el twe

Didn't feel like much of anything, really. Again, I'd strongly suggest cutting out the lotion/cream/etc. for a few weeks and just allow the tattoo to breathe and the skin to heal itself before adding more to it. After that, I strongly endorse a drop or two of vitamin E oil (as I've seen suggested by a few others on here for weird heals).

@Leah3 weeks is still plenty early as far as healing goes, I'd skip the ointment and wait at least 3 more weeks before starting something else... I meant to update this thread sooner, but here's the latest on my red ink saga: The benadryl cream didn't do a whole hell of a lot for me, other than some short-term relief. The next suggestion was witch hazel, which I applied probably daily for several months. Things got better, but only to a point. Granted, I was told to have some applied with a tattoo machine and needle to get it under the skin, but topical application seemed to help. I then visited my local shop, got a new tattoo, and asked this artist if he would do as the first artist (who had a guest spot but lives too far away for me to conveniently follow up with, besides the point but still) suggested and actually tattoo the spot with witch hazel. He graciously obliged, which sparked a conversation with another artist who had a client with a similar problem and suggested rubbing vitamin E oil on the red ink. The witch hazel tattoo helped a lot right away, and once that felt "healed" I began applying vitamin E oil twice a day, then daily, and now every few days. Now, there are still some small spots that are a bit raised/hard, but nothing remotely like it was before. The whole experience has honestly soured my feelings about the tattoo - nothing against the artist or the design, but I can't help but associate it with this 15+ month long healing process... Sorry for the ramble, and hope it didn't come off as too much of a rant. Tattoos!

Just tell your artist about your reaction/allergy/whatever to certain inks and ask if s/he could use other pigments instead. No one likes being told how to do their job, but this sounds like a legitimate request and one that I hope would garner some empathy. Keep in mind that not all inks/pigments are created equal, and your artist may have a strong preference for something other than what you suggest.

Glad to hear this one had a happy ending. As a business owner myself, I'm always happy to hear about things like this being solved in person, rather than online (not a dig against you/this thread, just thinking about the beast that is Yelp...). Do you plan to continue with the same artist? It sounds like he's a reasonable person, and would be open to your requests re: fewer smoke breaks.

Dang, been a while since I checked this thread, nice work everybody! It'll probably be a couple more years before I'm in a position to start my own back piece journey so I'll continue to live vicariously through LST...

How old is the tattoo? Looks fairly normal to me, although I'm by no means an expert. If you're really concerned, talk to your artist and/or a doctor.

Sounds like you found the right place, @Dan. Congratulations!

Video is now live on http://www.gypsygentleman.nl/ And guess what? It's great! I love this series and am happy to see Marcus continue it, especially after what he and his shop have been through in the last year.

Damn, panther rat rules.

Super inspiring stuff here @Gingerninja @Hands On @bongsau @Colored Guy and @Boiled Dove - giving me the itch! Now that winter weather is settling in up here it'll be much more comfortable to get tattooed, too...

Yeah, got plans for the other side? Not to overlook the awesome work already done, of course...

That looks like a question for your doctor.

Too soon to begin nit-picking your tattoo - give it several weeks. And even then, don't nit-pick your tattoo. None of them are perfect under a microscope...

Finally snapped some pics of my squidpant-in-progress. Pretty sure all of these tattoos have been posted on LST, just not all healed and together. While I'm looking forward to adding more to it, I'm also really happy with where it's at at the moment... From oldest to newest: bicycle dropout by Gordon Combs, rose/dagger by Jeff P., wolf by R.H. Wells, umbrella/clouds by Tron, rooster, by Gordon Combs, tiger by Chad Koeplinger, skull/rose by Jeff P. Thanks for looking.

It'll take a few weeks or even months before your tattoo is fully healed/settled, and the black and grey should become much more pronounced (or at least less red), so don't sweat it.

Awesome. Welcome to LST, now show us the back piece!

Looks like a great line up. Really looking forward to it.

Yeah, welcome to the forum. Got any pics of your tattoos? We love pictures around here...

Bumping this for others to re-up their latest tattoos. Here's one on me by Jeff P. at Art Work Rebels from earlier this summer:

@Steve No problem at all, thank you for getting it back up so quickly! Cheers!

Am I losing my mind, or did the Latest Tattoo Lowdown thread in the General forum disappear?

Very nice. How many LST newcomers do you think have ended up getting an animal with a dagger??

Jondix! Knew I was forgetting a good one.

And check out Thomas Hooper's work. He's from the UK, but works in Texas now. Worth waiting for him to travel (assuming you can't make the journey).

Curly and Alex Binnie are the first two that come to my mind. A quick search leads me to believe that Mr. Binnie isn't tattooing anymore, but maybe someone on here knows better...