myselfthistime

Thank you, I also was wondering what would be feasible. Calf is a lot less real estate than thigh, however roots at knee with canopy at hip screams bonsai tree to me. Hmmmm, maybe another plan foiled. . .

I want a tree tattoo. Not the size of a quarter, a BIG tree. I'd like to have roots near my ankle and onto my foot, the trunk outside calf/thigh, and a very cool canopy on front/side/back thigh. What I'm wondering is what I can tattoo on the bare areas of that leg once I get said tree. Would I have to give up all that real estate to accommodate the tree?

I'm the slowest healer on this site, my tiny thigh tattoo still has milky-colored skin over some parts, and some scabby looking spots too. Three weeks out, today. I'm jealous!!

Thanks Sea, definitely having the "sunburn" peel now, and the dratted itch has finally caught up with me! Thought I'd dodged that bullet.

Day 8, when the majority of the scabs have gone, and my brand new black looks just as blue as it did before I had it refreshed. Oh, the joy. How long does THIS last?

Thank you!

Thanks for the link. WAY more product than my 4 sheets 4"x4" for $16.99+tax.

But the problem I have is with the non-tattooed skin reaction and how hard it's been to heal . If I had left it on after I saw all that rash/scabbing under it, I wonder if that would have gotten better or worse with time? I'm going to try your brand instead of what I bought from Walgreens, on my other thigh, see if I get any reaction from it. If I can use it safely I really want to!

What do you mean nobody likes you?!? I think the disconnect is in more than the 10 hours you waited vs the 1 hour I waited, but rather would my non-tattooed skin still have reacted badly if I had waited longer to apply? Maybe the trauma of removing it early made it worse, but I definitely had the rash, scabs, swelling, and pain under the wrap before I removed it. Help me understand, did your virgin skin react badly the first time you used it, or did it look fine but leaked causing a need to remove it early?

Since I'm on my phone I don't have the "thank" option. Thanks! I'll brave a different brand before my next tattoo, I really want to love this stuff!

Done, thanks! Also a gross one from today on the "'derm" aftercare thread.

Here's my refreshed 18 year old hand-poke, my daughter drew the butterfly and I had it put next to her name in honor of her 18th birthday. Problem is I have a younger daughter, so to keep with tradition I've got to get her name as well! This is fresh, there's a gross one-week old pic on the "'derm" aftercare thread. Thanks!

Yep I kept the Saran Wrap and Hustle Butter on for 1 hour (per his instructions) then cleaned, dried, gloved, and applied. The pieces had to overlap in order to cover the whole thing. The next morning my seams from overlapping were all peeled up, plasma/ink was everywhere. Took a shower, cleaned it all up, took off the derm very very carefully under water with soap, and there was my reaction. The tattoo itself was fine, but the virgin skin around it was f'ed up. I took this pic this morning (day 7) it's just starting to turn pink vs. angry red and the swelling has reduced about 80%. If it was just trauma it wouldn't have perfect square edges and scabs, right? For the record, I've never reacted to a bandage adhesive, latex, etc. I may get brave enough to try another brand, because I really WANT to love it!

No I didn't know exactly where to put it. It's looking gnarly right now, but I have a pic from when it was fresh.

Anyone got tips for healing the rash/irritation/scabs from my reaction to Tegaderm? The tattoo itself is slightly tender, but the adjacent areas are super painful! I've been hesitant to put anything on it, just washing as normal but no creams/ointments/lotion. The tattoo has pretty thick scabs that are starting to crack and bleed, ugh. Day 6, mostly dry healing. Fun times!

I had a horrible reaction to Tegaderm, I used it the first night and woke up leaky, and inflamed, with scabs along the edges of the 'derm. I'm so pissed about this! Now I'm trying to embrace dry healing, when I had my whole mind set on 'derm.

Oh, well, after I did a search of the artist name and the shop name, let's just say nobody on LST has ever mentioned them. Toye Shop Ink, Lexington SC. Owner Thadd Curry is a damn nice guy, deserves a mention here. I'm glad to report he did address all my "trouble spots" without ever seeming condescending or belittling!

Duh, in my excitement I forgot to update you guys! At my looky-loo I ended up getting tattooed, yippee! I really liked the vibe of the shop, the attitude and friendliness off the staff, and some of the work in the portfolios. I got my daughter's name fixed up, and he thinks he can rework my "vegetable tray" on my other thigh, and cover up my chest name tag as well. The search is not over, but at least I have a shop near home where I'm comfortable with them and their work.

Thanks! I'm leaving soon so I'll report back later!

I'm going for another looky-loo tomorrow and I'm going to ask about the mole issue and also the atrocious flappy upper arm skin. Does it take ink? Is it gross for a tattooist to touch said grossness? Can I just pretend it doesn't bother me and let the artist say "this won't work, that won't look good, the other would be better" or should I be bold and ask first? Grrrr, stupid body insecurity (especially at my age!) keeps holding me back.

Good morning ladies (and gents!) I finally read this whole thread, whew! Have a question that may have more to do with aesthetics or personal preference, but still a valid concern for me. On my upper back, basically any spot you might look at has a mole, freckle, etc. I'm in the dermatologist getting them checked every year, none have ever been questionable and I've never had one removed. I'm trying to avoid tattooing this area because I'm ashamed of it, wouldn't want to show it off, and wouldn't want a tattooist to have to touch it. I'm also not happy about giving up all that prime real estate!! Have any of you ever gotten tattooed on areas where your complexion is less than stellar? What was your experience? Thanks in advance.

Thanks for the vote of confidence, much appreciated. I'm still in the planning phase, so searching for good artists now. Fingers crossed I'll get at least one fixed by the end of the year!

Pic 1 used to be on my boob, but 20+ years of gravity took care of that. And at least I got my own name instead of his! Second picture is by the same guy, it's on my left thigh, I've had nurses and doctors ask me what that is, but the best one said "Is that a vegetable tray?" It's actually a heart in a banner with a rose on top that hurt so damn bad I made him stop and I never finished it! The last one is my oldest daughter's name, in my handwriting, done by my brother-in-law just after she was born, so it's right at 18 years old now. That's on my right thigh, and that's the only one I'm sentimental about and wouldn't cover up.

Where's the embarrassed face smiley?

Ok I'm not quite sure how to post pics but lemme try here