mhm2020

I got an awesome little flash tattoo for Friday the 13th and it’s 3 days old. I wear saniderm for healing and it works great. But I’ve never exercised with it, and I’m not sure if that’s okay to do? I have a pretty intense HIIT and strength training session scheduled for today and I am feeling conflicted about it. I really don’t want to miss my workouts this week (just started a new program), but I don’t want to mess up my new tattoo. What should I do?

That is so true haha!!

Yeah your skin looks really chewed up to me, I’m so sorry. It’s definitely BS that your artist is telling you that this is due to your aftercare. There is no amount of washing that will make that better. It’s just gonna be a rough heal Here in a couple of months you should be able to tell how it’s settling in. Won’t take a year by any means if you decide to get it touched up by someone else.

Well, to answer your question directly, yes I’ve gone through a similar experience and almost got up and left, but didn’t. I can relate to your story more than you realize! That’s why I gave you the advice that I did. Because in the end, it didn’t matter how my artist screwed me over (because yes, they did). People on here were harsh with me and I got defensive because I thought I was right about everything. You can look up my first post if you really want to see it. But I had to take responsibility for myself and own when I misjudged a situation and chose the wrong artist. The artist was shitty to me, yes, and that really sucks. It was dehumanizing and made me feel powerless. But, I learned that I had to stand up for my needs. When you’re working with the right artist, you don’t have to nitpick them or fight for yourself. That was my point. But I can see that’s lost on you, because it seems like you want to play the victim. I have compassion, but I’m not down to participate in a pity party. I am sorry that what I have said is triggering to you, but it’s not my problem or my fault that you feel bad about yourself.

Thanks Dan!

This is a bit harsh. Not sure if this was directed at me; nobody said you were stupid. I’m not sure why you’re taking my feedback as an attack? We can play the blame game all day, but my point was that if you feel uncomfortable at any point, it’s up to you to speak up or even walk out if you need to. It sucks when you have to get to that point, and artists shouldn’t ever put clients in a position where they have to do that. but there are some shitty people out there. If you did everything in your power to say “no, I don’t like this” and they still didn’t listen to you, that was your cue to leave.

I agree with the other posters it looks like the artist really overworked your skin. Sorry that looks super painful. Scabbing is common when they go that heavy. You may even have some scar tissue/raised skin when it heals up. I would stay away from putting any product on it except for a very light lotion if it feels tight. You don’t want that scab to soften or it may pull out ink. I would make sure to keep water off of it as much as you can in the shower for another week or 2 to keep that scab intact

This is the crux of your issue- you needed to be 100% on board with the drawing before the stencil even goes on your skin. And absolutely don’t be afraid to speak your mind- this is going on you for life and you have complete agency over your body! With that said I will call you out on something and dispense some tough love. It really doesn’t matter what all the artist did wrong, because at the end of the day, you did approve the drawing and let the artist tattoo you. That one is on you my friend. I am truly sorry it isn’t what you wanted, we have all been there, but it is your responsibility to speak up for yourself when you noticed you had issues with this many things.

Just wanted to share some new flash I got yesterday, my favorite tattoo shop was running a Friday the 13th promotion and I decided to go for it! Getting custom drawn flash is so much fun. you can really tell how much the artists love each one of their drawings and I am always proud to wear the best of their work. Tattoos like this make me very happy 😊 This one was done by Max at Pretty Sturdy Tattoo in Denver. He has tattooed me before, I love his work. Really all the artists at the shop are amazing- the shop is covered floor to ceiling in all their flash paintings and it’s just really cool. I’m pretty sure my whole arm will be covered in their tattoos eventually. This pic is from last night right after I cleaned it up and put my first saniderm dressing on it. I bled a lot more than I usually do with this one, but maybe it was just a tender spot. Today it looks pretty gnarly but it has calmed down quite a bit and doesn’t sting as much. We are well on the way to a smooth healing process

Yep! Looks perfect to me.

Love it!!

Honestly you have a really nice tattoo!! Objectively its pretty great. Especially for your first one, my first tattoo was nowhere near that good. I know it’s not exactly what you envisioned but that’s kind of part of being tattooed. There is no such thing as a “perfect” tattoo. It’s a living work of art and you have to manage your expectations. I don’t mean to sound condescending, but I do think that first-timers tend to be overly picky about details. In explaining so many details, it can be confusing to an artist, as they don’t know what is the most important from the 10+ notes and references you gave. Part of that comes down to communication which sounds like was lacking a bit. For future tattoos I would keep it as simple as possible. Set yourself up for success and pick an artist that you love literally every tattoo they do. Then pick 1-2 reference photos and say what exactly you like about each one. The face expression, the background etc. Pick 1-2 details that are the most important to you. And then let your artist do their job. the more you try to control the outcome, the more disappointed you will be. But if you hate it you hate it, and that’s okay too. Just please give it a year. If you still hate it, then laser is an option and you can have it lightened and covered up. Best of luck to you!!

I have to agree with all the other posters. This is classic blowout if I’ve ever seen it. Sorry… it’s happened to a lot of us. ETA- it is absolutely the artists fault.

I have had the same experience with them healing up faster. My most recent tattoo I got when I was in South America, and using saniderm was ideal for traveling with a fresh tattoo. You don’t have to worry about it at all!! I have heard conflicting opinions about how long to leave it on. When I was traveling I left it on for 2 days then changed it when I got home, but typically I change it after 24 hrs and then leave it on for 5 days after that. That has always been the instruction by my artist anyway… but I guess you could leave it on for the full time.

I can relate to where you’re at! I have a gap on my forearm I want to fill, and I know the style I want, but I just have no clue what the tattoo will be yet. I could just go pick an awesome flash piece by my favorite artist (and that’s totally cool too!) , but for me it’s best to mull it over and wait until something just pops out at you and you have the feeling of “yes! That’s my tattoo!” That’s usually when I decide to book an appointment. keep looking at inspiration photos and you’ll get there! No rush anyway.

It is a pain (sometimes literally) to get it off for sure, but it’s so so worth it in my experience. My tattoos are so crisp and bright and I had zero fallout which isn’t the case with any of my other tats. They healed up so much better.

Hey everyone!! So I have been getting tattooed a lot this year and one of my artists had me heal with saniderm. At first I really hated taking it off but the results I got from it were amazing. Since then i have healed 2 more tattoos this way and never looked back. I have found with my newer tats if I make sure to shave the surrounding skin really well it makes everything so much easier and I don’t mind it at all. what is everyone’s experiences with saniderm/ second skin healing?

I don’t need to be a moderator or a frequent poster in order to call out rude behavior, do I? If you want to get down to brass tacks, the forum rules do state this is supposed to be a positive and helpful environment and your comment wasn’t either of those things. But thanks for the suggestion, I’ll definitely be clicking the ignore button.

Hogrider, the OP said he would stop over-moisturizing and you posted a snarky reply. How do you expect him to respond? Knock it off. That was uncalled for.

I agree with Hogrider, the placement was very poor planning by your artist. The right wing would have covered it perfectly. But what’s done is done. It is going to be a badass piece nonetheless. With the way the prints are spaced out, you’ll either have to do a heavy background /blast over to cover it, or get a few laser sessions to lighten it so you can put something else there. If I were you, I’d zap it a few times and then you’ll have a lot more options.

I am no stranger to this.. had it quite a few times and yes it does go away.. but you're right to mention it. Honestly I think I have more regrets with my cover up on my upper arm, so anything added to it I think will help, rather than make it worse.

Thanks for all the replies! Sounds like most of you on here are total badasses and just went for it. I think my strategy has been so far, that I just get tattoos here and there and they've just built up to the point where I have a half sleeve now 🙃 It's given me the time I need to get used to them. The forearm is a big jump though and I'm super excited to see how it turns out :)

Hi again!! I’m in the process of building a patchwork sleeve and the next step for me is to jump the elbow and fill in my forearms. I am SO excited, but really nervous about having visible forearm tattoos. I feel like the forearms is a huge step in being tattooed. How did you guys build your sleeves and adjust to having tattoos out where everyone can see them? Especially at work where people are not used to it.

100% agree.

Hmm.. the other tattoo isn't bad, but the line work is a bit shaky and the solid black looks patchy. Yeah this might just be the tattoo artists inexperience especially if they've only been doing this for 3 years. Maybe book a consult with another artist and ask them their opinion on what caused this. I'm not an expert by any means but I'd get a second opinion if I were you.