Acne Tattooing

[CHARGERMAN]

Hello all, I need some advice. I've had bad acne on my back when I was younger and still have problems with. The scarring brings my confidence way down and I never take my shirt off cause of it. I was wondering if there are special tattoo shops that deal with covering up the scars or how would I go about doing that. Guess I'm worried about being judged too much cause of it and don't want the artist to be sitting there looking at me in disgust. That's for any and all help.

[scottyg]

tattoo artists worth anything have probably seen it all; I doubt they'll care other than the practicalities of tatooing a coverup on the affected areas.

[scottyg]

and more to the point, if you're paying them and they're judging you... F*** em.

[Gingerninja]

Find someone that knows your condition, agrees to work with you and set your plan. You are not alone in having bad acne. It comes down to finding an artist that understands the scarring and can apply a great tattoo for you!!

[Tornado7]

Please have an in death conversation with your artist. Acne and keliods are often related, and it is possible to make scarring worse. My son has been tattooed successfully, but he's not gone over many of his worst scars yet for exactly that reason. Anybody who will take the time to speak to you about the scars will not judge you for them.

[JAC1961]

4 hours ago, Tornado7 said:

Please have an in death conversation with your artist.

Guessing that was supposed to be "in depth".

I, being a little afternoon challenged, had to read it a couple times to figure why death would anything to do with the conversation. lol

[scottyg]

13 minutes ago, JAC1961 said:

Guessing that was supposed to be "in depth".

I, being a little afternoon challenged, had to read it a couple times to figure why death would anything to do with the conversation. lol

oof!

[Tornado7]

Hail autocorrect 

OP - of course we are all probably going to die, but not of acne or tattoos, or tattoos on acne scars!

[CHARGERMAN]

I do appreciate all you taking time to reply. I believe when I save up enough money I'll try to get a full back tattoo. I have depression and that's something that adds too it and guess I need to come out of my comfort zone if I want to get it done and talk to artist. So basically i talk to just any artist? I didnt know if it took special kind of tattoo artist to do it.

[Gingerninja]

Well, you need to find the person/people that you are considering, contact them and possibly have consultations. Are you on any medications? What does your doctor say? It may make sense to see if you can wait until your acne resolves before starting on your back. I don't know how old you are or if you have other tattoos but maybe do your arms, legs or chest instead? 

[CHARGERMAN]

No I have not went to doctor about it. It's really embarrassing. I have 2 tattoos and they are on my arms but the reason I want it on my back is to cover the scars from my acne on my back. I emailed a tattoo shop near me that has won awards and stuff. They emailed me back a lengthy reply about tattooing on acne and stuff which I definitely appreciate. They said that depending on severity they could do it. They said I could send a pic of my back so they could see if they could help. Its definitely embarrassing though.

[Gpots]

My brother had some acne scars on his back and upper arms, he had his sleeve done (not for acne cover) and it has not been an issue. I had some scarring on my knee from when I was a kid which was quite lumpy and have had it tattooed over without issue.

As others have said talk to your artist and see what they can recommend. Don't be embarrassed or worry about the artist judging you - scars are a part of life and there are plenty more worse things, chin up and good luck.

[CHARGERMAN]

Thank you!  I'm just thinking about sitting there while the tattoo artist is tattooing me and just judging me but yeah even if the do I need to get over it if its something that I think will help me feel more confident. I'm 31 and need to start feeling better about self. I know it will be expensive to get whole back done but I think it will be worth it long run. I have alot of scar bumps but I need to get my break outs under control cause some of them can be bad. Like I said I appreciate all of you who comment.

[Gingerninja]

One day, one step, one breath at a time. First, everyone has something...not to minimize your situation but rather to say that you are not alone. Get the breakouts under control then go forth! Another idea is  look for a shop that has private rooms instead of a big open floor. Also, most shops have privacy screens. 

For me, I have really bad cellulite. It's really embarrassing for me anytime I get my lower body worked on. Tell my that I wasn't mortified when an artist tagged me in a photo on IG that showed all of my cellulite and saggy butt for the world to see. I know that the world judges...however, there isn't a damn thing that I can do about my aging body. This is the real world, screw the photoshop version of the world!

[CHARGERMAN]

For sure I just need to forget what I think others think and do what's good for me. I'd definitely like private rooms lol. The one tattoo place that I contacted looked wide open but they seem cool so I guess I have to figure that out. I cant afford it yet anyways cause its gonna be expensive so I definitely have time.

[Tornado7]

They probably have something they put up for tattooing "exposed areas" that would require taking off an uncomfortable amount of clothing - most often drapes or a movable screen.

A whole lot of the tattoo community is SUPER non-judgmental. I don't think you're going to run into an actual problem. You're in your head about it. The tattoo is going to be cool, and you're going to have a good time getting it and maybe some day you'll enjoy taking your shirt off!

[LittleKitty]

A lot of people walk in to shops with different kinds of baggage relating to their body. Some people are conscious about scars, some don’t want a little fat showing when getting tattooed, some are self-conscious about their skin color and others are feel that they’re too skinny, among other things. You may find that going to an artist to have an area on your body that you feel vulnerable about worked on may boost your self-confidence. It may, and probably will, change your perspective on that body part.

Artists have seen an array of people with a variety of vulnerabilities and issues. Many have “seen it all”, as they saying goes.

I have personally had scars tattooed over, on my chest. They are from surgeries due to skin cancer, and I had always felt self-conscious of them since I got them, For me, it was important that my scars were camouflaged within the tattoo. My artist did just that, and now it’s a part of my body that I absolutely LOVE showing off.

What’s the worst that can happen from going and chatting with someone? You may end up with a piece that you can’t wait to show off, or you may decide to not go through with it. At the very least, you can express your fears and desires to someone, which could hopefully lead to some healing.