Graeme

Didn't you end up going to Tim Pausinger for your last one?

Upper arm and forearm aren't that painful and they're pretty easy and quick to heal too, so I don't think it makes much of a difference one way or another when in your trip you get them. I would probably tend towards later in the trip just because New York can be super hot in September and you'll probably want to keep a fresh tattoo covered up, but I think either way is probably fine.

@DJDeepFried I read that article and it annoyed me, but I don't completely hate it. I think it's telling that this "existential anguish" he's writing about comes from his Red Hot Chili Peppers logo tattoo, but when he talks about the swallow he got at Adorned, he says simply that he likes it and that it reminds him of the place and time he got it. And sure, he may have had all sorts of pretentious aspiring-writer in his early-20s reasons for getting that tattoo, but when it comes down to it, it's a tattoo of a bird. The "meaning" of that tattoo has probably shifted a hundred times since he got it, which is something you can't say for tattoos that have a very literal meaning attached to them. I took the survey because the OP seems like she's making a genuine effort to interact with us here--very much unlike other people who came here asking for similar things--but I don't think this line of inquiry is ultimately very useful because it's trying to make generalisations where they can't be made. I don't want to be Captain Obvious here, but not all tattoos are equivalent and looking at tattoos as if a tattoo is a tattoo is a tattoo, which I feel this survey does, (to be fair to the OP, there is some nuance in the survey but the problem with using quantitative methods to explore this subject is that you're going to lose specificities) isn't going to give much useful information. Most of the regular posters here get tattoos because we like tattoos and we like the art of tattoos. That's going to be a whole different thing than somebody who gets tattoos to symbolise meaning. There are a bunch of other things I could get into here but I'm not going to because I'm already bored of writing this.

Welcome and great tattoos!

Welcome, you got any tattoos?

Nice looking tattoos and welcome!

I'm not an expert, but that looks a lot like when I've had some scabbing and the scabs have fallen off. I'd wait it out and see how it ends up looking because when I've had tattoos look sort of like that, they've ended up fine. It doesn't look like an infection to me. If I was her and she normally heals well, I'd ditch the H2Ocean stuff in the future.

Since the 7th of March? How can I get access to this fabulous time machine, and more importantly, why did your friend, given the choice of all the places she could go with with such a wondrous device, use it to get a tattoo? That aside, where did she get the tattoo? I've found that the speed at which I heal depends a huge amount on where on my body it is. Lower legs heal slowly for me compared to, say, my arms. Pictures would help, but your friend should probably contact her artist if she's having issues with healing.

BEAST!

Man, if it wasn't -20 with windchill right now with snow and ice covering everything...

Click the filmstrip looking icon above the reply box and copy in the video link. More Barrier Kult:

Welcome! What are you looking to get? Have you checked out Kings Avenue Tattoo? It's in Massapequa and is one of the best shops anywhere.

My opinion on healing tattoos is that there isn't a single correct way to do it. I have a way of healing that works for me, I've shared that information here because some people might find it useful, but ultimately what works best for people is going to depend on their bodies and how they heal, as well as factors that are more or less out of their control such as how the tattoo was applied in the first place. I rewrap with plastic wrap and it works for me. If somebody tries doing that and it doesn't work for them, that's fine too and I'm not going to argue with them about it. Eventually, through trial and error, people are going to find methods of healing that work for them. What I don't like about this thread is how a bunch of you--not just limited to you, @Killercook76 , but I certainly include you here--try to counter anybody who has anything critical to say about this product. I was interested in what @exume said about it because I work a physical job where I exert myself, sweat, and get dirty, so how -derm adheres under those conditions, especially as compared to saran wrap and medical tape, is something that I'm especially curious about if I'm to try this product. Your response to him ("Just imagine if you put the plastic wrap before you started shoveling snow?") made you sound like a corny door-to-door salesman. I want accounts of first-hand experience, not a sales pitch.

I'm interested in trying this, but honestly, I'm pretty turned off from it from the way that some of you are posting about it like you're getting paid a commission from the company.

@Marlena Rozenberg Fair enough, and for that I'll take your survey.

Even though I was never actually good at it, skateboarding is probably one of my biggest and earliest influences in life. In the late 80s or early 90s during the summers in the shitty little town where I grew up, the curling rink was converted into an indoor skatepark with half pipes and even though those ramps were terrifying and I couldn't actually skate them for the life of me, that skatepark is where I first heard punk rock. Thrasher magazine was like a bible: I read about Youth of Today in there, it was through Thrasher that I was introduced to artists like Pushead and Jim Phillips, there were the Skate Rock tapes and the Sessions ads always selling t-shirts with the Misfits skull on them. I treasured those magazines. Actually skating went in and out of my life and I don't think I've actually been on a skateboard since high school. I think about starting again from time to time, but then I remember that I'm old and my body hurts at the best of times as it is. But even so, I like going on Youtube and wasting away hours watching skate videos. Anybody else? What are your favourites? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rVLguwR5o8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHj-nlam4C4

Welcome to LST and thank you for making a thoughtful and respectful introduction. However, I'm not going to participate in your survey because--and there are a few exceptions here--I don't see studying tattoos from an academic perspective to be especially interesting or worthwhile. Put another way, will tattoos and tattooing benefit from the kind of research you're trying to do? That said, I hope you stick around because you seem nice and thoughtful.

Welcome, now let's see those tattoos!

Great one! Also you should totally post that in the Tattoo of the Month contest.

@suburbanxcore and @graybones if you're going to play it like that, I'm going to throw this into the ring and we're going to have a three-way Ron Wells showdown.

Welcome! What's next?

I looked through that book once and it's really great. I got a tiger-faced hannya from the Jeff Zuck sheet in there, but never caught the name of the book, so thanks for that info.

I'll do that only if you follow the very good advice given to you on that other thread and cover up that janky star with a really nice sleeve.

Admins, can we change @peterpoose 's status from "contributor" to "manimal"?