Tattoo Mistakes – How To Avoid Them
Tattoos are permanent (unless you opt for a peel off temporary
tattoo), so before you end up with a tattoo you hate, but still have
to look at for the next sixty years, learn how to avoid the most
common tattoo mistakes—of which there are many!
Tattoo mistakes and how to avoid them
The first, and most obvious, rule you should adhere to when having a
tattoo, is never have a tattoo when drunk, under the influence of
illegal substances, or otherwise not in your normal frame of mind. It
might sound obvious, but every year thousands of people stagger into a
tattoo studio on a drunken night out with their friends and wake up
the next morning with some monstrosity adorning a body part.
Most reputable tattoo artists would never dream of inking an
inebriated client, but there are always a few disreputable types for
whom the money is more important than the art, so do not fall into the
trap of agreeing to a tattoo after ten shots of tequila. It might seem
like a great idea at the time, but you can guarantee you will live to
regret your antics the morning after.
Cheap is not always cheerful
Tattoos are an art form, and like all art, there is a wide degree of
variance in the quality you will find in tattoo art studios. Some
tattoo artists are exceptional artist sand quite rightly have a great
reputation as a result of their outstanding work. Others are just
starting out, but still very skillful nevertheless. Unfortunately,
there are also a great many other tattoo artists who are less than
skillful.
Always go to a professional tattoo artist for your tattoos. These guys
have done the training and work with their customer’s safety in mind.
Equipment should always be sterile and clean, and if you do end up in
a back street tattoo shop that doesnot follow health and safety
protocols, you are putting your health at risk: at best you could end
up with an infection, but at worst, a life threatening disease.
In general, you get what you pay for, so if a tattoo studio appears to
be a lot cheaper than you were anticipating, check out the quality of
their work very carefully before you commit to having a tattoo there.
Where possible, use recommendations from people you trust, but no
matter what, always ask for examples of previous work before you make
a final decision.
Never be influenced by someone else’s tattoos. Just because a design
looks cool on your friend, it does not mean it will look cool on you.
Ideally your tattoo should be a completely unique design, so even
though it is perfectly acceptable to use another person’s tattoo as
inspiration, remember that a similar design might look completely
different on your body because you are an individual.
Before having a tattoo, try a temporary tattoo on for size to make
sure you are completely happy with the look it gives you. Once you
have been inked with a tattoo, you cannot have it removed, so you need
to be 100% certain that you are ready to have a tattoo inked on your
body.
Choosing the right design is very important when having a tattoo.
There are lots of different styles of tattoos, so do some research and
spend plenty of time looking for the right tattoo design for you. It
is also worth saying that you should think very carefully before
having the name of your latest lover inked on your body. You might
think it is a romantic gesture, but your next lover will probably
disagree.
If this is a first tattoo, it is probably not a good idea to have a
large tattoo in a highly visible place: this would include the hands,
neck and face. Lots of people do have tattoos in these places, but you
cannot cover them up if you subsequently regret the work, so be very
certain before taking such a step.
Tattoo aftercare is very important if you want to avoid a nasty
infection. A good tattoo artist will give you lots of advice on how to
look after your new tattoo, so make sure you follow that advice or you
could end up with a less than impressive tattoo marred by scarring.
Tattoos usually take several weeks to fully heal and during the
healing process the skin will need to be kept clean, away from
sunlight, and moisturized. You are most at risk from infections during
the first few days, so keep the area very clean and if necessary,
apply some antibiotic cream. As your tattoo begins to heal, continue
using moisturizer to prevent the area from drying out and keep it
covered up if when you are in the sun, and if you are concerned about
an infection, seek medical advice immediately
