Tattoos: What To, and What Not to Expect

So, your getting your first tattoo? Or maybe your a body mod vet who needs a refresher? Regardless your "status" in the body modification community, there are some basics that everyone should know when getting a tattoo.

The first thing everyone asks when the subject of tattoos comes up is, "does it hurt?" The answer is, yes. People get surprised when I tell them that, they expect me to sugar coat it and tell them that its just a pinch. The truth is, yes it does hurt. Think about it, there is a needle, vibrating into your skin thousands of times a minute. Yeah, its going to hurt a bit, but I go on to say that its not going to hurt THAT much. Its up to the customer to determine if their desired art work is worth the pain of the process. For myself, and millions of others, it is. The pain differs, depending on where on the body you are getting tattooed. A simple rule of thumb is areas over bone hurt the worst, muscle second, and fatty tissue the least. The upper arms are considered one of the least painful, while the rib cage area the most. Try this, take a finger nail, and press it into your skin where you want a tattoo. Drag it along your skin, using moderate pressure. That is close to what a line from a tattoo machine feels like, only the machine is a little sharper. For your first tattoo, its always recommended to get something small and in a common place to start with, to make sure you can handle it. No one wants to stop after a couple lines, those lines wont go away, and you'll be left with half a tattoo.

The primary thing that anyone getting a tattoo, whether its your first or the finish of your body suit, is safety. Tattooing is an invasive procedure, where the skin is broken and foreign material (ink) is introduced. That, by definition, is an infection risk, so its up to the customer to keep them self safe. It is possible, not very probable, but possible to contract diseases from the process of tattooing, but there are steps you can take to protect yourself.

1. Pick a good, reputable shop. Always walk around, check the place out, talk to the artists before you sit down in the chair, and ask your tattooed friends for recommendations. A good shop will have NO problem with you asking questions and asking to see their safety equipment.

2. Pick a good, reputable artist. Just with the shop, an artist who follows the safety rules is critical. If someone knows someone, who knows someone who tattoos in their garage... run away.

3. Make sure the shop has an autoclave. The autoclave is a device that sterilizes objects, and is crucial for making sure that equipment is clean between uses. If a shop doesn't have one, or doesn't want you to see it, leave. A good shop will have no problem showing you their autoclave, and its diagnostic records. If they have a pressure cooker, or some other form of "sterilizing" process, leave. An autoclave is the only device that will make sure the items are sterile between uses.

4. Make sure the shop is clean, well lit, and the staff is friendly. Use your judgment. If you get a funny feeling about a place, leave. You should feel nothing short of 100% comfortable with the shop and artist.

5. The artist should make you watch him set up his area. You should see him take the needles out of the packages, and put them in the machine. You should watch him clean and wrap any stools, stands, trays he will use. You should see him pour the ink into new, clean caps. He/She should go out of their way to show you that what they are doing is clean, and safe. If the artist already has the needles set in the machine, and you didn't see it, make him/her change them with new needles. If they argue, leave, nothing is more important then making sure that the needle going into your skin is clean.

All of these tips often scare people away from getting their first tattoo. The truth is, it is a very safe procedure, if some common sense is used. Trust your "gut" and make sure everything is clean and safe, and you should have no problem.

What to expect on Tattoo day:

When you arrive at the shop to get your tattoo, obviously, you should know what you want. Most shops have designs on the walls, called flash. You can pick a piece of flash, or most artists will custom design something for you. Make sure you get something you really want, it will be there forever after all. Its important not to rush the design process, it could take a while, but the result is you getting a good, quality piece of artwork that will be with you forever. Once you and your artist have finalized the design, the artist will set up his room, showing you what they are doing. They will make a stencil of the design, and after cleaning and shaving the area to be tattooed, will place it on your skin. This is just temporary lines that help guide the artist. Make sure it is where you want it, and then the artist will get to work. The first thing to be done is the outline of the design. This is done using a single needle, and usually black ink. This part is important, and has to be done all at once because the stencil will wash off. Depending on the size and detail of your design, this could take a few minutes to several hours. After the outline is done, the artist will typically change machines to one that holds more needles for the shading and coloring. This process too, depending on size and detail, can take minutes to hours. On large designs, its often broken up into sessions, the outline first, then shading and coloring a few weeks later after the outline has healed. Once the artist is all done they will wash off any excess ink and blood and show you your new artwork. They will wrap it and give you healing instructions. It is VERY important to follow the healing instructions very carefully. Not taking care of your tattoo while its healing can ruin it. It typically takes about two weeks to heal, so be prepared to baby your new artwork for a while, but if you do, the reward is a nice looking tattoo that will be there for many many years to come.