Hogrider

Well, everybody is different and every time can be different. I didn't have much pain doing my first chest panel and even less on my second one. The first time I had work done on my stomach it was awful, the second time, it was nothing. I've heard about how awful the back is for some people, but other than the love handles, I had very little pain getting my back done. At one point I almost fell asleep. I've found that after the endorphins kick in, it's much less painful, so you'll be OK.

Yes, people do it all the time. I wouldn't only because the skin is going to be really sensitive the next day, but there is no reason you can't or shouldn't.

First you say he said 4 hours, then you have an appointment for 5 hours, then you agreed to 2 sessions of 2-3 hours which could be 6 hours, then back to 4-5 hours max. There is a lot of difference between 4 hours and 6 hours. You really seem all over the place here. Throw in OCD and it is a recipe for disaster. My opinion is forget about fixing it later. I think you are as liable to make it worse as you are to make it better. Get it done right the first time. Pick an artist, don't be in a hurry, make a decision and don't second guess yourself. I still don't get what the rush is??

Welcome. Do your research, find someone really good and don't cheap out. Good tattoos are NOT cheap.

If you have been satisfied in the past why would you worry about not being satisfied this time? You've got someone who you've worked with, you trust and are satisfied with; what is the big hurry that you can't wait until he is available? I don't get the whole speed thing; either he is good or he isn't. I don't know, maybe I'm missing something here.

4 hours to complete a piece that covers half your chest doesn't sound like enough time to do a really good job, but it really depends on how detailed the tattoo is. I'm sure there are some tattooers that could do it, but I want a good tattoo, not a fast tattoo. My advice is to find a good artist and not worry about how fast they are.

You're actually lucky most of it fell out. As other's have said, just go to a reputable shop and get it done right; do NOT go back to whoever did that to you. You're luck it didn't get infected.

Ointment every three or four hours???? Waaaaaaay too much. Once or twice a day with just a touch of cocoa butter should be adequate. And for a tattoo that small, a dot should be adequate. As for antibiotic cream, the only rough heal I've ever had in 30+ sessions was when I used antibiotic cream.

I've never seen it either. About half the time my artist draws the design right on me. All of my pieces have evolved during the process, I think my artist has a general idea in mind before he starts, but fills in the details as we go.

Not much to do but wait and see how it looks when it's healed. If you're still unhappy with it, go back to the artist and see what they can do. It's a nice tattoo. I wouldn't worry too much.

That's not normal. Treat it like any other scab; keep it clean, at this point I don't think there is much you can do beyond waiting for it to heal and staying away from whoever did that.

The first lines my artist did on my back were right on my love handles. I thought, I'm not going to be able to finish this! I got into the zone and got through it and then I thought, if I can get through this, I can get through anything. A couple years later I started working on my current piece that goes on to my stomach - a whole new level of pain for me. My artist always says, just because it hurts isn't a good reason to not get tattooed. DOH!

I'll keep these ideas with my pet rock and my Mork and Mindy DVDs.

It's just me in the tub. If it's recommended by Filip Leu, that's good enough for me. I know it's frowned on in the US, but apparently in Japan, it's common practice. I haven't had an issue in four years, so no, I'm not worried. Also, I always take a shower before I get in the tub. I don't see any difference between the tattoos I healed the old way and the tattoos I healed using a bath.

I don't swell much but the more sensitive the skin, the more I swell. After a couple of years of getting tattooed, my artist switched the aftercare to include a soak in a hot tub right after the tattoo and the next day. I not only swell less, but I have much less discomfort. He got it from Filip Leu and I've been using it the last 4 years.

I wouldn't get something like that myself, but everybody is different. You should get the tattoo you want. I would caution that you need to get someone really good to pull that off. Every single imperfection is going to be noticeable in script.

From what I've read, the tiny piece they would do for a color test isn't really a good indicator of potential problems. I know some people take longer to heal some colors, but I don't think that qualifies as an actual allergic reaction; just my two cents. I did a lot of research on documented allergic reactions to tattoos and there is a very small number of medically documented cases.

Calm down, you could be leaking ink for a days. It's perfectly normal.

You won't know anything until it heals. I think that's on some really thin skin and more prone to blow outs. When you think of all the variables involved in tattooing, it's easy to understand why all tattoos aren't perfect.

I've had both of my shoulders done and I just about slept through it. Sounds like it may be time to move on.

You feel you were overcharged by $200, but you left a $100 tip?? That'll teach him ... NOT 1 hour prep, 30 minutes lunch, 15 minute break each hour, I'd look for another artist. I don't want to sit for 6 hours to get four hours worth of tattooing. Also, every time he takes a break, you have to get into the zone again. My guy usually goes about 2 hours between breaks.

At this point I would let it dry out and see what it looks like in a couple of weeks. Tattoos take a month or more to totally heal. I wouldn't go back to that artist for any reason.

I would try using vitamin E oil rubbed lightly on it once a day for a month or two.

The back is a lot of real estate to waste. I would recommend stopping until you figure out what you want to do. What's the hurry?

I hope things work out for you. Sometimes life just sucks, but you plow through. Not the same, but 10 years ago I was in a bad motorcycle accident. A month in the hospital, a year in physical therapy (then periodic PT for about 5 years), surprise divorce, move from my home of 15 years, new job, my dog of 15 years died. Almost everything that could go wrong did go wrong. I just hung on, my parents didn't raise any quitters, things started to turn around and I've been on a pretty good roll ever since. Attitude is everything.