Tattoo healing

[Rob I]

I usually take a good 14 days for a full peel, but then I usually have a very light secondary peel a few weeks later. I've read that it takes roughly 45 days for a tattoo to fully heal.

- - - Updated - - -

also, I had a few spots in my most recent tattoo that took much longer to heal than others. In the end, all turned out just fine.

i think your tattoo looks great. That black lettering healed perfectly. I think you just need a little patience with the red, but i'm sure it'll turn out fine for you.

[Delicious]

Thank you! I know I am panicking, and worrying, but I will believe you guys and assume that it will get better. I do love that tattoo... I dont know how he made the the black lettering so bold and thick, but its perfect. Not insipid, frilly overly girly. its feminine while being bold.

[Colored Guy]

Most of mine have done the 2nd peel thing as well. 30-45 days is pretty normal for having it totally healed up.

Rob

[Delicious]

Ok so good news, my ankle is finally healed. Except for the one small scab that will not come off, Im calling it a success. My chest has healed nicely too, and I finally understand what people were talking about with a big patch of solid black. It will not be perfectly deep pitch black, no matter what you do. It is still very dark though, but I can see variations in the black. Still, extremely happy with it.

I wwent back and saw my first post, of the healed Ganesh, and I think in about 6 months - a year I will get the red touched up, and fix some of the faded blues/his eyelashes. He did warn me about the red though, so I can't really complain. Especially after getting a sunburn over it.

So far, after one year and 3 tattoos, I can say I have learned alot... Just sad I won't be getting a tattoo anytime soon again.

[else]

Just sad I won't be getting a tattoo anytime soon again.

Why not?

[Delicious]

For one, I am in between jobs, not going to spend what money I do have on tattoos.

Secondly... I don't want to rush. though my head is filled with grand ideas and this and that, I don't want to rush through getting my body tattooed. It's hard to restrain yourself, but I don't desire to be heavily tattooed, but I do want more. I am thinking, when I finally get another job, I'll save money towards that goal, as a treat...

But getting tattooed willy nilly, especially being so young, has been a recipe for disaster in the area Im from. Alot of guys and women around here get tattooed like that, and they are 23 and completely covered, getting neck tattoos and full sleeves before they even have careers... Not for me! I don't know where I'll stop tattooing my body, but I want it to be a journey, not a race.

[else]

Ahhh! I didn't realize how young you are! You've got TONS of time! :)

[Delicious]

haha I know. I am turning 20 in April. It's scary to me for some reason... I actually am beginning to feel like an adult, I guess. Its ok though, Ill still get my tattoo fix, my sister is turning 21 in February, and she is getting her arm done. So at least I get to watch that

[Graeme]

For one, I am in between jobs, not going to spend what money I do have on tattoos.

Secondly... I don't want to rush. though my head is filled with grand ideas and this and that, I don't want to rush through getting my body tattooed. It's hard to restrain yourself, but I don't desire to be heavily tattooed, but I do want more. I am thinking, when I finally get another job, I'll save money towards that goal, as a treat...

But getting tattooed willy nilly, especially being so young, has been a recipe for disaster in the area Im from. Alot of guys and women around here get tattooed like that, and they are 23 and completely covered, getting neck tattoos and full sleeves before they even have careers... Not for me! I don't know where I'll stop tattooing my body, but I want it to be a journey, not a race.

More often than not seeing heavily tattooed young people bums me out because they have such bad tattoos. At the last Montreal convention there were a bunch of young guys, probably 18 or 19 with sleeves, their hands and necks done, and the tattoos they had were so bad. Like sort of traditional stuff but just done really poorly. I don't know what they paid for their tattoos but it seemed absurd to me that were covered in such shit so young when they could have instead gotten a really good piece or two from some really exceptional artists there and pieced together a really amazing sleeve over time. The folly of youth.

All of this is to say that waiting and saving your money to get really good work instead of just getting covered for the sake of getting covered is the way to go.

[Delicious]

Yeah, I know. My sister's bf, he is 22 years old, has his chin down to his knuckles tattooed, but none on his legs, I dont think his back, a few on his chest. I dont get it. Doesnt help that alot of them are gang tattoos. His choice though.

Makes me think of that douche in the other thread, Scott something, who was like 23 and a instagram celeb, or that teddyboy greg guy.

Some people think I have alot of tattoos for being 19... though, so I cant really judge others

[else]

I'm in sort of a race against the clock... I'm not *that* old, but I don't know how much longer I'll be able to work. So, while I'm still working and making money, I'm going to get as many tattoos as my body and my budget can stand. Starting with squid pants and then we'll see...

[Delicious]

when is the next tattoo then? What were you thinking?

[Hogrider]

It's hard to restrain yourself, but I don't desire to be heavily tattooed, but I do want more.

Heavily tattooed = someone with more tattoos that you have. :-)

[else]

@Delicious I've got some stuff lined up ;)

I'm feeling a little bit superstitious about putting it out in the world though - I'm afraid I might jinx it!

You'll ALL know soon enough! (Like 1/18!).

[Delicious]

Haha I understand. I just remember you said you were looking around and were content to let them do whatever... Hopefully we changed your mind, and you at least had an idea you liked?

- - - Updated - - -

Heavily tattooed = someone with more tattoos that you have. :-)

Lol I consider heavily tattooed like full sleeves, legs all filled in, chest completely tattooed, and back too.. I figure I am problably wrong but oh well.

For myself, I can see adding more to my left shoulder, doing my right shoulder, my calf maybe, thigh, other side of my chest, and maybe maybe someday getting my arm. But I am picky and young, with career goals that dont match up with tattoos... So thats problably the farthest I'd go getting tattooed... seems like alot of tattoo but its not heavily tattooed at all

[else]

Haha I understand. I just remember you said you were looking around and were content to let them do whatever... Hopefully we changed your mind, and you at least had an idea you liked?

Nah! Not really. ;) I know what I like stylistically... but honestly, within that style and with a few exclusions, I don't really care much. I like roses A LOT. I also like most other flowers. I like tigers and panthers and lions and housecats and cheetahs and wolves and bats and most other animals too. I like swallows and sparrows and ravens and bluebirds and robins and starlings... you get my drift.

I think that, over the past few years, having had to come face to face with the fact that there are no guarantees in this life, I've become a lot more open to whatever life wants to offer me... and that is (obviously) bleeding into my sense of what is "right" for me to get tattooed. I don't feel picky.

Right now my strategy is to go to good, solid tattooers with my list of exclusions and see what they come up with. There are things that I won't have on me... but that list is so, so much smaller than the vast expanses of what is possible to tattoo! It's like an adventure on my very own skin!

(Sorry we've taken this so far off topic!! We should get back to "tattoo healing.)

[Delicious]

I dont mind at all. lol

I keep thinking, peonies and a snake, japanese style, would look so kick ass on a girl's calf.

But I am super stoked to see how it works out for you on the 18th!

[Delicious]

So here is my calf tattoo about 95% healed:

Shitty webcam picture but hopefully you get the jist. healed nicely!

[else]

She's beautiful @Delicious !!

[gooza]

Speaking of tattoo healing...I've got a couple of questions regarding a foot tattoo that i'm hanging out to get.

I play a fair bit if sport which means im wearing football boots three times a week, so my question is, with the healing process being what it is, and a sweaty confined foot stuck in a sock in a football boot obviously not being the greatest place for it to heal, would I need to maybe take a week off? say saturday to saturday (hypothetical) to allow it time to breathe and heal, or should I just wait til the end of the season?

Kills me because the season only just started about 3 weeks ago...haha

cheers

[Delicious]

Speaking of tattoo healing...I've got a couple of questions regarding a foot tattoo that i'm hanging out to get.

I play a fair bit if sport which means im wearing football boots three times a week, so my question is, with the healing process being what it is, and a sweaty confined foot stuck in a sock in a football boot obviously not being the greatest place for it to heal, would I need to maybe take a week off? say saturday to saturday (hypothetical) to allow it time to breathe and heal, or should I just wait til the end of the season?

Kills me because the season only just started about 3 weeks ago...haha

cheers

To me it's simple. If you want it, do it, but remember to protect your investment... which probably means no soccer.

[sbhikes]

This is my personal opinion. You don't play football every minute of the day. So the minutes you aren't playing football, wear sandals so your skin gets air and isn't stuffed into a sweaty sock. Then play football like normal. In my experience a little sweat kinda helps the peeling stage along a bit. At least try and time your tattoo so you aren't playing football the very next day. I was getting tattooed on my ankle on Monday nights and had a Thursday weight lifting class and was usually good to go (no pain or discomfort) even by Wednesday. Tuesday there was quite a bit of swelling and discomfort. That's just me, though. YMMV.

[Old Rose Tattoo]

Well from what i have learned from artists and the way my tattoos heal. Different colors heal differently. Red and greens people tend to have the biggest trouble healing. However if you dont cover uour tattoos put sunscreen on them or get too much uv exposure its going to fade your tattoos. The only way to try and keep your tattoo looking the way they did the first day is to nevrr let any uv lighting to touch it! But even then thats not a guarentee. Your skin is always changingm and the ink is always migrating in your skin. Not to mention that your skin is always regeneratng so the tattoo wont always look yhe same! Thats just ny stand point on it.