Devious6

I'm hanging in there. Rough week but that's life...and death.

Welcome!!

Don't over clean it, either. Twice a day should be fine - I like to use Dial Gold - and pat it dry with a clean paper towel each time you wash it. I then use just a very small amount of Aveno.

Congrats to @Gingerninja! Truly an awesome piece of art!!!

Welcome!!! Just don't overdo the hustle butter. It needs air to heal.

Hi, and welcome!!

Welcome to the forum!

After a horrendous weekend of trying to help my Mom manage her panic as she struggled to get oxygen, I was with her as she peacefully left this earth on Tuesday. She chose the 20th anniversary of my Dad's death to join him. Still numb, still haven't let the emotions out. Focused on the few administrative details left to do. Here's my gift to you from her. Don't smoke!!! She did for 60 years until a stroke forced her to stop. In the end, it wasn't even the breast and lung cancers that took her - it was the COPD that destroyed her lungs. Don't put your family through what I faced this past weekend as she stared at me, eyes pleading for me to help her get oxygen...wracking me with guild that I couldn't do anything but hold her as the morphine and anti-anxiety meds put her to sleep. F***.

@Gingerninja - solid advice there. Lynn and I follow the same guidelines. Sometimes, your priorities and likes don't match up. Knowing not to push is crucial to a strong and stable relationship.

Welcome to the forum! I will let the more experienced folks offer an opinion on placement.

Welcome to the forum!

Perfect filler, Dan!!

What an a**hole! Sorry you had that happen to you. I just wish they would have refused service for him. At least, I hope they made it painful. Great tattoo - especially as I sit here drinking coffee.

Welcome to the forum!! Let it heal and then you can decide what, if anything, you want to do with it.

I would recommend staying away from ointments at this point all together. If you're going to put anything on it, get the fragrance free Aveeno as Dan recommended. I used that as well and still do...every day...to moisturize my skin. At this point, though, your skin needs air to heal. So, use just a little and blot off any excess with a fresh paper towel.

I used the same approach as Dan on both my tattoos. For my first tattoo, I over-applied a bit myself and started to see some early signs of blistering in some places - immediately reduced the application making sure I was using just a very light coating after showering in the morning and at night when I went to bed. That solved the problem. And, following that regimen for my second was very successful and easy. @oboogie, like @Dan, has tremendous experience so you have two options from very knowledgeable people.

It's always a good idea to consult your artist to check it out in person. Can you tell us about your care routine? Seems to me that you might be using too much lotion/ointment and having a skin reaction to that. Better pictures would help...but my first point of having the artist check it out still stands. Welcome to the forum!

@Makar - just awesome. Totally awesome.

Welcome to the forum! I'm partial to wolves - my first tattoo was a wolf. Find a solid artist and have him/her create your final design as well as making recommendations on size, placement and level of intricacy. I look forward to seeing the finished work.

Wow, really???!!!!! I guess I'd better have mine removed. Conversely, why are you joining a forum that celebrates the art of tattooing and throwing BS at us?

Dan, as I see the difference here is that there are many military and civilian applications related to the sea, sailing and anchors. And, as the OP mentioned, there are daggers in all forms and types out there. In this specific case, the Death Before Dishonor does have a more specific military history and link. Again, people are free to do what they want - and it's certainly not my place to judge. Just offering my humble opinion. If anything, I am very much against PC.

In my mind, this tattoo does have a more specific military meaning - although it can obviously be tied to the greater concept of virtue and the commitment to protect it at all costs. A quick search of the web will yield many references to it as having a military tie. As a retired Army officer, I would automatically assume that anyone I saw with this tattoo had some military experience. That said, people are free to have whatever they want as a tattoo. Personally, this falls into the real of "just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should." And, of course, this is just my own very personal opinion. Actually, if/when I opt to have a lower arm tattoo done, some version of this would be my choice.

Congratulations and welcome to the forum! Nice work - and it's even more so because it has special meaning to you. Well done. I waited until I was almost 61 to get my first so you're on a better timeline than me.

Double post. Ugh.

Welcome to the forum!!