Hogrider

That is rough. Don’t let whoever did that near you again. You don’t need fancy or special creams, just use plain cocoa butter. Not too much, just enough to keep it from drying out. Too little is better than too much.

I’d skip the “deep, meaningful that represents blah, blah, blah” part. Just pick a cool image that you both like. Dragon, tiger, panther, ying/yang, skull, etc.

Tattoos can take 4-6 weeks to heal, longer if they went in rough. Give it a couple of months.

Don’t mess with a good tattoo. Whoever told you that you could “remove” parts of a tattoo was being extremely optimistic. You have a better chance of ruining it than improving it. Leave dates of birth and script to the tourists.

Holy shit, that’s rough. As bad as it is though, all of my friends who were blindsided (myself included), were much happier after the dust settled and we had the distance to reflect back on what we’d been through.

Nice!

Who told you that they use thicker needles for old school tattoos? I have all Japanese style tattoos and my artist uses the old style machine. They ALL vibrate. Sounds like you've been listening to a bunch of bullshit. Tattoos hurt. If you're afraid of pain, don't get one. Also, tattoos don't make you a tough guy. I know tough guys with no tattoos and I know pussies with tattoos. You're either a tough guy or you're not. It doesn't sound like you're cut out for tattoos, but if you really want one, find a GOOD shop and go talk to someone. Be honest about your concerns and see what they say.

This is not a forum to get advice on HOW to tattoo. There are shaky lines and blowouts in that tattoo. You can’t fix them.

That is really rough. Nothing you can do now except wait a couple of months to see how it heals. I wouldn’t ever go back there.

Congratulations. I'll give a little unsolicited advice - start planning now. I've seen people who have a hard time making the transition. I had a friend who had big plans - he was going to record his originals, finish a book he had started (it was actually pretty good), work on a screen play, do some traveling (even bought a little sports car to take his trips in). When he retired, he decided he'd just spend "some time" decompressing. He wound up spending his days reading comic books and playing video games. He also started gaining weight, and he was already overweight to start with. Two years later he was still reading comics and playing video games. He hadn't recorded a single song, written a word on either his book or screenplay, hadn't taken a single trip. I had a gentle talk about all the great things he wanted to do and got the, "I know, I getting ready to start, I just needed som "me" time." Another three years passed and he still hadn't recorded a single song, written a single word or taken a single trip. AND he had gained about 100 pounds. We parted ways over politics; I asked him to stop bringing it up because we are about as opposite as it's possible to be, but he wouldn't shut up about it. Anyway, good luck. I've had some of the best times of my life since I stopped working. I'm a musician and I get to practice 3 or 4 hours a day, go to rehearsals, gigs, it's great. Between mowing the lawn, cleaning the house, laundry, shopping, cooking, the gym 4 or 5 times a week, and everything else, I'm busier now than when I was working.

I’ve just been reporting these dick lickers and the posts are removed.

Anxiety sucks. What to do? Make it into a sleeve? Add tattoos around it? Make it part of a scene? I can relate to anxiety, but thankfully I never had tattoo regret. I’m in the last stages of a body suit, so if I did get it, I’d probably need a carload of Xanax.

"I'm very fit and complimented all the time how tone my arms are" So if you were fat and out of shape it would be OK? 🤣 Tattoo Anxiety is not unusual, but it really depends on how long it goes on for. Has it been weeks, months, years? You really don't have a lot of options. Despite what laser removal centers would have you believe, you'll never get totally rid of it. Any cover up will need to be even bigger and bolder, don't let any "artist" tell you differently. Given the tone of your post, "I'm very fit and complimented all the time how tone my arms are," "My artist is extremely talented, there is not 1 shaky line, crooked line," "The line work is out of this workd, perfectly straight," "Everyone loves it" it sounds like the reality of the tattoo doesn't meet your expectations.

Good luck. Job hunting sucks. I got laid off from a company after 20 years and it took six months to find a job. I was in the dreaded “middle” management role at an IT company. A little over two years later my new company was bought out and they did a “restructuring” which means the people doing the work get fired so the people sitting on their fat asses get fatter. I couldn’t find what I really wanted so I just retired. Might be a good time to think about switching fields.

I approve of this post!!!!

Unless you’re a hot chick nobody wants to see your ass tattoo. I can tell you that no one wants to see mine!

One of the hardest decisions you’ll ever have to make. I told my wife to just hand me a bottle of oxy and tell me that they are chicklets.

Will do. I go back next week for another session.

Durability has nothing to do with color vs black and gray. Durability depends on your skin, how you take care of your tattoos (stay out of the sun and moisturize), skill of your tattooer.

First let me say I've never seen exactly that related to tattoos. Second, I am NOT a doctor, so take any advice with a grain of salt and follow it at your own risk. I do have something like that which appears on my face from time to time. After multiple visits to the dermatologist, which didn't fix it, I finally came up with my own treatment. Whenever it flairs up, I just wipe the area down with plain rubbing alcohol three or four times a day to keep it dry. That usually works within a couple of days. Again, I'm not a doctor, but I don't think it would hurt anything for you to try that. Good Luck.

No, they look like generic sh!t that someone who has never tattooed drew.

Sorry, that just hurts. I had a Shepherd who passed 10 years ago and I still start crying if I try to talk about him.

It's just waves and windbars and cherry blossoms. We talked about a bunch of ideas, but there really isn't a whole lot of space and we have so much going on it would probably have been too busy with more images. My back piece is my avatar, I have a tiger and a meditating samurai and koi on one leg and a female samurai riding a tiger along with a snake and skull on the other leg so I was OK with keeping it simple.

I started working on my ass yesterday! Tattoo I mean. I’m working on a body suit and that pasty white ass was really bugging me so I decided to get that tattooed too. I told my artist he could do whatever he wanted, which has always worked out well. My wife said, “ You told him he could do whatever he wanted with your ass?” It’s not as creepy as it sounds.🤔 it didn’t hurt nearly as bad as I thought it would. A little tender around the crack, but not unbearable. He did the outline yesterday, we’re going to color in two sessions, depending on how well I sit.

What is the problem with the placement? You probably have a specific vision in your mind so you can see where it doesn't fit your vision, but for someone with no idea what you are trying to accomplish, they will never notice.