LizBee

I am in the camp of no AC and no forced air heating, but that's what we've got now. I spent my early adulthood in S. Florida and I had no AC in my house or car for 10 years, and didn't find I needed it, but I lived a few blocks from the ocean and the breeze was always there. I didn't have AC growing up in Virginia and DID want it, lol. If I could get my husband on board I'd ditch the AC/heat pump, but he grew up in Phoenix and feels like he has never "dried out" since living in the humid swamp that is Virginia with me, and is addicted to AC. The summers are WAY worse up here than they ever were in S. Florida. Hint: S. Florida is a ghost town in the summer and the weather is much better than it is up north, so take your vacations there, folks. Humidity about 60%, temps around 90 during the day, a good storm blows through late afternoon and cools things right down, no mosquitoes - AHHHHHHH. Plus it is cheap and no tourists getting in your way. Sign me up.

I'll chime in here, as a rabid fan of the -derm products. I've used them mostly the day AFTER, but last time on a whim I applied it right after the tattoo, before all the plasma leaky stuff had begun, "set it and forget it" style, and it was awesome. There was actually NO plasma at all, no collecting under the film (I have actually had that happen before) and it was much much easier to remove after 4 days when I applied it this way. So basically my entire healing process was no different than a mild sunburn. No real peeling, either. Kinda wild! This was a largish piece on my back and I could not get to it by myself at all, so it was simpler just to have it covered, then leave it be as long as possible. I was actually able to remove the film by myself, which I've never been able to do before. These people really oughtta pay me...

Look at a lot of bad tattoos. The internet is full of them, and, unfortunately, most of the tattoos you see out and about are going to be bad, lol.' Once you have a keen eye for what is bad, you'll spot the exemplary work of the best artists a mile away. This is what worked for me, anyway.

Yes. A year ago I would not have realized the staying power of animals dressed as gentlemen, but in my town, a heavily tattooed city, it is still going strong. Fortunately, the artists doing this work referenced above here are doing a good job, and the quality is there. Not my taste, but at least they are good tattoos

Me too. My 6.5 hour session required someone bring me a sip of sumpthin, but otherwise there is chat and mental relaxation techniques, and time is up before you know it. I discovered early on that when I tried to look at my phone or listen to music I had a harder time than just laying back and zoning out/accepting the sensation.

In your situation I would wait until you know what you want. Someday something is going to hit you that will go perfectly with the drumsticks, and the trick will be the wait. If you don't have a ton of tattoos already and you walk into a shop and ask an artist, they'll come up with something that they'd like to do, and it will seem rad and awesome, and then after a while you'll be looking at your arm and wonder why you got that particular design, not having any particular relevance to YOU. (if you have a ton of tattoos already then you no longer care about this, and it can be a fun way to spend an afternoon, lol) I'd just be patient and wait for something to come to you, because I think it will. OR, have a consultation, a paid one, and get some suggestions that you can then think about and not rush into. It is on a visible part of your body so you want it to be a well considered choice.

I'd second all that, and definitely wait, and also, @Kurgana, you are right - it seems like you want to "fix up" the area of the tattoo more than the plain skin! I guess we'll have to get the guy's opinion about whether tattooed skin is less hairy - when they get their legs and arms done do they have reduced hair growth? I can see from an anatomical standpoint that it could affect the hair follicle, causing it to go on strike, as it were, but I do see chaps with hairy arms and tattoos, so not sure if that is something that might wear off over time. Great question!! P.S. My own leg hair is starting to grow less now that I'm older but I do have hair growing on my tattooed legs, and peach fuzz on my shoulders, but I would venture to say that the leg hair could possibly be thinner and weaker...

I think she means that the original tattoo has not been lasered (it has that faded out look of having had laser tx) and the original was done in 2 sessions. Given all that, it is a pretty good candidate for a coverup by a skilled artist. Go around and get some advice in person, and definitely look at a lot of Insta accounts and portfolios that show a talent for coverups. It goes without saying that you'll again be living with the result and you MUST be completely delighted with how it comes out (ideally) so it will be worth any price you have to pay (even if you have to save up for a year or more to afford it). It would also be worth it to travel or wait for just the right artist to come to you via a convention, guest spot at a nearby shop, etc. It will take some homework and investigation, which will take time and effort, and it will be worth it.

Yes. It looks good, and it will look even better with more stuff around it. I know this from experience! Do not stress, but carry on :) No regerts, and all that, lol

Has it been lasered? I agree with the above, by the way. Someone with experience and talent at coverups could do something really great with this, especially being light like it is, relatively speaking, but you need to do your homework and get some opinions from some next-level artists.

Don't you love it when people in your life who initially oppose the idea of you getting tattoos "come around," then engage with you on the subject and can see it from a new perspective? I can't really blame them - you are changing your appearance in a somewhat drastic way, and for people who are used to seeing you frequently, especially parents and siblings, who have been looking at your your whole life, to have your looks changed overnight is startling. I am going through this with my teenagers. When my daughter wanted to buzz her head, not to the skin but close, I was resistant initially (on the inside) because this is my daughter, and I'm used to seeing her with her hair, the hair that I love, and I'm her mama, blah blah blah.... but when she did it, it looks FAN-effing-TASTIC and now I can see her beautiful face and there's no hair blocking her bone structure, blah blah blah, lol. Same with tattoos. The people in our lives have to adjust to seeing us looking different, like if we got plastic surgery, cut our hair off, dyed our hair, etc. Just like we have to get used to looking at ourselves in the mirror. When I get a new tattoo it takes a while to not do a bit of a double-take when I catch myself in the mirror, so we need to cut people some slack, lol

Or, actually, ribcage excellent choice for first go round, because after that the other tattoos you get will be like a walk in the park! Just wait it out. The artist has to take into consideration your natural skin tone when mixing colors, plus the knowledge of how a particular color might fade initially, so put it out of your mind for the time being.

Do not make any judgments about the color this soon. Wait for peeling and the fading that will take place as it heals. No worries. You will love your tattoo (even if it is redder than you thought) but now is not the time to make any guesses about the final colors.

Just wanted to share my experience as it relates to the issue of clothing/bra/healing as has been discussed recently. I was tattooed last week on my back/shoulder, right where the bra strap goes, lol, basically from the top of my shoulder right to where the strap ends, so no getting around it, other than racerback style bras, but I don't have any and didn't feel like fooling with getting one. I used Tegaderm over the site (this time I applied the film much earlier than I usually do and it came off much easier, but that is for another thread!) and I was able to wear my bra just like normal and had NO problems. I just went on about my daily life and business as usual, even though I had added about a 6x5 or so tattoo to my shoulderblade area. It just felt like a moderate sunburn, with the film pulling on my skin somewhat, and that was it. Kind of a set it and forget it type situation, and I'm very pleased. After reading through the thread and beginning to wonder about how I was going to manage my clothing in this area, etc., I decided just to not worry at all about it and that worked out well for me this time, though the Tegaderm made the difference (I sound like I work for them but I don't!), since it protects the new tattoo and makes it much less sensitive, so the bra strap didn't bother it like it would have if I had to rig up some sort of saran wrap or other dressing that would stick and be messy, etc. With this there is no mess at all and you don't do anything but wait for 4 days or so. Now I just need to start saving for more tattoos!

This is more like FAMILY relationships and tattoos, but I had a new one last night. My sister and I have both been married a long time, me 25 yrs and she 22. We live a few blocks from each other and our families are very close, so we hang out a lot together and at this point my BIL is literally like a flesh and blood brother to me. He's a musician and not a prude, and has tattoos of his own, though he considers them to be part of his misspent youth. He's got an open mind, anyway, and we get along great. Last night we arrived for the usual Sunday evening cookout type thing my sister has in the summer, at the requested time, and one of her son's friends had dropped by unexpectedly with his father to just say hello and introduce himself. We show up, and introductions were made. After they left, my BIL was clearly a bit flustered, laughing awkwardly and smacking his forehead about the timing of it, that he was meeting a parent that he wanted to impress (that he had a safe and secure home for his boy to come and play, etc.) and here I come, "with all your tattoos" and one of my teenaged daughters had buzzed her hair off, and we were looking really "edgy." I have never been in that position with my BIL before, ever, where I felt like I was unwelcome, or that my presence might mess things up for him in his other friendships and relationships. He may have just been joking and I'm taking it a bit more seriously than I should, but it was new. My husband told me I need to get used to that kind of thing, and I suppose he's right!

Amen to above, and, it reminded me that I had saran wrap on my arm one time when a lady seating my husband and I at a diner after the tattoo asked me if I this was a fresh tattoo as she slapped me right on the wrap. REALLY?????

Just got a call that my appointment for tomorrow has to be canceled. UGH. Been waiting for months, but I can wait some more - patience......

I like the idea. I'm in the medical field, and don't usually have to worry (much) about it in a clinical setting since in my office we don't wear uniforms or scrubs, usually, but I just recently started a part-time job to pick up extra money and in that particular clinic I have to wear their uniform scrubs in surgery, and can't show tattoos per policy. That is no problem, and mine do not go below the elbow, but they DO show below the short-sleeve of the scrub top. I've been wearing a long sleeved shirt or a three-quarter sleeved shirt, but it gets HOT in the OR often, and now that warm weather is here I'll be sweatin on my way to and from work wearing the extra layer under the scrub top. Just slipping on sleeves that would make it look like I was wearing a shirt under my top but would not be hot would be a great solution (tempting as cutting the toe off a gym sock is, lol). After I'm done I just peel off the sleeve and go on about my bidness. Problem solved.

Trolls say the darndest things

Adding more folk art to left upper arm/shoulder next week. Tried to get it done earlier in the season but my girl Katy Davis stays booked. Usually we'd be full bore into hot weather by this late into May but for some reason we're still having cool weather. Kinda freaky but I'm not complaining!

Yep, it makes a lot of sense, and has been true for me. The lower legs took the longest because they are the furthest away from the heart and blood flow is the most challenged in that part of the body, even for the young and healthy, with gravity adding to the challenge. I see this in the medical field - lower leg wounds take FOR-EVER to heal, in some people more than others, but in general this is going to be true in everyone. For my lower legs I try to keep them elevated during the healing process whenever I can.

This is clearly your own immune system response, yikes. Do you wait until the next day to apply the Saniderm? Otherwise, I think I'd just dry heal, since your body goes into overdrive. Do you lose color to the point where it has to be retouched? Pictures!

Welcome, from a fellow Virginian!

That would make WAY more sense!

I guess it is because tattoos are so much in the public consciousness, but I don't understand why people feel so comfortable coming up and touching my tattoos, and asking personal questions, completely out of nowhere. This is similar to when I have been pregnant and strangers feel quite comfortable coming up and putting their hand upon my belly. EXCUSE me? I have been stopped in public by strangers and asked to raise the sleeve of my shirt so a better view can be achieved. ????? How is this different than if you had a really nice piece of jewelry or outfit on, and I just walked up to you and touched the collar of your jacket or fingered your watch/necklace, asked you where you got it, how much it cost, etc.? How about if you had a nasty scar on your arm and I couldn't quite see the entire thing, and I asked you, a stranger, to raise your shirt sleeve a bit so I could see it all. It would not be acceptable behavior. I realize that people assume you have tattoos because you want them to be seen, maybe, and you want to share them with the world, but not necessarily!