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My first tattoo was super fun, if not perfect. Both the tattoo artist and I missed a spot at the top left hand corner of the tattoo (the stencil didn't transfer fully), and I'm not sure it's entirely symmetrical or on straight, but I'm neither symmetrical nor straight so I guess it works. This is it fresh: And 48h after!

Tattoo of my dog and a Sailor Jerry pirate on my leg.

I'm no doctor/psychiatrist, but I've seen/heard of similar feelings/emotions from friends and family members that had to endure a physical change (physical alteration due to cancer treatment, or a significant accident/injury). They've said the first few weeks they felt like it wasn't themselves anymore, or felt anxious/worried about the change similar to the comments posted here. They all within a few weeks became accepting, and not concerned with the passage of time. Maybe it's forcing us to examine ourselves existentially, which isn't always something we're comfortable doing? 🙂 Just musing, but it's an interesting topic for sure.

It takes 4 - 6 weeks to heal. You don't know what it will look like until it's healed. You have thin lines on thin, delicate skin which is the most prone to blow-outs. as @Dan said, put away the microscope and enjoy your tattoo.

"omg what will it look like when you're older" Probably the thing I hate to hear the most. I always say, "And you think your cellulite- ridden, saggy, mottled, PINK skin is going to look good?

welcome !

The ditch area is naturally tough to get healed without minor problems. Too much moisture is not going to solve the problem, in fact it could cause more. I let mine dry and crack. The eventual need for touch-ups are common.

Sick tattoo! Yeah I live in Sacramento.

THIS. Hahaha. I covered my first tattoo with a better one when I was 40. Now, I'm 48, and I have two full sleeves and my lower legs are both covered. I also work in a professional office environment (ad agency), and no one cares about my tattoos.

right on ! that's cool, are we neighbors ? do you live in the Sacramento area ? I do, I live in Orangevale, I just got a little gap filler from Greg Christian when he was guesting at the Royal peacock party a month ago.

The one of my dog was done by Branden McAfee at Royal Peacock in Sacramento. The pirate was done by Benji Wilson at Boxcar Company in Sacramento.

nice tattoos ! who made them ?

Hi Dan, thanks a bunch for your reply 🙂 I'm glad you like it. I do wonder what the psychological reasons for post tattoo remorse are. Also - nice quote! Joaquin seems to be a role model 🙂

looks normal to me, looks fine,wear it with pride,show it off,and plan your next badass tattoo. oh ! and stop looking at it with this

The tattoo business is not for the thin skinned. If you want to be a tattoo artist, you do what you need to do. Nobody else is offering you any job and you don't know if you want to take this one?

As moist as possible? I'd keep it clean and just a bit of cocoa butter. Sounds like you're over moisturizing it.

yep ! I turned 60 last October.

Thanks @Hands On the financial aspect is a really good point to raise too: If my 20's self could talk to my 40's self, he'd probably say "You're gonna spend WHAT on THAT?!?". Age and lessons learned really drives home the "you get what you pay for" adage. 🙂 Nice to be in good company here!

using LST right! best intro in a while. welcome! looking forward to see what you get. i'd say 40 isn't old in the tattoo world. still plenty of time for a body suit! most artists that are highly respected here on LST are probably in their 40s or above. you seem to have the right mindset to do things the right way and perhaps you have the financial stability to not go the cheap route. now to see if you get hooked like the rest of us.

Thanks! So true!

IMO you have to do what it takes with what you have to work with if you want to stay in the business. If you have to start where this new shop wants you to then I would do it,apprenticeship offers don't come along all the time.

Hey, Just turned 18 a month ago and just got my first tattoo and just wanted to say hello and get opinions on what people think of it!

Looks nice. Kind of ballsy getting your lower arm tattooed at 18. Not every industry is tattoo friendly.

You don't know anything until it heals. I've had lines that looked blown out that were actually fine. The bruising made them look blown out.

well blowout isn’t going to be entirely the artists fault, sometimes it depends on the area being tattooed and it wasn’t going to happen regardless - tattoos are perfect through imperfection

4 days!!?? Sigh.

First, you won't know anything until it completely heals - 4 to 6 weeks. Second, even if you do know something, you CAN'T fix a blow out ... not now, not in six weeks, not in a year, not in ten years. You got thin lines on thin, delicate skin which gives you the highest chance of a blow out.

That has nothing to do with your tattoo, if the tattoo is 9 months old. How long have you had the scratch? Is it oozing? Does it smell bad? Is it hot to the touch? Is it painful? Those are signs of an infection. The fact that the wound is on your tattoo is irrelevant.

You're overanalyzing everything. No tattoo is perfect. If you closely examine ANY tattoo, especially an entire sleeve, you'll find something "wrong" with it. My artist taught me that early in the game, now I just look at the big picture and enjoy my tattoos. With all of the shit tattoos people run around bragging about, I don't know how you can even think that your tattoo isn't awesome. Take two bottle of wine and call us in the morning.

Act in haste, repent in leisure. People think, "It's just a little letter." Thin lines on delicate skin are not easy, it takes skill to do something like that well. As @SStu said, you won't know what it's going to look like until it heals. Save the tears and look at this as a good life lesson. You can't fix it, removing it isn't like the movies, and a cover-up is about your only shot if you don't like it when it heals. Don't cheap out and don't go to the nearest mall tattoo shop. Do your research and find someone that knows what they are doing. It won't be cheap.

I have some old tattoos that sometimes get a little angry, but i usually attribute it to my eczema, sun exposure, or some other factor. I'm sure pairing those things with ink and traumatized areas of skin don't help... but it sure looks cooler than eczema on blank skin! 😉

geez, every tattoo either looks like a penis or has a penis hidden in it somewhere...cmon guys you should know this haha