Full Back Piece Experience Thread

[scottyg]

finished down the left side, shoulder, neck area, and started down the right side. fun times!

 

[Oiocha]

you are tough as nails man, I love the piece!

[scottyg]

@Oiocha haha, if only! But thanks dude!

[thewitchhunter]

5 weeks since my last update, 2 appointments in between. On the first session early september we startet coloring the scales, last session was done sunday on the International London Tattoo Convention. Great experience to get tattooed at such an awesome event!

[Colored Guy]

I'm starting a battle royale back piece tomorrow, not my whole back since my shoulders already have work on them. The size is 13" x 13" and hopefully I'll get it lined and partially shaded. The artist made up a composite with the design pasted onto my back.

 

[Colored Guy]

3 hours in the chair last night. Shading is next. Maybe some coloring if time permits.

 

[GraceAnnne]

Hi Everyone. Really happy to stumble upon this thread after reading a lot of bs testimonials and info on other sites.  Over the past couple days ive read almost every post and jotted down a bunch of helpful tips.

Before coming across this forum i wasnt too stressed/worried about the pain of a back tattoo being that i  have the majority of my body covered.  Although after reading everything it seems the back is a whole new ballgame, and regardless of pain tolerance it is crazy tough.

So thanks for the honesty hah 

i have a few questions i haven't seen come up yet and hopefully yinz have some pointers.

First, as of recently my skin is horrible(turning 30 sucks) and has a hard time healing tattoos.  When i was younger i never had a specific healing regiment, i just kept it clean with dial soap and let it dry deal, which always worked great.

The last couple years my tattoos take extra long to heal and i often loose parts of them.

I used tagaderm for the first time on my last large piece and it healed perfect.  Some folks on other forums said they used tagaderm on their entire back and it was the way to go....

I personally do not know anyone who has used it for the whole back.  Any thoughts? 

 

Also, i am a back sleeper so its going to be tough adjusting to sleeping on my side.  Im afraid that even if i fall alseep on my side im going to end up on my back. Will that cause a lot of irritation to the tattoo? 

Last question, i saw on this forum and other places on the web recommendations to take something for the pain before starting.  Is that really necessary?  Its hard for me to take something as simple as Tylenol without feeling strange so im afraid if i take anything (esp. a serious painkiller)its going to make me really wonky.

Thanks in advance ! Even though i have a million stresses right now, i am really excited to start this new chapter in a couple weeks.

[Stephanie]

Hi Everyone. Really happy to stumble upon this thread after reading a lot of bs testimonials and info on other sites.  Over the past couple days ive read almost every post and jotted down a bunch of helpful tips.
Before coming across this forum i wasnt too stressed/worried about the pain of a back tattoo being that i  have the majority of my body covered.  Although after reading everything it seems the back is a whole new ballgame, and regardless of pain tolerance it is crazy tough.
So thanks for the honesty hah 
i have a few questions i haven't seen come up yet and hopefully yinz have some pointers.
First, as of recently my skin is horrible(turning 30 sucks) and has a hard time healing tattoos.  When i was younger i never had a specific healing regiment, i just kept it clean with dial soap and let it dry deal, which always worked great.
The last couple years my tattoos take extra long to heal and i often loose parts of them.
I used tagaderm for the first time on my last large piece and it healed perfect.  Some folks on other forums said they used tagaderm on their entire back and it was the way to go....
I personally do not know anyone who has used it for the whole back.  Any thoughts? 
 
Also, i am a back sleeper so its going to be tough adjusting to sleeping on my side.  Im afraid that even if i fall alseep on my side im going to end up on my back. Will that cause a lot of irritation to the tattoo? 
Last question, i saw on this forum and other places on the web recommendations to take something for the pain before starting.  Is that really necessary?  Its hard for me to take something as simple as Tylenol without feeling strange so im afraid if i take anything (esp. a serious painkiller)its going to make me really wonky.
Thanks in advance ! Even though i have a million stresses right now, i am really excited to start this new chapter in a couple weeks.

Hi GraceAnne - I am 14 hours in to a HUGE tiger back piece and yes the ribs, spine, love handles and bum are pretty teeth grindingly harsh. However I find it heals quickly (even at 40!) and as a fellow back / side sleeper I have only had to really push to front sleep for the first couple of nights. My worse part of healing is a week without a bra after each session. I have never taken pain killers before a session. Good luck x


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[GraceAnnne]

@Stephanie I didnt even think about not wearing a bra until you mentioned it! hah i will have to plan my outfits accordingly.  

Also now that i am thinking of clothes, did you wear  leggings or should i have on a loose pair of boxers/shorts?

Thanks for all the info! 

[Stephanie]

[mention=27168]Stephanie[/mention] I didnt even think about not wearing a bra until you mentioned it! hah i will have to plan my outfits accordingly.  
Also now that i am thinking of clothes, did you wear  leggings or should i have on a loose pair of boxers/shorts?
Thanks for all the info! 

Under advice from my artist I invested in a super baggy night shirt which I wear backwards and thick black tights as I end up face down ass out on the table! I then reverse the shirt and hide it under a big coat to get home after! Also have a loads of massive men’s t-shirts for sleeping in after and little back vests a size too small for the day (to try to hide the no bra move - not easy due to huge boobs!) Hours left to do but here is progress (not the ass bit for social media!) so far!


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[Stephanie]

Under advice from my artist I invested in a super baggy night shirt which I wear backwards and thick black tights as I end up face down ass out on the table! I then reverse the shirt and hide it under a big coat to get home after! Also have a loads of massive men’s t-shirts for sleeping in after and little back vests a size too small for the day (to try to hide the no bra move - not easy due to huge boobs!) Hours left to do but here is progress (not the ass bit for social media!) so far!


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FYI the cherries are an old tattoo that will end up covered in the cloud!



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[thewitchhunter]

@GraceAnnne

I don't think pain medication is necessary to get your back done. Yeah, there are some pretty rough areas but with your mind in the right place you'll get through it. As always, just try to get to your appointments as relaxed and healthy as possible, get a good meal before, try to focus and accept that the pain is part of the process. Yes, it probably will hurt more or less on some areas, but as soon as the needle stops the pain will be gone and you'll for sure will survive it.

And I personaly never used any stuff like tagaderm and so far my back healed fine. Well actually black still heals a lot faster than the green, especialy than the light green on my back. But if it helped with your other tattoo it probably will help with your back too.

Luckily I usually sleep on my front, but from time to time I turn over on my back too. Never has been a big problem. Feels uncomfortable at most to roll on the freshly worked on back. That's when I usualy wake up... The worst that happened when sleeping on my back for some time was that my shirt stuck to my back. But well, not much of a big deal to get into the shower with the shirt. And that's only a problem for maybe 2 or 3 nights, after that this shouldn't be a problem anymore.

And for the bra topic, well, can't give you much of advice on that part...

 

@Stephanie

Nice tiger so far

 

 

Edited October 17, 2017 by thewitchhunter

[GraceAnnne]

@Stephanie your back rules! i love it! im going to steal some big tees from my brother this weekend! good look, thank you!

@thewitchhunter i agree with having my mind in the right place, i need to stop psyching myself out. 

& i can definitely deal with side sleeping for a few days.  i was thinking it was going to be sore for a couple weeks.

 

[scottyg]

It really is mind over matter. Talking while I'm getting tattooed helps a ton. Some areas are worse than others. Definitely use lotion; too dry otherwise. Sleeping can be at most uncomfortable, but I'd avoid a tshirt and just sleep on old but clean sheets. What else....? What they said. Good luck and report back!

 

[pidjones]

I've not had any back work, but my left shoulder is pretty solid color, and I'm a side sleeper. Rolled onto that side often even though I tried not. Even woke up 1st morning on that side. In my 60's and although cuts seem to heal slower, the tattoos seem to heal fast for me. I do think overall health and the care by the artist mean most. BTW, I wore a long-sleeved cotton tee for the first four or five nights. First night there was a little seeping and the shirt stuck. DON'T PULL IT OFF! Just stepped in the shower and soaked it off. Gave no problems at all.

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[SStu]

and post progress pictures, please @GraceAnnne!

[Colored Guy]

I heal quickly myself, but a back tattoo is another story. My love handle area... ouch! A really tender spot. I can sleep on either side and I wear a loose button shirt. I take something extra for pain with a back or rib tattoo anyway. I'm a chronic pain patient for a neck and back injury so I have the stuff if I need to take it.

Edited November 4, 2017 by Colored Guy

[Acedia]

Welcome[mention=27176]GraceAnnne[/mention] All my tattoos, including full back have been healed with tegaderm. My routine is plastic wrap until 4 hours after tattoo, shower with hibiscrub, wrinse thoroughly, air dry 15 to 20 minutes, apply tegaderm. Leave it on for 5/6 days, remove in warm shower, gently peeling the tegaderm against the skin. Make sure to use enough overlap with tegaderm to prevent leaks. If you get a leak, remove all derm, shower routine, reapply fresh derm. I also sleep on my back and have had no issues.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[GraceAnnne]

@Acediaawesome thank you! im definitely going to  tegaderm my whole back.  ive had so many people tell me this past month its the way to go. 

[bongsau]

Meh you'll be fine dry healing, especially if you're used to the short-term discomfort of it. I've never had the desire to use the 'derm' products healing tattoos, maybe I'm just old and lazy haha. For an area as large as the back I'm not even sure how you would apply it on your own.

Take an muscle relaxant (like Aleve) right before a session. It will help you stay relaxed and prevent you from getting worn out too quickly. Hot drink like tea or hot water helps too. Tattooing the back is hard on the body since it is such a large area. So maintain your health, keep in good physical shape leading up to the sessions and during, it will go a long way in helping you take the tattoo and heal afterwards.

Wear an old shirt to bed. I slept on my back the whole time. I would just wear my shirt right in the shower and soak myself to unstick the shirt off the back tattoo.

You'll be fine, good luck !

[tattooedj]

Rei at Inkrat Tokyo finished up my old school Japanese-American-Japanese backpiece last week.

It took around eight sessions - roughly one a month - and I couldn't be happier.

In a weird way, I'm going to miss my montly sessions under the needle. It was prickly at times but it taught me a lot about myself... j

[Hands On]

On 10/17/2017 at 1:15 PM, GraceAnnne said:

@Stephanie your back rules! i love it! im going to steal some big tees from my brother this weekend! good look, thank you!

@thewitchhunter i agree with having my mind in the right place, i need to stop psyching myself out. 

& i can definitely deal with side sleeping for a few days.  i was thinking it was going to be sore for a couple weeks.

 

has a pic of this been posted somewhere on LST yet? 

[Hands On]

On 11/6/2017 at 5:57 PM, tattooedj said:

Rei at Inkrat Tokyo finished up my old school Japanese-American-Japanese backpiece last week.

It took around eight sessions - roughly one a month - and I couldn't be happier.

In a weird way, I'm going to miss my montly sessions under the needle. It was prickly at times but it taught me a lot about myself... j

care to share some of the lessons you learned?... either on this thread or maybe here: 

 

[Stephanie]

has a pic of this been posted somewhere on LST yet? 

Me? Nope.



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[Hands On]

On 11/8/2017 at 11:08 PM, Stephanie said:

Me? Nope.



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anyone!! who doesn't love seeing back piece pics?!