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It looks perfectly fine. Nice placement too. Those doubts will pass. Meanwhile, may I suggest that you stop staring at it, analysing it, examining it under a microscope. Once you stop paying it that much attention, the mind games will ease.

You are right. Most people don't notice a whole lotta stuff until we call attention to it by being overly self-conscious. And honestly, the words could be interpreted many ways. Don't stress it. Could even be a cool prop for a pickup line.

Totally this. Imo, tattoos chronicle our lives. They are ours and ours alone. No one will ever get what each tattoo means or what stage of our life each represents. And that's totally cool. No point worrying about what others may think. One man's meat is another man's poison and all that.

It's perfectly fine. Tattoos will always shift or contort with your body when you move. It is inevitable and unique to tattoos since the canvas is not static. If this is an issue for you, you might want to avoid getting any other tattoos. Messing with the tattoo by changing it will just make things worse. Honestly, after a while, you don't even notice the momentary distortions any more.

I had something similar happen to me for the half sleeve on my arm. No issues until the very last session when the ink fell out where there was shading on my bicep area. Everything else healed fine but the shading for that area was just... gone. Originally thought it might have caused by my sleeve rubbing across it, causing the area to become pink, as if the skin had been rubbed off. But the lines around the shading were fine. One and only time that happened to me. Got it touched up and now it's all good.

Done is done; can't be undone. The photo looks ok. Doesn't look like it is infected or irritated. But honestly, you won't be able to tell if it is fine until it has completed healing. As what @SStu said, the issue might be with the end result rather than the process.

I've never had a tattoo artist tell me I can do whatever after a tattoo or not give any aftercare advice to a customer they are tattooing for the first time. Personally, I wouldn't trust any tattoo artist who gave me the kinda answer they gave you. You may want to refer to the answer I gave another forumner on this exact same issue in the link below.

If it's a rash, I would avoid putting anything on it. I'm referring to lotions. Not prescription meds or whatever since that would need to follow the doctor's instructions. An allergic reaction usually means the area is more sensitive than normal hence putting lotions, and changing lotions as much as you have, could irritate the skin even further. Let it dry heal, take your antibiotics as prescribed and try not to do anything to irritate the area more (eg scratching).

I prefer to plan my tattoos based on body parts. In my mind, the body is a canvas split into various "parts". The chest, the back, the upper and lower arms, upper and lower legs, etc. For example, I plan my upper and lower arm half sleeves with an idea or theme in mind. On the other hand, my lower left leg is reserved solely for smaller pieces of flash that might catch my fancy from time to time. Elsewise, I intend to continue planning each part as a "large" complete tattoo in and of itself. The reason is my absolute lack of any form of artistic sense. If I get "smaller" tattoos, I cannot envision how they would work with other tattoo ideas that I might have. That would probably leave me with a smattering of small tattoos with huge empty spaces in between... an absolute waste of tattoo prime estate. I have seen the "body suit" that many people have that are made up of small tattoos with little to no link to each other. Personally, I don't think it looks any less impressive than a specifically designed body suit. It just messes with my mind. Gives me tattoo block. Lol.

Back to the main topic, I have always believed that you should always get a tattoo for you. As long as it makes sense to you, that's all that truly matters. That said, you can't really stop people from commenting or asking questions that make you wanna strangle them. Depending on my mood, the question "What is it or what does it mean" can be met with a blank stare, a wordless smile, or some inane story that I made up on the spot. Hope that helps!

What everyone said. Ain't nothing wrong with it.

The tattoo on my calf healed at the same rate as my other tattoos so I reckon it probably depends on individuals. Then again, I've noticed that tattoos of different styles and by different artists heal differently as well. I also had one that did not peel/flake at all. Imo, if there ain't anything wrong with it, you're golden.

I reckon the instant gratification mindset of the younger generation probably plays a part. They see something, they want something, they get something. After that, they probably realise it wasn't how they envisioned it to turn out. And, lo and behold, it ain't like the latest fashion statement or fad where you can just purchase the latest model, use it once and relegate it to the back of your storeroom until the next spring cleaning either lands it in the rubbish dump, the salvation army donation box, or a garage sale. Imo, that mindset does not go with tattoos unless we are referring to the the temporary kind. Plus, let's not forget all the "role models" who make it cool to have tattoos on their face, neck, hands, knuckles just for the sake of being a cool kid. Wasn't that the argument given for all the young guns taking up smoking (decades ago)? Then again, there are also those for whom the above does not apply wherein it is more about adaptation than anything else.

As everyone mentioned, all that dark black that's freaking you out right now will get lighter in time. If it is any consolation, that's the absolute darkest it will ever get. Furthermore, it's early days yet and you won't really know what the end product is like until all the healing is done and dusted. Plus, it takes our minds some time to get used to any major changes to our bodies, including large tattoos (especially on highly visible areas). If you look around the forums, you will find that this is quite common. A little advice: don't make any hasty decisions, don't panic, and breathe. There will always be haters and everyone has their own opinion. With or without tattoos, you will be judged. It is inevitable. End of the day, it's your body, it's your tattoo and the only one who gets any say at all would be you. A tattoo, visible or otherwise, does not change who you are. And honestly, if someone is gonna judge you differently due to a kick-ass tattoo has some, imo, serious issues and biases. But that's on them, not you. Cheers!

As everyone else has said, that is one cool sleeve so, imo, no real concerns there. Also requoting everyone, it is actually quite common especially for more visible (huge) tattoos since your mind will usually recognise it as "alien" or "foreign" from what it understands your body to be. When I first got my wrist tattoo, I would sometimes get a shock and wonder where I got it dirty or why there was something on it. Now, it's just part of me. My mind has finally caught up to the changes. Try not to overthink it. This too will pass.

Sorry for the late reply. It took me about 2 weeks before it started feeling normal. 3 weeks before it was actually fine. Hoped that helped!

Had this happen to me once. Was a reaction to some lotion I'd used on my fairly new tattoo cos I'd ran out of my usual aftercare. Started developing bumps/rash and itched like crazy. Ended up dry healing cos I did not want to aggravate it any further. Healed fine if that's what you are concerned about. Keep it clean and try not to drown it with anything. If it becomes hot/warm to the touch. Doctor would be your best bet.

Trying to add stuff to 2 separate tattoos in an attempt to unify it and make you feel better about it is probably not gonna help. Once you add, you can't take away. If you hate it afterwards, the only solution left would be a HUGE coverup. Sometimes, tattoos just take some time to grow on you. If it doesn't, you can also try to link the tattoos together in your mind by assigning some form of significance to the combination. Elsewise, do some research, work with an artist and find a design that can incorporate both tattoos and which you can live with. If all else fails, do what @oboogie said and just drown them in a sea of tattoos.

Just a thought: did you use a scented lotion? Tattoo friendly lotions should not sting. The only time that happened to me was when I ran out of my usual and the new shipment was delayed. I tried using lotion that was just lying around. It was supposed to be for sensitive skin and I reckon that should work fine. Turns out I was wrong. My tattoo started stinging, itching, and generally giving me grief. Started developing bumps, itched like crazy and I was forced to dry heal the rest of the way. Ended up healing fine but a tad faded. After that incident, I made sure I kept a steady supply of tattoo aftercare lotion available whenever I got a tattoo. I'm not saying that caused the lotion is the source of your woes but you might want to steer clear of that lotion in future in your aftercare routine. And any scented lotion, for that matter.

I've personally thought of going to Japan to get a tebori tattoo and stumbled upon the Pacific Tattoo Company website mentioned in this article. Was wondering if anyone had arranged for a tattoo holiday with Pacific Tattoo Company. Would appreciate some input from those who have successfully done so.

I believe the concern about swimming with a new tattoo is not about spreading diseases or germs to other people as it is about what it could do to your new tattoo. From what I understand, It is generally advisable to avoid baths, overly long showers or swimming to prevent the tattoo from becoming soaked and to protect it from bacteria and what-not from infecting the new tattoo since it is essentially an open wound. Strong chemicals and chlorine in the water can also irritate the new tattoo and interfere with the healing process. Other than avoiding the pool until your new tattoo is completely healed, you may want to monitor it for any signs of infection. Elsewise, just wait for it to heal.

It's not an ink stain. As @scottyg mentioned, tattooing creates an open wound. In the course of the healing process, a scab forms, much like it does for any other wound. This scab will usually be the same colour as the ink. As the healing process progresses, it gradually flakes off. Scabbing usually takes place within 2-3 days but the peeling/flaking off part can take 2-3 weeks or even longer depending on a whole lot of variables. Just keep it dry and clean and try not to scratch, peel or pull off the scabs or flaking bits. If it gets too dry, a little unscented moisturiser should help to prevent it from cracking. But you should seriously follow the advice of your tattoo artist with regards to aftercare.

Thanks for the welcome @Dan. You're probably right and I'm just overthinking things but I like understanding why these things happen so I can be better prepared. Same as reading up on what to do here on this forum before I took the plunge to even get a tattoo. But yeah, I hope I'd still be up for getting tattoos by the time I hit 60. Probably cos, as mentioned in my first post, my tattoo artist ain't a got clue and I was hoping someone here would have had some experience with something similar? I don't see why being curious about something I have never encountered before qualifies as any of those things you mentioned. I never said it was infected. My tattoo artist is just being cautious. That long break really took a lot outta me. I have always kept breaks to 20 minutes or less but my tattoo artist wanted to get some work done before freehanding the rest. Hence the long break. Aye, my tattoo artist has a fairly light touch. Which is why the "holes" just caught us both by surprise.

I initially thought it might be the placement (middle of the bicep where the muscle usually contracts) combined with the post tattoo swelling that lasted 2 days. But the little holes were confined to 2 or 3 spots and all of them were on the chain, which was completed prior to the 1 hour break we had. So I thought I'd just check in with my tattoo artist and pick her brain in case there was something I needed to take note of or perhaps change my aftercare in case putting aftercare lotion might make it worse. Was planning on continuing with the usual and seeing how it turns out but my tattoo artist nixed that idea and told me to get some antiseptic on it in case it gets infected. And hence the whole reason I ended up finally posting on this forum. Thanks for the advice though.

I am not new to the forum per se. Have been lurking around for a bit after I decided I would finally start getting those tattoos I have always wanted since I was a clueless teen. That was last year. And being in my late-30s, I am fairly late to the game. I have a ton of allergies, sensitive skin and am prone to eczema hence instead of going big, I started with a small tattoo just to make sure I don't end up being allergic to either tattoo ink or the process. A few days ago, I had the last of 4 sessions for my upper arm half-sleeve. I have stuck with the same artist throughout and have healed almost uneventfully for an earlier piece and my other sessions. For some reason, this last session did not go as smoothly as any of the earlier sessions. It got rescheduled; there was a long break (more than 1 hour) during the session; at the end of the session, after nearly 5 hours of tattooing (not my longest), my arm was swollen (the first time that happened). And to top it off, 3 days into the healing process, I noticed "holes or divots" where there used to be shading. These holes look like open wounds and I am understandably concerned. I have always gone to great pains to take care of my tattoos during the healing process. I wash them with antibacterial soap twice a day, air dry, then put a thin layer of Tattoo Goo on it. That is the only time I would touch the new tattoo. I have not scratched it, rubbed it, slept on it, or caused any trauma to it. I have always followed the same aftercare routine for all my tattoos and nothing stands out as a possible cause for what is happening right now. My tattoo artist is as puzzled as I am. She has asked me to put some antiseptic cream on it and I intend to follow her instructions to a T. But I would like to see if anyone has had similar experiences or know what could be causing these "holes". Infection doesn't seem likely since they don't hurt nor are they warm to the touch. They are just a tad red. Any advice would be highly appreciated. Thank you in advance.