Brand new here. I have 5 HUGE colored tattoos but all in places where I can hide them (I live somewhere cold so they are covered up a lot). I decided to make the jump to something really visible for the first time. I was tired of having all this ink and not sharing it with the world. I saw other people’s visible tattoos with envy. The spot that intrigued me the most was the hand. I’m not attached to how my hands look, I play instruments, and love how they look on others. I wore a stencil of the tattoo for a whole day and loved the feeling. I worked with the artist on all kinds of little details and she was so patient and honest about what lasts, what doesn’t, best position for my size, the fading risk. In short, a good, educated experience. But it was kind of fast (she had time at an otherwise extremely busy and booked out shop) so I jumped on it. I didn’t ruminate on the decision. I just dove in.
I’m so glad I found this thread because I don’t feel alone. I woke up with huge anxiety. Crying bouts, feelings of dread, Googling laser removal, the works. I’m 5 days out. My husband thinks the tattoo is cool. I think it’s cool. Hell, even my MOM kind of likes it. I work from home. So it’s not an employment barrier (yet?). But I keep getting waves of being excited about it and then wanting to wash it all away. I keep comforting myself with thoughts of knowing I can just laser remove it and that hand tattoos fade a lot naturally. Is this normal? Will this weird feeling pass? This thread is a comfort but I am seeking more comfort (and also therapy, as I think maybe this is about something else). I’m not new to tattoos. But I’ve never felt this before.
Here is a photo. It’s still healing so ignore the crunchiness look of it. It’s quite clean in person.
