Hogrider

Good luck. I don't know your artist and I don't know what you are getting, but that's not a lot of time for an entire sleeve.

I don’t know how you would get a quality sleeve in 20 hours. Both of my sleeves were over 60 hours. And I know people who’s sleeves took longer than that.

Tattooing traumatizes the skin. I may look like a bruise before it heals, so don't worry about that. I had my inner thigh tattooed a couple of weeks ago. It looked WAY worse than that. 3 days later it looked like a bruise, now it looks like it is supposed to.

You’re going to get a sleeve in 20 hours???

Not to be harsh, but if you can't decide then you probably aren't ready to commit thousands of dollars and 75+ hours in the chair. Or, as @Gingerninja said, get the second idea someplace else.

But you need to stop sugar coating it. What are you REALLY trying to say???? :-)

You can't tell anything at this point, except that you are using waaaaay too much A&D. You want to use the absolute minimum so that it doesn't dry out. That tattoo looks like it's swimming. I've been using A&D for more than 8 years with no problem and even my oldest tattoos look like new, so I wouldn't worry about it.

Nice work!

FOUR TIMES! I understand you are worried, but if everyone is telling you the same thing, I'm not sure why you keep asking. Blow outs suck, but they are a part of getting tattoos. And there is nothing you can do about them, so try to relax.

Are these areas blow outs or normal healing? you can't tell any F***ing thing in a week ! it's just healing Just the last two letters look blown out to me? You have to let it heal before you can accurately judge a tattoo. Just worried me cos none of my others have looked blown out while healing Let it heal. Breathe! Can a tattoo look blown out while healing? Listen, EVERYONE is telling you to calm down and let it heal. I don't think there's any need to be rude. I was simply asking advice about whether it is a blow out or not.

I've never seen a tattoo that looked blown out and then later looked normal, but maybe someone else has. Listen, EVERYONE is telling you to calm down and let it heal. AFTER it heals, in 6-8 weeks, you'll know what it will look like. Here's the thing - You can't fix blow-outs, so it doesn't really matter if it's blown out or not. No, they are NOT normal, but they do happen. It's not always the artist's fault, they tend to happen more on thin, delicate skin. Tattoos are not perfect. I've never seen a tattoo that you couldn't find something wrong with if you looked hard enough. If perfection is your goal, I wouldn't get any more.

Hard to quantify. You just want to use the minimum to keep the skin from drying out. No more than twice a day.

No problem, I'll fix it. Someone starts a thread, gets mad when they don't hear what they want to hear, then gets shitty to other members. Fortunately, most of them disappear quickly.

It happens on every forum I'm on. Someone new comes on, posts the required number of posts all at once so they can start a thread, starts a thread, gets mad when they don't hear what they want to hear, then gets shitty to long time members. Fortunately, most of them disappear quickly.

Well, let me say that I'm not a doctor and don't have ANY medical training, so take whatever I say with a grain of salt. If you are worried I'd see a doctor. That looks kind of like what happens when you moisturize too much, so if it were me, I'd try wiping it with alcohol a few times a day to try to dry it out for a few days. But again, I'm not a doctor and I don't play one on TV, so take it for what it's worth.

Were you putting anything on it prior to this? Any moisturizer?

Just my 2 cents, but I think you are more likely to make it worse than better by monkeying with it at this stage.

Don't be in a hurry. Wait for the artist you want. Send her an email, what's the worst that could happen? Do you know that your tattoo probably isn't even fully healed? A tattoo can take 4 - 8 weeks to fully heal. I don't understand the rush. There are people on this board that wait months (at least) to get a spot with the artist they want. I've been working with the same artist for years and I still have to wait to get my first appointment when I start a new project. Take your time and your next post will be, "I love my tattoo and it was worth the wait" instead of "I got this tattoo to fix another bad one. How do I fix the new one?" Just my opinion.

It's starting to peel so I'm guessing at least 4 or 5 days old. I agree with @SStu that if it's not sensitive or warm to the touch I wouldn't worry, but if you ARE worrying, I'd agree with @Gingerninja and see a doctor. Also, maybe it's the picture, but that doesn't look dark red to me. I've gotten redder than that from scratching a tattoo - which you should never, ever do, and I don't. Have a long soak in a tub, a couple of adult beverages and call us in the morning!

How quickly tattoos fade depend on the quality of your tattooer, the quality of your skin and how well you take care of it. You can control two of the three. In your other post you say your tattoo has held up well even with a lot of time in the sun. If you are concerned with fading, keep out of the sun, it's really just that simple. Also, very simple - you don't get the best results by insulting the people you are asking for help. This IS a quality forum, but you are welcome here anyway. :-)

There were a couple of good artists at Tattoo Temple. You are looking for lines that are straight (with no wobble), an even width (where they are supposed to be even), no blow-outs, on thin skin like the inner wrist, hand, foot, among other's. Think of it like this - what is a Japanese dragon supposed to look like? Answer - you could draw it 1000 or more different ways and everyone would instantly know what it was. That symbol you want can only be drawn one way and if it's not exact, it's not right. Which do you think is harder? Good luck.

I'd pass on this artist. First, there are only a few tattoos that show their delicate line work and if you look closely, some of that line work is really wonky. What you want to look for is someone that has examples of delicate line work on thin skin, just exactly like what you are looking to have done. Look for someone that does what you want done. It doesn't matter if someone does the best traditional Japanese if you are looking for a portrait and it doesn't matter if someone can do big, bold colorful tattoos if you are looking for small, delicate line work.

Wow, you view tattooing as scarring yourself?

Blocking the pain is blocking the pain. It's just my opinion, my rules aren't binding on anyone but myself.

Well, these are opinions, so I don't have a problem with people who disagree with me. However, you point out a good exception to the numbing cream rule, for me anyway. I'm really talking about someone that comes in for their first dime size tattoo on their bicep and cries like a baby. To me it's the difference between some dilettante getting a tattoo because it's trendy, but doesn't want any discomfort and someone who respects the tradition. With 150+ hours in the chair, you've certainly proved that you respect the tradition, although the only one anyone needs to prove or justify anything to is themselves.