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Hi guys. New to the forum here. Got my first tattoo last week. It’s not 100% done yet. Gotta go back and add a dove, some clouds, and light rays in august. The lions eyes are purple because I fought and beat Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 2020 and that’s the ribbon color. I’ll post fresh and current. Currently in the bottom picture my scabs are coming off. But can’t really tell that in the picture. Just trying to keep it lightly moisturized a few times a day.

Hi This is my first tattoo I got the start of this month from Dave Swambo at Strongold in Cardiff - thoughts?

Still not an allergy. Red can be difficult to heal.

or nothing at all. all my tattoos have dry healed just fine.

I would stop using that stuff and see what happens. over the centuries hundreds of thousands of tattoos have healed just fine with no product at all.

A week out you can use whatever you want.

Thank you! Almost 2 years cancer free! Considering making a sleeve out of this one.

I looked into tattoo ink allergies several years ago. Medically confirmed ones, not some newbie whose tattoo itches. They are unbelievably rare. There are real only a handful of confirmed allergies in the medical literature. Not that some people aren't sensitive to some colors, but outright allergies? Very rare.

Not an allergy. Just an artist overworking the skin.

Yeah, scabbing isn't normally related to any specific color . . . it's usually results from the tattooist "digging in". It won't necessarily hurt the final outcome - but it does take longer to heal.

here is an example of what a good artist can do to rework/freshenup a tattoo, I follow this guy and IMO he is very good, this is one he freshened up for somebody.

You can’t cover thick lines with fine lines. Find a GOOD artist (or two) that does coverups and get a consultation to find out what is possible. With tattoos that dark, you’ll probably need some laser sessions if you want something light and feminine. Choose wisely or you’ll wind up making it worse.

Every single person thinks they are the first ever. And they all stare at it with a magnifying glass. Who has that kind of time, and what do they think it will change? I just don't understand. 🤦‍♀️

Just dropping in a pic of my almost finished Matt Collins full back for the thread. Home stretch now, it’s 90% done just got a few touch ups to go, maybe 29 hours work so far I think? Stoked!

Hey all, Know this thread has been a little sleepy as of late, but just writing to say how much it helped me prep for my first session with Tony Hundahl on my back. Had it a few days ago and I definitely psyched myself out. I traveled from Chicago to Austin so had plenty of time to let my nerves get the best of me. I went in preparing for the worst, and while it was definitely rough, the tips and techniques mentioned in this thread helped immensely. All in all, it was a wild experience unlike any other tattoo I've gotten. Sat for roughly 3 hours and he was able to get the whole outline done. The craziest part for me was that you never really "get used to it" like many other tattoos I've gotten. Every line feels like the first. But in doing so, your mind goes to some crazy places to help get you through it. The "stoke" definitely pulled me through. I finished the session with an incredible high and feeling of confidence that I really wasn't expecting. Such an incredible experience. Anyways, going back in a month to start on the shading, and then hopefully booking a few back to back sessions to really get the ball rolling. Can't (but totally can) wait. -G PS: Tony Hundahl is the man. Can't recommend the dude highly enough. Since I'm traveling, he wasn't able to trace my back, but he still managed to have a stencil that ended up fitting perfectly. Definitely feel like I'm in good hands.