JBluewind

Thanks! It really healed great. My artist still wants to touch up at 3 months to have it perfect (just how he is), so I'm debating on rather I should upload a pic now or wait until the touch up heals. I'm female and I got to admit that it is making me rock my capri pants a lot. I'm protecting with sunscreen, but it feels too good having it out in the open to hide it under pants. I even bought a dress! Mind you I owned exactly 0 dresses (because I've always been a tomboy and I also have massive hooters that dresses tend to show off and get me unwanted attention), but I found a simple purple cotton dress on clearance (that I stumbled upon while grabbing new pjs on sale) that rocks with my ink. I'm glad you did! This info is awesome. I was looking at surgical steal because I figured it would be less likely to reject since it's literally used in surgery. It's nice to know there are options out there for me :)

That's actually really cool. My town is just weird that way. I know not all Christians are like that and most are good people. My closest friends are a Christian, an Atheist, a Wiccan, and a White Witch and they are all wonderful people who really don't care about someone else's beliefs or what they do to their body as long as someone they care about isn't doing something dangerous. My Mamaw was a gospel singer and my sister is very involved in the church. I know lots of good Christians, but I know lots of bad ones too unfortunately. My town is just weird in that their are a lot of people who call themselves Christians who embody all the bad stereotypes. There are the people I refer to as bible thumpers who are very pushy Christians to the point of being rude. They sometimes just walk up to a complete stranger and start preaching or asking questions about your faith, church, and such in a very dogged way. Sometimes they jump in the middle of conversations they were eavesdropping on (which I have to say is a little weird). Sometimes they talk extensively and excessively about nothing but Christian subjects and steer any conversation to Christianity to the point that other active Christians complain about it. On top of the bible thumpers, there are also bigots who use religion as an excuse for how they act towards others. Sometimes it feels like there are more of the bad Christians here per capita than there are in other cities in my state which gives my area a bit of a reputation. It also has to do with the churches themselves. Speaking from personal experience as well as second hand, I know the opinion some churches around here have about tattoos. We were taught that our bodies were a temple for the Holy Spirit to reside in and tattoos and piercings defaced out temple. As a child in sunday school, I heard things from my various teachers and the preacher like God doesn't answer your prayers if you have a tattoo, the holy spirit cannot reside within people with tattoos, tattoos are a sin against God according to the bible, tattoos cause you to sin, and tattoos are the mark of the devil. I know it's all bs now and that was just their interpretation of the bible, but it was messed up at the time. I know that several churches around here are getting better, but too many still talk about tattoos like that. A lot of the people younger than me are appreciative of tattoos now and a few are getting tattoos of their own. Too many people older than me hate them with a passion. Then again a staggering number of people in my state think marriage should be between a cis man and cis woman only and it took the supreme court to legalize gay marriage here (which a lot of people still are fighting against), so tattoo hate should be no surprise.

I've been brainstorming and I was wondering if a robin feather would work better than a robin for behind my ear. I'm having trouble finding an image of anything but feathers from the wings and tail to get an idea of how it might look. Any thoughts?

That's actually essentially what I'm doing. My asthma has been really bad lately (like scare the crap out of an ER triage bad), so I'm glad I'm currently living with my dad until they can get it back under control (currently on quadruple Symbicort and trying to get an allergy test). Plus dad has been having health problems himself and I've been helping him out. I plan on living here about another year and then moving out. That way I'll have a nice cushion money wise, I'll (hopefully) have been on my allergy shot long enough for it to take effect, I won't be moving/driving in the cold/ice, and I can help dad plant the garden before I go. Currently it's a coin toss between moving to another town and moving to another state to help out my best friend take care of a baby. Her an her fiancé are planning on starting to try for kids as soon as they get married, so it really all depends if they're successful or not. I have a vasoconstrictive condition that makes my left side weak (and sometimes kinda useless), so I'm on disability and could stay home 24/7 taking care of the baby (you would be surprised how much one can do with just one arm). I take care of my nephews all the time so I know I can do it and she wouldn't have to miss as much work or be as tired when she went back. She saved my life several years ago and I think this would be a great way to repay her. :) I don't regret spending the money on my current tattoo. It wasn't a crazy amount and made me feel more confident in who I am and beautiful again after the end of a 7 year toxic relationship. I brush off the negative comments (just like I do the obsessive Christians) and some make me laugh. The only one that bothered me was that of my now former friend. My dad can be rather annoying at times though. I intend on getting one more tiny one behind my ear (a robin for my Mamaw) before I move out. I'm putting off my other larger ones until later (probably 2 years from now). I honestly can't wait to have both my calves finished though. It's gonna take several years to save up all the money I'll need for both of them (limited income), but they are gonna look so awesome! ^_^

Actually, I haven't told anyone I'm an atheist but my dad, one of my nephews, my closest friends, and my tattoo artist (because of my tattoo) and yall (because I needed help and opinions while designing the tattoo). My 3 other nephews, my sister, the rest of my family, my casual friends, and my acquaintances don't know. Anyone who asked about my tattoo just gets told it's a broken infinity to remind me the importance of today (instead of the entire reason). Random people literally come up to you and ask if you know God (I lie and say I do) and if you have a church (I lie and say I worship at home because naming off a random church got me in trouble once when they knew I didn't go there). It defuses most of them, but two to five times a year I run into someone who doesn't think that's enough and who won't drop it even when I'm polite or try to walk away. I've had them follow me to my car! It's the kind of town where it's illegal to sell alcohol and the majority of people are strong Trump supporters (that's not to insult anyone here who does, just to give an idea of the town). 40 minutes away is a slightly larger town (I have doctors there and often go to their larger stores, malls, and movie theater while I'm there) where I have met people with extensive ink or faiths other than Christian (or lack there of). Saying where I'm from leads to them curling their nose and saying "yeah. I've met people from [x]". Then they ask where I'm from originally and then act completely shocked that I was born and raised here because people from here are usually the opposite of open minded. Even my artist (who has tattooed people from my town occasionally) didn't believe it at first and thought I was kidding.

I live in the south too, but in a small town that is extremely religious. It's the kind of town where I get super religious people lecture me for not going to church two to five times a year (and I only leave the house once a week or less!) and somebody says something Christian related to me just about every time I go uptown. They have no clue I'm an atheist; they just know I'm not going to church. One of them lectured me for over an hour! All she knew about me was that I didn't have a church and my dog was in major surgery after having a large thorn pierce her eye (she lost the eye, but they saved her life). I was a captive audience. I asked to be left alone and even changed my seat, but she insisted that she had to help me realize the importance of church for the sake of my eternal soul. I don't encounter tattoo haters every day, but it happens. I was raised to believe that your body was your temple for your soul and God to reside. Tattoos were considered sinful permanent graffiti on God's temple that damaged your relationship with God as He would not want to reside in a defaced temple. Piercings (save for 1 simple earlobe on women only) were treated that way as well. I was raised Southern Baptist (which is very popular here), but we also have a lot of Later Day Saints (mostly Mormons) and Jehovah's Witnesses.

There was so many physical and other changes that I thought would happen when I turned 30, but nothing changed save one big thing. I quit giving a fuck what other people thought ;) Yesterday I had a a fun conversation with a neighbor. She came by to visit and I happen to be wearing capri pants. She said she "disapproved" of people who "mark up their bodies" and that it was "un-christian". I resisted the urge to tell her it was an atheist tattoo and calling me un-christian was kinda a compliment. XD

Daw. So cute!

My existing piece (next to last sketch is my avatar) is actually a broken infinity symbolizing the importance of a finite existence with hidden lowercase g symbolizing taking the power away from God and swirls represents wind symbolizing that even the invisible is not exempt from science and proof. It was my own design to celebrate coming out as an atheist. Everybody here was really awesome helping me tweak it ^_^ Yeah. I think it will look beautiful on the opposite side of my ankle (inner right) from my broken infinity. They have the same feel. I'm so happy I found it! Now if I could only find the other symbols I need so easily and figure out how to arrange them so they have a good flow! *braces self for backlash* I'm not actually a fan of old school. I like tribal, black work, black and gray, neo traditional, some new school, cartoon, some fantasy, and realism, but not old school/traditional. It looks good sometimes on other people, but it's not my style. I also HATE my arms (total bat wings) so the only ink I might ever get on them would be wrists (and maybe behind my shoulder later). I really do want a simple tattoo behind my ear. My friend suggested a simple black line robin with a flash of read on the chest. I'm not sure. I'm still debating. @Dan Wow! Nice line work man. It's clean and has a good flow. How was the pain level? Think you'll get a similar one on the other side?

@bongsau I decided to save the clef heart for my right calf piece since I realized it would go so well with my other piece. It will combine my love of music and my love of Mamaw for it nicely. I like your red robin suggestion for behind the ear, but I've been having a hard time finding anything I like for it. I would like to at least go in with an idea of what I want. I really like black work, but since you can't tell it's a robin with that I was thinking of going neo traditional, new school, or cartoon for this. I want something with good lines so it won't age too terribly. Everything I've found so far has been either realism or sparrows with robin colors. It's really gotten on my nerves to be honest -_- @byzantine This would actually be my second tattoo. My first is an atheist symbol on my ankle I designed myself. The new site won't let me update my bio on mobile so that's why it still says what it does. I know it will probably kill, but it's a small spot so it will be over quick. As far as waiting until I'm in less of an emotional place? I don't think I ever will be. I miss her every day just as badly as when I lost her. It doesn't help that I've recently lost everything thanks to an asshole I was with for 7 years who took my house and kept my furniture and savings when he left me for a 21 year old before my 30th birthday. I have been going to counseling and got on low dose Paxil which has helped. I just want something positive on me to remind me of her and that she will always be a part of me. I think it will really cathartic. @marley mission I like behind the ear because it's not as visible as other face area tattoos. I'm also sincerely thinking of getting black work fake piercing tattoos on my ears later on. @oboogie Because you are a beast that's why! ;) @Devious6 That's story was awesome! Love love love it :D Part of the reason I want this is to help me focus more on the positive rather than the negative. I sincerely think it would beg good for me.

@Graeme I've only seen one in real life that didn't look like crap (which is the norm for most ink around here unfortunately). She had a little tribal style flower on her upper ear and a rose behind (and 5 or 6 others she named off). She said the ear was weird because it moved a lot and needed a touch up and that behind the ear hurt like a SOB. The one on her ear was faded somewhat, but she tans. It still looked nice though. Most others I've seen IRL are either green or blown out to kingdom come or just bad. I found one online that was a simple black flower with a piercing in the center that looked healed and just looked awesome although I have to agree that too many of them were fresh or photo shopped. I meant it when I said I'd looked at hundreds of pics XD I agree. That's why I'm saving up. My left calf is going to be color (with a fairy and background) and about going forward. My right is going to be black work with some black and gray and about who I am and where I came from. I'm researching my genealogy now and intend to design something with symbols of my ancestors (currently Irish, Scottish, Native American, and British Isles), a symbol for my home state (probable a bee on apple blossom), and something for Mamaw (incorporating sowing and music) to go along with my atheist symbol (although I'm still brainstorming on how to tie it all together). @oboogie That's good to know. I know everybody is different, but it makes me happy that it might not be as bad as she said it was. My pain tolerance is pretty good in general though and it's only a temporary moment of discomfort anyway, so I would be doing it even if you said it felt like a jackhammer on fire. ;) I feel pretty stupid for crying. It's closer to 2 years now than 1, but it still hurts. I've just being bombarded with mom references the last few weeks and it's really gotten to me. She was the one person who always supported and loved me no matter what. @bongsau I know you weren't picking on me hun. I'm just unnaturally emotional and tender hearted right now. Between mother's day and my doctor quadrupling my Symbicort (steroid) for the next 6 weeks (my lungs aren't currently working right and I was having constant asthma attacks, one of which even scared the crap out of triage and a nurse at the ER), I have no handle on my emotions. The community has really helped me a lot. It really helps to be able to bounce ideas off people and be taught how to find a good artist and proper aftercare. Thanks for the advice! Between oboogie saying behind the ear didn't hurt that bad and your opinion, I'm more confident in getting it behind me ear. I'm torn between a treble cleft and something like this. I kinda fell in love with this, so I might just get a treble cleft now and get that somewhere later. Thank you for understanding. Your tattoo is beautiful. Having something beautiful to remind you of her is the same reason I have for wanting one. A lot of people don't get it and think I should be over it by now, so I catch crap for still crying over losing her and missing her. Her kids say I was "just a grandkid" (save my dad), but she considered me her youngest daughter and often referred to me as such. My biological mother was abusive, so I stayed with her all the time going home just to see dad after he got off work (her house was walking distance). She helped me study for tests, taught me to read and cook, sang me to sleep, got me ready for school (waking me up singing Red Red Robbin by Doris Day), listened, and was always there for me. When she had stroke, it was me that moved in her home, cared for her day and night, did her therapy, and nursed her back to health when her kids wanted to just stick her in a nursing home. When she sold her car and home and moved into a retirement home ten years later, I visited all the time and took her out whenever she asked (sometime surprising her with a trip to the movies). When she died, her other kids took over and had a funeral that would have made her mad and ignored anything I said (we had discussed what she wanted but again "just a grandkid") and refused to so much as let me put her favorite socks (rainbow fuzzy knee highs she wore on cool nights) in the coffin. Dad was too upset to argue with them and just let them do whatever. Not a day goes by that I don't think of her.

I like behind the ear too although I imagine it's different for females. A good one looks damn sexy with an updo, but can be hidden for work if need be. A well inked friend of mine told me they hurt like a SOB though, but it makes sense they would (skin on bone + lots of nerves = ouch). Each person is their own. I've seen lots of flower designs with a piercing in the center online which look great. Speaking as someone who's weird body has never been cool with piercings but is totally fine with ink, I would love a tasteful tattoo on my earlobe and/or upper ear in place of piercings. They're not anymore edgy or silly than any other tattoo. Not everybody can afford a bodysuit and not everyone wants a big piece. I only have the one piece, but I was torn between behind the ear and on the flat part of my upper ear as my second tattoo to save towards. Behind the ear is the more likely of the two for me because it's less exposed to the sun. If it wasn't for the sun, I would get it on my upper ear so more people would see it. The reason I'm considering one for myself is personal. The woman who was like my mother all my life passed away over a year ago. She was a singer for 50 years, played multiple instruments, and music was a huge part of her life and who she was. This past month has been hard (with mother's day ads going on). I was missing her and her beautiful kind voice, so I want to get something music themed (probably a treble cleft) behind my ear to remind me that she will always be a part of me. I intend to include something else in a larger piece later on, but it's gonna be a while before I can save up for that (I'm sick most of the time an go to the ER more than I'd like so it will take me 2 to 4 years to save for each calf piece), so that's why I chose something small that I can save up for in just a few months. Information on ear area tattoos is sparse so I thought starting a thread would be a good way for information to be shared on them all in one place for other people having trouble finding information, ideas, and pictures on them. I regret posting it now and I'm pissed off at myself that talking about her has me cry like a child. All I wanted was to make a thread for anyone who was searching for information on ear area tattoos and maybe get some help for myself in the process so I could get something elegant in her memory.

Edit: I deleted that part of the OP. The thread is just about ear area tattoos anyway and I was just trying to give examples. It's not about my tattoos (present or future) or anything. This entire forum has no threads on the subject that I found via the search feature and as an area which many have had inked and many will get inked in the future there should be a place to share information and ideas.

After a quick search looking for ideas for an ear tattoo, I quickly realized that there are no threads or mentions in existing threads about the ear area. So I'm fixing that. This is a thread for sharing finished ear area tattoos as well as ear area tattoo ideas, experiences, reactions, healing tips, and tattooing experiences.

I'm 30 and my family loves to remind me that I'm an old lady now, so your comment gave me a giggle. ;)

@rufio Lol! I find it adorable that you think I don't know what yolo means. I'm getting old people! XD Tattoos are art that you can never throw away that exist on a ever changing canvas of limited space. If I'm getting a tattoo, I'm at least going to get a decent one I won't hate in 10 years. That's why I'm picking things that aren't trends or could be a phase for me. I have the major details of my left calf piece all planned out. I have a rough idea for my right, but not sure about starting a new thread for it since it will probably be a couple years until I can do it (gotta save up and do my left calf first). I would love to travel. My county is huge and all (US), but I've hardly been out of my home state and I've always wanted to see Italy. It's more of a cost thing with me than anything. @Devious6 Lol! You never know. You could live to 114! Plenty of time left to do all the wonderful regrettable things ;) What part of the army were you in? My papaw survived WWII after his entire platoon was killed off save himself and one other guy who shared the same foxhole. They survived off coconuts and bamboo sprouts for several months until rescue. He somehow survived all of it. His brother (my great uncle) lied about his age and went in the Navy at 15. He was in about 6 years and became a frog man specializing in underwater explosives and underwater welding. He got a tattoo on his right arm before he was old enough to vote. It was never touched up, so it was extremely faded, blurry, and green when he passed away a few years ago (he was in his 80s or 90s), but I still liked it. My dad was a cook in Vietnam. He has funny stories about not taking shit off anyone in his kitchen (including those who were much higher up than him outside it). He had at least 2 recipes put in the army cookbook. He still over estimates how much to cook so there are always leftovers. The place he was wasn't safe. He usually went to sleep to the sound of mortar fire. He had to go out in a helicopter to active battle zones once a week to take food to the men on the ground. Even the cook wasn't exempt from active combat back then. I ran into my sister's sister the other day. I showed her my new tattoo and got the standard "Be careful. They're addictive!" line. She has 3 tattoos and went right into how much she hated the one on her wrist. I asked her if she had looked into getting a cover up. She said no way in hell because she had a cover up on her other piece (it was on her back so I couldn't see it) and it hurt 50 times worse than it did the first time! A quick glance at her two visible pieces and I realized she had scratcher work. I'm not sure if her original piece left a nasty scar underneath her ink, if the person who did the cover up was just terrible with a needle, or what happened, but that crap isn't normal.

I got my broken infinity last month on the 20th (3 inch x 3 inch where ankle and calf meet) and loving it! It's healing very well (pics in my gallery). I'm already starting to brainstorm what to do with the rest of my right calf. My left is already planned out and will be very colorful, so I'm thinking of making my right calf black work or black and gray to contrast. I'm not sure if I should brainstorm here or start a new thread, so I'll post here and follow yall's lead. I think I've narrowed it down to neo traditional, new school, geometric, tribal, or black work for the style. I might mix and match as long as they're similar enough to work together. I was thinking of having the theme be who I am. I'm researching my family tree and I was thinking of having different things to represent where I came from. So far I have Irish, Scottish, Native American, and British Isles, but there's a lot more to uncover. I'm not sure what else to add besides something to represent the places my ancestors came from (and I have yet to decide on what symbol or item to use for each). Maybe my zodiac month symbol and Chinese zodiac year? Maybe something showing the state I was born and raised in (like the state flower)? I love to read, so I might toss that in too since that has never changed over the years. I thought something from my favorite book from my youth would be fitting, but an image from Misoso by Verna Aardema might not work (I am very light skinned). I also loved Greek mythology especially Athenia. Any ideas or suggestions?

@Devious6 Daw. That's so sweet of you to say! It really made me smile ^_^ I would have drove you bonkers if I went to your school. I always had five billion questions, always wanted to learn everything about everything (which is why they quit using me for the curve in some classes), and always a jabber box. Come to think of it, I haven't changed at all XD I was going for Occupational Therapy, but then I got sick. I ended up disabled (severe Hemiplegic Migraines) and was forced to drop out of school. I still miss it sometimes. :) @donbcivil I'm trying my best to. I think dad thinks because I'm staying at his home he gets to make the rules and I have to follow them. I might be more inclined to listen if I wasn't a decade out of my teens and paying for half the bills. He actually told me today he was close to throwing me out because my room was a mess. No shit sherlock! I just got out of the ER a couple days ago and have been struggling to breathe for a week. Of course my floor is gonna be cluttered and my sheets overdue for their weekly change. Does he seriously expect me to clean and dust when my lungs currently can't even handle light shower steam and I got winded trying to change his sheets? XD Seriously though, dad is a pretty good guy, but if I get sick or he's in a mood, it's like living with an angry grizzly bear. @rufio Well why don't you? Aren't they all the same? ;) Seriously though, if you have the means then what's the big deal? As long as you're being financially responsible and using your luxury fund to get inked (as opposed money needed for necessities, insurance, retirement, and the like) I don't see the harm. You have to understand that most people don't know the difference in tattoo quality. All they see is bad scratcher stuff or doctored (or simply fresh) photos. When they see a real tattoo that has had enough time to loose it's fresh brightness (and maybe get a little dry), they think it must be the same quality work as the average artist they've seen, so why not go local and save the trouble? I could never afford a choice artist or the travel necessary, but at least I drove out of my tiny town to a real shop with a nice artist who does good line work. Several years ago when I was just looking for artists, I had an acquaintance (guy, mid 20s) try to get me to go to his guy in town who has started on a sleeve for him. The artist apparently nearly won a contest at a convention, only used the best inks, had a little shop, and charged nearly half the price of the shops in bigger towns because rent was less. He had gotten the full outline and some if the shading done over two or three sessions. Oh my god! It was so jacked. It was black work flames in kind of a tribal style if I had to guess, but it could have been torn fabric or something. I didn't know much about the art form at the time, but a blind man could see it was bad. I don't believe there was a line one on the whole thing that didn't have a shaky look to it. The filled in portion, while completely filled in, weren't all uniformly shaded and the shading didn't really blend in with the line work to where you didn't notice the original lines. I did not go to his guy. Sometimes I think back and wonder if he regrets it and got it reworked by a real artist or if he still thinks it's awesome.

Lol! I actually did this! I didn't actually have a design on my wall or anything though. I decided on a subject matter, style, and placement and gave myself a year. I could tweak the concept, but as long as the core of it stayed the same I would get it. Lots of tweaking happened, but it stayed the same. I made a mistake of choosing a bad artist though (hole in the wall shop but I was dumb and the artist took my deposit and then refused to do a sketch until the week I was coming in so cost wasn't set and he wouldn't give me my deposit back). It took me several years to save up the money to get a good artist to work on me because life kept happening (medical emergencies, emergency vet bill, car problems, my ex running off with my savings...) so I decided to go for a smaller piece on my right leg (9 square inches between ankle and calf). I gave myself a month to really research artists, hammer out a rough design (a broken infinity) to give him an idea of what I wanted for him to refine, get feedback from friends, get aftercare down pat, and save up the last bit of cash I would need for it. My experience was head and shoulders above my last one (thanks in large part to my artist) and I'm more determined than ever to get my full left calf piece of a fairy with butterfly wings and a nature background. Yes there's a lot of symbolism there because that's just who I am, but she's gonna also look awesome. ;) I'm really enjoying having my first tattoo at 30 and already brainstorming how to incorporate it into an interesting right calf piece (Very rough, but I'm thinking either black work or black and gray to contrast the bright colors that will be on my left calf. I'm currently researching my genealogy and was thinking adding symbols and objects that show were my ancestors came from with maybe a couple symbol from different zodiacs in either neo traditional, new school, geometric, tribal, or an interesting black work). A lot of people are supportive, but some... not so much. A friend I've had for a long time is probably not my friend anymore. I told him I was getting a tattoo and was cool with it until he found out it was a broken infinity to mark the year I finally came out as an atheist after hiding it all my life (I'm an agnostic de facto atheist, not an anti-theist by the way). He threw a fit saying stuff like "You know it's permanent right?", "What are you gonna do when you get over this phase and come back to God and are stuck with it?", and "Are you a satanist?". Considering he acted the same when I told him I was an atheist, I'm pretty sure I'm stepping back from the friendship. My dad (who I moved back in with a few months ago after I lost everything) is mad that I wanted a tattoo, that I researched and designed a tattoo, the I went to get a tattoo, that I got the tattoo, that I wanted to show him the tattoo, and that it was "too big for a woman" (3 in x 3 in). He's told me "You had to get the tackiest ugliest thing in the shop didn't you?", "A tattoo that big looks ugly on a woman.", "What are you gonna do when you meet a nice guy and find out he hates tattoos?", "I hope you get an infection and your leg falls off! Would serve you right.", "It was a waste of money and looks like shit.", "You always get obsessed with stupid shit! First it was books, then it was tattoos, and now it's [family history]." (I read all the time, been wanting a tattoo since 13, and found someone who can help me get past where I've been stuck on my genealogy), and "How long do you think it's gonna take for you to regret this?" I went to the hospital yesterday with a massive asthma attack which scared the nurses and got me a stiff lecture from the ER doctor for waiting so long to come in and for driving myself there (40 minutes). I was wearing short pants, so my ink was showing. Still weak, I ended up having to drive myself home. My dad proceeded to give me an earful for having "that ugly ass thing" out in the open, not doing my housework, and smelling like "stinky feet". So after he went to bed, I went in his bathroom, put my foot in his sink, and washed and moisturized my ink. I had to clean my tattoo anyway and I didn't want to get in the shower. Besides, fuck dad and his tattoo hating ass for making me drive to the ER in the middle of an asthma attack (my meds wouldn't stop it, but he thought I was exaggerating even though I've had it all my life). After how my dad and my former friend acted, I kinda welcome the "did it hurt" (it varies, but mine wasn't in a painful spot and felt like a knife scraping across the skin without breaking it), "how much did it cost" (it varies but my guy charges $50 for every 30 minutes), "where did you get it" (Kilted Raven. They're really nice.), "how can you tell if a shop is any good" (clean, new needles, premium ink, willing to show both fresh and healed pieces, reviews and pics online, guarantee work as long as you follow instructions...), "how do you take care of it" (aftercare information) questions with gusto. I also had a decently inked young woman start talking tattoos with me at the library soon after I had mine done. She asked if she could touch my fresh tattoo because it was covered in tegaderm and she wanted to know how it felt (I let her). Then asked how it worked and where she could get some for her upcoming tattoo. I was even nice to the people that think tattoo shops are dirty, dangerous, or just for bikers and military people. One did test my patience when she went on about how "It's better to get your ears pierced at Walmart jewelry with a nice clean gun (...um) than from a dangerous tattoo parlor piercer. Who knows where that stuff has been!?!" which I think is one if the stupidest things I've ever heard in my life! She wouldn't listen to me about autoclaves, inspections, or internships either. Her mind was set. Also, as a random note I seen a post on a Facebook group from people who hate tattoos (I was looking for a way to understand my dad) stating that tattooed parents are something like 800% more likely to spend money on a tattoo than food for their children than untattooed parents. Uh... no shit! Of course people with tattoos are more likely to spend money on tattoos than people without them! It's like saying people with dogs are more likely to buy dog food XD

Here is how my experience has went so far... Day 0: Got my tattoo (shave beforehand!). My artist dabbed a little A + D Ointment on it, wiped it off, and then did a tight witch hazel wrap. He did this by putting something kind of like a folded paper towel over the ink, soaked it in witch hazel, and wrapped it tightly with a self adherent wrap. He said some people can experience a warm sensation with it and that's okay (I found it soothing). The wrap sucked out some of the plasma allowing him to put on the tegaderm right away after drying it off. He had an inch space or more between the edge of the tegaderm and the edge of the tattoo to help plasma buildup keep from running out of it. On larger tattoos, the space should be larger (if it looks like it's about to later, clean where it's getting close and add a little piece to keep it closed). He trimmed the corners to keep it from pealing off. No real clothing restrictions while it's on, although you still can't submerge it in water. Showers are fine, but really warm ones can sting a little (but not as bad as uncovered). Avoid the sun and cover it when you're outside. You can sleep normally until the tegaderm comes off without worrying about ink stained sheets, but laying on it can make it sore. The only time you should lay on it on purpose is when using an ice pack. Use a wrapped ice pack (not just ice in a bag because lumps) as necessary as it helps with soreness and even itchiness (I'd say minimum twice a day for the first few days. I did it after my morning shower and at the end of the day before bed and occasionally in the afternoon) It was a lot easier to do stuff with it covered without worrying about getting it dirty or obsessively washing it. My artist told me to count tattoo day as day 0 and to leave it on until day 5. Day 1: Double whammy today of my little dog jumping on my fresh tattoo and then banged my leg. The tegaderm did a great job of protecting my healing skin and other than the initial "Son of a b****!!!" moment, it wasn't that bad and ebbed away quickly. I can only imagine how much it would have hurt without the film protecting it! Day 3: I had the maximum amount of plasma buildup I had over the course of my use of Tegaderm, but no leaking even though it was a tad close to one edge (picture above). Day 4: Inching started in the middle of the night. Stage 2 healing has begun. In the morning, my skin had sucked up all the plasma leaving behind flaky ink. Day 5: Took off the tegaderm in the shower by starting an edge and using warm water and Basis soap (tattoo safe, free of extras, affordable, and available at most stores such as the Walgreens beauty section) to peal it off. It was actually easier to take off than a bandaid! I think a lot if the issues people have are from removing it too early because it's made to stay on the skin a while. I gently cleaned it by lathering up my hands and washed it and then rinsed it off with cool water. The excess ink left behind after the plasma was sucked up came off my bare skin easily (I took a picture and labeled it in my photo album). I dried the area around it with a towel and patted the tattoo dry with toilet paper (which was kept outside the bathroom and brought in as needed). Then it was time to add a moisturizer. Hustle Butter is a good brand, but I couldn't get a hold of any in time, so I got a Tattoo Goo kit (available at a lot of retail stores like Walmart) which is mineral oil and petroleum free (unlike most regular lotions). The salve was originally made by Bert's Bees, so it's very soothing with about the texture of their lip balms. You are gonna have to add a little more moisturizer the first day the tegaderm is off because the skin will be hungry for it. My first application of salve was gone in about 2 hours. It took about 4 applications of moisturizer (wash with Basis soap using flat lathered fingers and then applying the salve and wiping off excess) before it stopped sucking it up so quickly. Then it was the normal 3 times a day wash quick and moisturizer application. Make sure to sleep in a way that you won't be laying on it. Day 7: No scabbing at all and flaking is very minimal. If you are using a Tattoo Goo kit, this is the very last day you can use the salve as it's more for healing. You can start using lotion between day 6 and 8 at your discretion. I waited until day 8 to start the lotion because the salve was very soothing. It's safe to add tattoo safe sun screen if you need to (I'm not sure about day 5 or 6, so consult your artist if need be). Day 8: I'm starting to get the clear shiny film skin over my tattoo. It just takes a tiny amount of lotion (under half a fingertip) to cover my entire tattoo after a wash. I wipe it afterwards to ensure there is no excess. I'm still using a wrapped ice pack once or twice a day because it soothes the itching from my skin healing which makes me less likely to accidentally scratch it. I put a tissue or paper towel between the cloth and my tattoo to keep the towel I wrap the ice pack in from having direct contact. The tegaderm also saved my sheets as I was covered while the plasma was leaking and haven't had a single dot of black get on them after I took it off. Day 9: The entire tattoo is good and shiny with a film of skin. Still a little itchy, but it has never been bad during the entire process. More like a feather tickling than poison ivy. I accidentally laid on one edge of it last night as I slept, so that part is a little pinkish at the edge, but not sore or bad enough to worry about. Edit: The hair is starting to grow in more so the occasional tickle has been more constant. It makes me wish I had shaved the day of instead of the day before! It's not bad, but I've had to catch myself trying to scratch more often than I was before. I won't risk shaving though as I have 1 spot that's still not flat with the rest of my skin (but boy do I want to!). I have a faint white line of dry skin around my ink and it's looking good save for the little spot lagging behind the rest on healing (my fault because it's a bit at the back of my leg and I've rolled on my back a few times while sleeping). It's surprisingly unfaded for the healing stage it's in and although not as crisp as fresh, it's still a strong saturated black. I've gotten a laugh out of the process as I have a high pain threshold from years of dealing with medical conditions and found the pain level to not even be bothersome, but the constant slight tickle drives me batty. XD And that's as far as I've gotten in my healing process. Hopefully it will give everyone a good idea of how the tegaderm (or like product) healing goes.

I didn't realize you could have reactions to specific colors. Is it caused by the brand or the ingredients used to make the color? Is it less likely with premium ink brands? Is there any way to test beforehand? How did you treat the reaction? Did the problem go away once the tattoo healed or did you continue to have problems? I'm asking because I think information on reaction care and treatment would be a good edition to an aftercare thread. Also, I'm curious :) PS: Sorry in advance if I went a little overboard. Like I said in the other thread, I have OCD and can be a little much XD

I know, but they tend to heal better if they aren't allowed to dry out (which is different from slathering moisturizer of course). I'm using barely enough to stretch over the entire surface and even then it takes a little coaxing to get all of it. I'm thinking of just doing a thin layer and then wiping off any excess. I did that earlier and it's lasted much longer. I gently washed it 3 times today to keep the salve from building up, but as I'm firmly in stage two I'm thinking of just washing it once a day (maybe twice) and applying salve as needed.

Thanks for all the info! It's healing well so far (I uploaded a pic). I took off the tegaderm this morning and there is no scabbing or anything. It's been a little itchy since early Sunday morning. I'm applying Tattoo Goo Salve until I can get in the Hustle Butter. I might be going too thin because it seems to be gone after about 2 or 3 hours and start itching slightly. It might just initially suck up the moisture faster since it's been covered for 5 days.

Just took off my Tegaderm yall! I did it in the shower with warm water and soap. It was easier than taking off a bandaid. My skin sucked up all the plasma yesterday, so all that was really left was a little ink. I also had a slight itch since yesterday. Once I rinsed off the excess ink using basis soap, warm water, and my hand (gentle circular wiping), I applied a little tattoo Goo salve (VERY SOOTHING!) and took a pic. The pic is now in my gallery. There is only a couple of tiny spots along the edge that my artist will have to touch so he won't have much to do come time for the touch up :)