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By infmom, May 20, 2010 2:44 pm

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I got my calendars mixed up, and thought that the Diabetes Expo and the Ink & Iron tattoo show were both in Long Beach last weekend. (Ink & Iron’s next month.) I thought it’d be an interesting combination of venues, and people could go from one to the other without too much trouble (Diabetes Expo at the Convention Center, Ink & Iron on the Queen Mary).

People who have chronic diseases can’t be as carefree and casual about getting tattoos as perhaps they’d like to be.  While it might not be a case of “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction” for everyone, certainly the process of invading your skin with foreign substances can stress some people’s bodies more than others.  Diabetics don’t heal as fast.  People with autoimmune disorders might be pushed into a flare-up.  People with allergies, especially nickel allergies, might have inflamed skin for years.  People with latex allergies should definitely make sure the artist is using some other kind of gloves.

I have three tattoos, and I’m a Type 2 diabetic.  I also have nickel allergy.  I got my first tattoo before I got my diabetes diagnosis, but I went to the tattoo parlor fully informed the second and third time.  Interestingly enough, I was never asked about health conditions by any of the artists who inked me.  In retrospect, I think I should have been.  I don’t think it would have changed anything, but (again in retrospect) I think it’s only right that the artist should know that much about the person he/she is working on. If I get another tattoo (still under consideration) I’ll tell the artist up front if he or she doesn’t ask.

And, of course, people with chronic medical conditions should absolutely do some research before getting body art or piercings.  The more we know ahead of time, the better we can be prepared for possible problems afterwards.  If I’d known there was a connection between tattoo ink and nickel allergy, I might have changed the colors of my designs (although as it turned out, I had no problem with the blue or green colors, only with the red which does not contain nickel).  Knowing that diabetics heal more slowly would not have stopped me from getting any of my tattoos, but knowing that I had diabetes did inspire me to make sure my blood sugar levels were well under control before I got inked.

Have you had to take your health into consideration before getting inked?  Have you been asked about health problems by your artist?  How did you handle the issue?

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By infmom, May 5, 2010 10:07 am

First of all, thank you for subscribing! But could you all please make sure your email address is correct? And that you allow emails from the site to get through your spam filters? I’ve been getting bounced emails lately and I wouldn’t want you to think they hadn’t been sent in the first place.

Thanks!

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By infmom, May 1, 2010 11:18 am

Once again, the Ink-N-Iron Festival is coming to the Queen Mary in Long Beach.  As someone who’s attended and who’s gotten tattooed there, I heartily recommend it.  Just think what the Duchess of Windsor must be thinking. 

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By infmom, April 28, 2010 11:41 pm

Ordinarily I am way behind the times with technology but now I have an iPod Touch to play with. This is my first attempt at posting with the WordPress app. Do any of you have suggestions for good apps to try?

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By infmom, April 5, 2010 10:01 am

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A week or so ago, I bought some new makeup  from a well-known, reputable company whose products I have used many times in the past with no problems at all.  The product I bought was relatively new and had been advertised extensively, and it looked like something I could really use.

The first day I wore it, I had no problems.  The second day, I noticed that my face was a little itchy when I washed it at the end of the day.  The third day…  whoa.  Within minutes of applying the makup my face hurt and itched like crazy.  When I washed the product off, my skin looked like it had been sunburned and my whole face was swollen.  I had to make a mad dash to the drugstore to buy some soothing products to wash and coat my poor flaming skin.

I emailed the company’s customer service department and they were very courteous about it and said they would look into the problem.  They may request that I send the rest of the product back.  I’m satisfied with the response I got, but even so, it took several days for the redness and itchiness to go away.

And this was a product from a well known company whose cosmetics had always served me well before.

Which is why I wanted to talk about allergies again today.  If you use the search box on the right and type in “allergies” you’ll see that this subject has come up before and that people are vitally interested in it.  Because tattoo ink is  injected under the skin, if an allergic reaction occurs, treating it is difficult.  Cosmetic products can be washed off and the skin can be treated and left to heal, but if you’ve got a weepy, oozing, itching tattoo you’ve got big problems.  I went through that with the red ink on my ankle tattoo, and the swelling and itchiness literally took years to go away.  I’m very thankful that it did eventually go away, but I went through a lot of skin-soothing and anti-itch preparations before my skin settled down.  That’s one reason I’m hesitant to get any more ink.  As with the makeup, something that’s applied once may not cause problems.  Apply it again and you’re in trouble.

And that’s why the standard advice to try a patch test isn’t necessarily going to tell you anything.  You can certainly have the artist put a few dots of color in an inconspicuous place first, and wait to see if there’s a reaction–but that application might just be what rouses your body’s defenses to begin an all-out attack on the next application of the ink.

Just about any ink color can cause problems, although black seems to be the least troublesome.  Blue based ink may contain nickel, and a lot of people have nickel allergies (myself included).  Red pigments seem to cause a lot of problems as well, perhaps because of the ingredients used to give the deep red color.

I think it would be a wise idea to ask the artist for the brand name of the ink he or she uses, and to write that information down.  That way, if something happens, you will know that brand’s not good for you, and you have a chance of being able to look up the ingredients and take the information to your doctor.

Yes, I advise going to see a doctor for any serious allergic reaction.  A small raised area or a small amount of itching, OK, you can get away with treating it yourself.  But a weeping, oozing patch ought to be seen and treated by a doctor as soon as you can manage it, a dermatologist if possible.  You do not want to end up with a big hole in your skin or a permanent ugly scar instead of your nice tattoo.

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By infmom, March 26, 2010 12:34 pm

Last weekend my husband and I set out for one of our usual weekend hikes in Griffith Park.  For some unknown reason, traffic was backed up beyond belief at the zoo, so we had plenty of time to idle in the line waiting to get into the park from the freeway exit across from the zoo parking lot.

In the truck next to us was a Latino gentleman whose left arm (resting on the truck door out the window) was completely covered by fine-line monochromatic tattoos.  Not much of which I could actually see to admire, because the lines were so fine and the contrast between the lines and his skin was pretty subtle.  No way of telling whether they were done that way originally or whether time and sun had faded the ink.

Tattoo ink being what it is, people with darker skin are sometimes at a disadvantage when it comes to displaying their designs, if the designs don’t have bold lines.  If there is not much contrast between the skin and the ink, the design may not show up well.   The artistry in the designs is somewhat lost in translation, so to speak.

Of course, just because other people can’t see the design clearly is no good reason not to get the design applied.  Speaking just for myself, I didn’t get my ink to show off, I got it to satisfy myself.  And it is definitely possible to have great tattoos on darker skin.  One of the best tattoo artists in Los Angeles, Zulu, in whose shop I’m proud to say I got two of my three tattoos (by his associate artists, since Zulu himself is booked up months and months in advance, and for good reason) creates bold and beautiful designs that are suitable for any skin tone.

Has your skin tone dictated your choice of tattoo? As a generic whitey, I never even thought about taking my skin’s color into consideration.  I’m wondering if other people think differently about the process.

Oh, and if you know any good places to walk in Griffith Park, for an out-of-shape multicolored person, I’m all ears. 

photo credit: Japokskee

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• An L.A. must-see: Griffith Park (locals.oyster.com)

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By infmom, March 4, 2010 12:43 pm

From the very beginning of time, no doubt, it’s been true that any part of the human body that could be tattooed, would be.   Until recently, though, eyeballs were only tattooed to cover up imperfections, and the work was done by doctors.

It is now possible, with the help of the right artist, to re-color the whites of your eyes.  The process has to be done with a syringe, not a regular tattoo needle.  Color is injected just under the surface and spreads out.  All reports indicate that this is an incredibly painful procedure.

Here is a recent story from the Huffington Post about a couple of guys who got the eyeball tattoos done in prison.  Apparently it is one way to prove how tough you are.  No kidding.  Given the decidedly nonsterile environment in prison cells, and the decidedly nontraditional equipment available to do the job, it’s a wonder these guys lived to tell the tale.  Whether they’ll still have their eyesight a year or two down the road, who knows?

Ordinarily my attitude toward body art and body mods is “whatever floats your boat.”  Tongue splitting, lizard spots, plastic beads under the skin, whatever.  But to deliberately put your eyes in jeopardy?  This is the only time I have found myself saying out loud, “What were they THINKING!!!”

There are quite a few web sites out there devoted to eye tattoos / scleral tattooing / etc.  I’m not going to link to them, because the few I looked at while researching this post made me queasy.  It’s my blog and I ain’t a-gonna make myself sick. 

What do you think about this?  Do you have any tattoos in less-common places yourself?
photo credit: dullhunk

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By infmom, February 19, 2010 8:50 pm

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I tend to favor colored tattoos.  I think it’s because I’ve seen so many old tattoos where the black ink has changed color, spread around, or faded out.  The black ink on my ankle tattoo spread, and what was once a fairly attractive Eye of Horus looks pretty amateurish today despite a second artist’s best attempts to make it look better.

From what I’ve seen over the years, the monochrome tattoos can be more elaborate and have finer lines, and certainly there is some amazing fine-line work being done today.  Portraits, especially, can be incredibly lifelike, and some of the tribal designs are amazingly intricate.  For those, adding color would be a mistake.

But on the other hand, there’s nothing like a full-color masterpiece.  The nuances of shading and color, in the hands of a skillful artist, rival artwork on any other kind of surface–and tattoo artists don’t have the luxury of being to erase and start over.  Plus the field of view is somewhat obscured by the ink that’s being wiped away while the process is going on.  And yet when you watch the process the artist makes it all look so easy. 

I’m still mulling over getting another tattoo, and it will be in color.  I’ve already mentioned that it will be somewhere that’s usually visible, probably a bracelet, but I might also get a half sleeve or a design on my calf.  That will depend a lot on the amount of money I’ll have available when the time comes.  Good work is well worth paying for.  I will have to work carefully on the design, though, given the issues I’ve had with red ink on my last tattoo (a shame, because I like a wide spectrum of colors) and go to an artist who doesn’t dig too deep like the creator of that now-smudged ankle design.

Which kind of design do you prefer?  One color?  Fine line? Full color?  I’d be interested to hear what you all have to say.

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By infmom, February 5, 2010 3:44 pm

Ever notice how at this time of year, advertisers are all about “the big game”?  Seems the phrase “Super Bowl” is copyrighted and nobody can use it without paying for it.  Good thing the Super Ball was invented before the Super Bowl, hmm?

In honor of this weekend’s major wingding, here’s another bad-tattoo site:  Sports Worst Tattoos.  Don’t be eating those corn chips or drinking that beer while you look. 

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By infmom, January 28, 2010 11:34 am

Once you go looking for whoopsiedoodles by non-native speakers of various languages, the fun never ends.

I have a link to Hanzi Smatter (for Asian character stupidity) in my Blogroll, and it’s well worth a look if you think you really really want something in an Asian alphabet.

Today’s discovery is Bad Hebrew Tattoos.  It never ceases to amaze me the amount of trouble one can get into, not actually being able to write a language. 

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