to get the tattoo, but just because you don’t react to a small amount of the ink doesn’t mean you won’t end up with problems when a lot of it goes into your skin.  And then there’s always the possibility that the small amount didn’t cause problems itself, but it sensitized you against any further applications.

I had a nice tattoo applied to my ankle at a tattoo show on the Queen Mary.  It was an impulse decision, something I ordinarily advise strongly against.  But it definitely made a mediocre already-existing design look better, so I went for it.  I’m not sorry I did.  But that’s how I learned I’ve got problems with red ink.  Fortunately, as you can see in the photo, there’s not a lot of red ink in the design.  But those small red areas remained swollen, itchy, and intermittently crusty for close to two years after I got the tattoo.  Nothing seemed to help, although Benadryl makes some nice anti-itch lotion that made it quit bothering me for a while.   I put Nivea cream (the thick stuff in the small blue tin) on it regularly, and finally my body and the red ink agreed to co-exist peacefully.  But that reaction has made me somewhat hesitant to go get any more tattoos.

Your own health may also be an issue.  If your immune system isn’t up to par or if you heal slowly (as many diabetics do) it will definitely affect your ink.  Be sure you let your artist know about those conditions before he or she starts work.  It might be that he or she will not want to do the work if the healing will be compromised.  This is something that you and the artist will have to deal with.  No matter how eager you are to go ahead with the tattoo, the artist has to think of the possible consequences for both of you if things go wrong.

Some people worry about infections or HIV.  Going only to a reputable shop will reduce the likelihood of that to the bare minimum.  Tattoo needles are used only once, on only one person.  The rest of the equipment is sterilized at high heat in an autoclave.  The artist wears gloves and everything that touches your skin is disposed of after the work is done.  It’s as close to sterile conditions as human ingenuity can make it.  This is not to say you still can’t get infected after you leave the shop (we live in a germ filled world, after all) but the likelihood of the needles being the source of the contamination is vanishingly small.

I’ve written more extensively on tattoo health issues in the past, and I invite you to check out that series of messages starting here.    I’ve also written about the surprisingly common problems with nickel allergies here, here, and here.

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By infmom, June 28, 2009 11:43 am

So, your new tattoo is finished, and you’ve looked at it in the mirror and you and the artist are both happy with it.   Now what?

It may help to remember that you’ve just created a wound in your skin.   It’s more attractive than falling down and skinning your knee, to be sure, but it’s still damage done to your epidermis by lots and lots of needle punctures, so you need to take care of it so that it will heal promptly and properly.

Do not let the artist slap plastic wrap over it.   This is the most essential thing to remember.   Your skin will be weeping fluid and ink and debris, and you do not want that stuff trapped next to the surface where it will provide prime real estate for germs.   Make sure you get a bandage or a large sterile gauze pad, and if possible, ask the artist to use paper tape to attach it to your skin.   Many people develop allergies to standard adhesive tape, and keeping it away from a fresh opening in your skin is a sensible precaution.

You will be tempted to peel off the bandaging as soon as possible so that you can look at your new ink, but don’t do it.   You will have plenty of time to look at it later, and you want it to heal properly so it will look good forever.   Many artists advise leaving the bandage on for several hours, then taking it off and washing the skin with a gentle soap or cleaner and warm water.   My own recommendation, based on my experiences, is that you want to leave the bandage on till the next morning.   Your skin will continue to weep overnight and you don’t want to get stuck to your sleeper or your sheets.

Once the bandage is off (you can soak it in warm water if it’s stuck) then wash the skin very, very gently.   Some people recommend liquid skin cleansers or body wash, but I’d go with soap that has the fewest extra ingredients in it.   You don’t want to cause any irritation at this point.   Pat the skin dry very, very gently with a soft towel.   Let it air dry for a few minutes after that.

Then, you will need to apply your artist’s protective coating of choice.   Many artists advise against using anything containing petroleum jelly (Vaseline).   Some artists take the alternate approach and advise using A&D Ointment.   Some recommend a particular brand of lotion.   Others call for tattoo-specific aftercare products like Tattoo Goo or Black Cat.   (Burt’s Bees Hand Salve contains almost the same ingredients as Tattoo Goo, and I’ve used that very successfully.)

Listen to your artist.   He or she has years of experience with the products he/she recommends.   Follow the artist’s instructions.   You are going to be applying some kind of protective coating to your skin for quite a while, so be sure that if your tattoo is under clothing, it’s clothing that won’t show stains.   I went to the thrift store and bought several lightweight, loose-fitting, front-buttoning blouses in highly patterned fabric before I got my back piece done.   They did not show ink stains and I could simply discard them when the healing process was complete.   This was important, because I had a job that involved meeting the public every day and I needed to look professional and still let my ink heal.

The tattoo will scab over (remember, it’s a wound in your skin).   All of us grew up picking scabs.   It’s a horrible temptation.   But don’t do it.   You just paid for all that lovely ink and you’ll be picking it right off.   Let the scabs flake off by themselves, difficult as it will be to keep your hands off.   The skin will itch as it heals.   Resist the urge to scratch.   I had some luck with slapping the itchy places lightly.   You may get some swelling and some places may be crustier or itchier than others.   (We all react to different ink colors differently.)   All of this is normal.   But if you are concerned about any of the healing process, talk with your artist.   He or she can give you plenty of practical suggestions.

Once the skin is healed, I’d recommend using a good quality lotion on it to keep the colors vibrant.   And always wear sunscreen when you go outside (good practice anyway, but it will help keep your colors from fading).   Show off your ink proudly.   You’re now part of the multicolored world!

Next time, I’ll talk about some uncommon reactions.

photo credit: XLShadow

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By infmom, June 17, 2009 12:34 pm

According to news reports, a young woman in Belgium is claiming she fell asleep while her face was being tattooed and woke up with a lot more than she bargained for.

Here is a link to the story on the BBC web site. You may not be able to see the video if you’re outside the UK.

You know what?   Her story is impossible.     Let’s talk about what goes on while you’re getting a tattoo, and you’ll see why.

Image via Wikipedia

First of all, your artist will wash the area where the tattoo is to be applied and will shave it if necessary.   Your chosen design will be applied either with a stencil or drawn freehand by the artist.   You’ll be asked to look at the design and approve of the way it looks.   If there are changes to be made, the artist will either make a new stencil, or, more likely, redraw the design freehand to meet your specifications.   You get to look at the changes and approve.

Once that’s done and you’re sure that what is on your skin temporarily is what you want to make permanent, the process of applying the tattoo begins.   You will sit or lie down in such a way that you and the artist are both comfortable.   Your chosen colors will be dispensed from large bottles into small disposable cups.   The artist will apply a bit of petroleum jelly to your skin, stretch the skin tight between his or her fingers, and start using the tattoo machine, which makes a buzzing noise while it’s in operation.   The ink is applied a little at a time, and the artist will wipe away ink residue as the design progresses and re-dip the needles into the color repeatedly.

This process hurts.   There is no getting around it.   Many people’s endorphins kick in after a little while and the pain becomes more bearable, but it does not stop hurting till the design is finished.   If the artist is working on an area that is already sensitive (like your face) or on an area close to the bone (ankle) it’s going to hurt more.   Having had stars tattooed over my collarbone and having had to sit still while my ankle was being tattooed twice, I simply can’t believe that anyone could possibly fall asleep while having anything tattooed on their face.   Vibration and pain are not conducive to sleep. (Nor, for that matter, is a reputable artist going to apply anything that wasn’t approved in advance.)

First, the artist will outline your design, following the lines of the stencil or the freehand drawing.   Usually the outline is done in black ink with fine needles.   This is most people’s introduction to the tattooing process and it might give a false impression of how painful the rest of it is going to be.     Many people (including me) say that the outline of a tattoo is the most painful part.   The artist is putting a lot of ink into a very small area and wants to keep going so that the outline is not too irregular.   It is OK if you need to ask to take a break while this is going on.   The tattoo looks pretty messy while the work is progressing because the artist will keep wiping residue off the work area and onto the surrounding skin.   Don’t worry about it, that will all get cleaned up.

After the outline is done, the artist will fill in the colors (if you have a colored design) or continue with the black ink.   Usually, larger needle clusters are used for this, and surprisingly, with more needles it hurts less.   Larger areas are filled in more quickly.   He or she will keep wiping away the excess and re-dipping the needles into the color until the design is finished.

Once it’s done, the artist will clean your skin once again to remove all residues, and to let you see your finished design.   The skin around your tattoo will be bright red.   This is normal.   Your tattoo might be oozing or bleeding just a little bit.   This is also normal.   You have just had your epidermis wounded and your body isn’t happy about it.   If there are any adjustments you want the artist to make, you’ll sit or lie back down and have that done.   Once you’re happy with what you’ve gotten, the artist will probably apply some kind of protective ointment and then put a bandage over the tattoo.   Some artists still use plastic wrap as a covering–please, don’t agree to this. Here is a previous post talking about bandages and plastic wrap and linking to a good article about why plastic is a very bad idea.

And that’s it, your first tattoo.   Not something you would or could sleep through, believe me.     In the next post I will take up the issue of aftercare.

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By infmom, June 11, 2009 11:59 am

Image by cjour via Flickr

Don’t you just hate people who say you have to begin at the beginning?  

In the matter of getting a tattoo for the first time, though, you’ll be much happier with the results if you know where the real beginning of the process lies.   A lot of people get an idea of what they want and where they want it, and then find a design that’s acceptable and tell the artist to go ahead.   That works, but it’s not the best approach.   Here is what I would recommend, based on my own experience.

1. Take your time.   Unless the best or only artist in town is closing up shop next week, there is no screaming hurry to go get inked.   You’re doing something that will last for years–do you want to make your decisions in minutes?
2. This may seem obvious, but think about what you want–and why you want it.   Does that butterfly or rose or dagger have deep personal meaning to you?   Is it something that is so important that you want it on your body for the rest of your life?   Or is it something that you just think is decorative right now this minute?   Why not take some time to think of what is meaningful to you and find a design that symbolizes that?   This goes along with taking your time.   You want a design that represents something that is uniquely you.   If your’e just getting a tattoo because someone told you you shouldn’t or couldn’t–this is not a time to prove how independent you are.     Let them talk.   You can outwait them.
3. Visit your artist and look at his/her portfolio.   Look at the kinds of custom designs that are available in addition to the flash on the walls.   If there’s more than one artist available, visit all of them.   If your friends have tattoos, talk about the artists with them.   Once you have decided which artist you want, you can visit the shop and discuss prices, but do not haggle.   There is a time for the culture of the marketplace, but getting uniquely created permanent art is not one of those times.
4. Get some clothing that will allow the art work to be done without flashing everything you’ve got to everyone in the shop.   If possible, buy it at the thrift store, so you won’t be worrying about damage or stains.   As an example, when I got my back piece done, I bought an opaque tube bra so I could remove my shirt completely and still be decently covered up while the artist worked over my shoulder blade.
5. Find out what products your artist recommends for aftercare.   Buy that ahead of time.   Some artists recommend antibacterial lotion or ointment, some just use regular hand or body lotion, some recommend specialized products like Tattoo Goo or Black Cat.   Many artists warn people not to put products based on petroleum jelly on new ink.   Be sure to read the ingredients on the item you plan to buy.   (I have found that Burt’s Bees Hand Salve has almost the same ingredients as Tattoo Goo and is a lot more widely available.)
6. Get an idea of how long the artist thinks your tattoo will take to apply, and allow extra time just in case.   You do not want to be anxiously watching the clock or trying to hurry up the process because you have to be somewhere else.   And of course you want to be sure you show up for your appointment on time or even a little early.   This is simple courtesy to the artist and it will make things better for all concerned.
7. Be sure to have money to tip the artist.   This too is common courtesy.   Good tattoo artists deserve to be supported.

OK?   Next time I will talk about the actual process of getting inked.

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By infmom, June 8, 2009 11:54 am

Not everyone waits 30 years to get their first tattoo like I did.  

Of course, my circumstances weren’t like many other people’s.   For one thing, I first decided I wanted to get a tattoo when I was 16 years old and living in a small town that barely had a grocery store, much less a tattoo parlor.   And it was 1967, a year in which no respectable 16-year-old would want a tattoo to begin with.   Or so I was led to believe.

I made do by drawing on my skin with a pen.   Behind my ankle, where it was much less likely to be seen by the eagle-eyed dress-code enforcers of the day.   (School dress codes, draconian and arbitrary, were something everyone had to deal with in those days.)   As time went on, I quit doing that, but the idea of getting a real tattoo never left.

Naturally, I had a lot of time to decide exactly what it was I wanted, but even so, I didn’t really think about an actual design.   All I knew was that I wanted seven small multicolored stars.   (It has personal meaning to me, too complex to explain.)   Fortunately, by the time I’d gotten together the money and the courage, I picked an artist who transformed my original barebones idea into something unique.

But although I’d read up on tattoos as best I could, there were still plenty of things I did not know in advance.   I didn’t know about ink sticking to everything, or about proper aftercare (my artist, good as he was, didn’t really tell me anything).   I didn’t realize that it would be a good idea to get some clothes that would be suitable for hiding weeping ink.   And I had no idea how long it would take the tattoo to heal.

I should have done my best to look all that up ahead of time.   But I sure wasn’t alone.   Several of my co-workers came to me for advice before or shortly after getting that first tattoo.   I don’t claim to be an expert, but at least I know how this tattoo process works, by now.  

I know I’ve gone over this subject before, but I’m going to update those articles this week with what I’ve learned in the last couple years, so stay tuned for more on the subject.

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By infmom, May 28, 2009 5:25 pm

Oh, what a lovely article from Discover magazine.   Click the link to see a true scientific tattoo!

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By infmom, May 26, 2009 11:35 am

It seems pretty safe to assume that people have been making permanent marks on their bodies for a lot longer than we have the actual bodies to prove it. I’m sure our ancestors noticed that if you cut or puncture the skin (either accidentally or on purpose) with some sharp object that has some kind of pigment on it (anything from soot to red ochre) the mark stays after the wound heals. (Many a former grade school kid has the permanent mark of a pencil stab somewhere even today.)

After that discovery impinged on the general consciousness, some enterprising artist undoubtedly figured out pretty quickly   how to make permanent marks on purpose, and body art took another giant step.

The first tattoo implements were likely things like thorns, sharp stone points and knives, and the colors those easily obtainable nearby.   Soot makes good solid black marks; wood ashes rubbed into a wound would lead to scarring much more noticeable than if the wound were left to heal on its own.   (Of course, rubbing such things into open wounds increased the chances of major infection, so perhaps each person who survived felt much more protected from the dangers of a primitive world.)

As people were able to make better carving tools, it became possible to carve fine-toothed tattoo “combs” and thus make larger marks all at once.   Traditional Polynesian tattoo artists use this technique today.   The comb is tapped with a stick to force the color into the skin, which got the work done a lot faster than poking individual dots with a thorn or sharp stone point.   Traditional African tattoo artists still use the thorns.

People also used to use thread or sinew rubbed with pigment and “sewed” under the skin.   This appears to have been the favored method among people in the arctic areas.   This traditional method is not commonly used today, although there are still a few artists who know how to do it.

Advances in metalworking techniques helped as well.   Up till fairly recent times, making needles was a labor-intensive process.   Today’s machine-made needles are so common that we often don’t understand why people even a century ago had needle cases and had to make sure they cared for the needles they had as carefully as possible, re-sharpening them with emery if necessary (a reminder of this remains in the classic tomato-shaped pincushion with the little emery strawberry that people of my generation remember, and which is still being sold today).   Being able to purchase relatively inexpensive needles for the purpose of tattooing, and being able to replace those needles easily should they get too dull or break, made life a lot easier for the artists.

With the advent of electricity, everything changed.   Thomas Edison invented an electric engraving machine that was quickly adapted to “engrave” on skin, with a reservoir to deliver the pigment down hollow needles.   At about the same time, a tattoo machine using electromagnets was invented, and this proved to be the superior design.   Every advance in tattoo-machine technology since then has improved on that electromagnetic original.

I don’t think I would have had the courage to get an old-style tattoo.   Even with the most modern technology the process is still painful.   But at least it’s over a lot more quickly than it could once have been.   And now more people can have traditional designs done with modern equipment, helping keep tradition alive in the Space Age.   It’s one of the best examples of a combination of the old and the new.

photo credit: karenwithak
photo credit: Juan Eduardo Donoso

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By infmom, May 11, 2009 8:12 pm

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I babysat for Our Official Grandson the other night. His parents have a fairly large hi-def TV, which is something we don’t have, and won’t be getting any time soon.

What’s that got to do with tattoos? Well, I watched “American Chopper” in HD for the first time and got a better look at Paul Teutul Sr.’s tattoos.

Yuck. 

He’s had multiple artists work on his arms, and if I recall correctly, he had one of them try to unify all the separate artworks.  He’s got odd litle blobs between the designs, mostly.  I’m not sure what they were intended to be or to do, but the overall effect looks pretty bad.

I understand the desire to turn separate tattoos into one.  I’ve done it myself.  When it’s done right, it enhances the artwork.  (I like to think that my additions turned a mediocre tattoo into a good one.)  When it’s done by a lesser artist, as apparently Paul Sr’s was…   well, the result is unfortunate.

But what happens after something like that is done?  Does the tattooed person just consider all the work that went into it, and accept it despite the fact that it doesn’t look good?  I wouldn’t, myself.  Of course, I had the artist draw out the transformation before agreeing to the work.  So if it had turned out badly I would have been just as responsible.

Have you tried to unify separate works?  If so, how did it turn out?

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By infmom, May 6, 2009 5:50 pm

I was watching the “Ancient Ink” show (for the third time) the other day, and musing about how we humans seem eternally determined to decorate ourselves permanently.

Some of the methods ancient people used to decorate their bodies were incredibly painful (for that matter, some of the methods modern people use to decorate their bodies must hurt just as much). Cutting the skin and rubbing ashes into it, sewing lines under the skin with sinew coated with soot, branding, pounding pigment into the skin… yes, people have to be very determined and very brave.

And yet there’s evidence that our ancestors did it on a regular basis. We don’t know for sure why, or whether the designs were purely decorative, ceremonial or or medicinal purposes. We don’t know why paint, beads, feathers, etc were not enough and why a permanent mark was the only possible choice. Speaking as someone who wanted a tattoo for 30 years before actually getting one, I can say that the urge to get these permanent decorations can be both strong and lasting.

People in the modern world get tattoos to decorate, to acknowledge life milestones, to show membership in a group, for protection and to demonstrate our spiritual beliefs. We don’t want temporary decorations–we want something that will for all intents and purposes last forever.

Watching the host of “Ancient Ink” and the other people in the documentary go through the most painful processes to pay homage to human tradition gave me the sense that as the old saying goes, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

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