9Years

Took a trip up to ol' Spider Murphy's on wednesday to talk to a man about a horse. No, wait, I talked to Theo Mindell about a massive devil head...appointment's not till July though. STOKED nonetheless.

Welp, I've given the 'derm the ol college try now and I'm on the fence. First, it's no miracle cure. Healing a tattoo still seems to be healing a tattoo no matter how you slice it, no way around it despite what these products seem to infer. Overall, in my experience, the tattoo heals no better or worse than it would normally, but it sure is convenient to 'set-it and forget it'. I have an active job that requires a lot of travel and it's great not having to think about the new tattoo too much. But, I've also had some mega-heat rash as a result... I think informed decision is best so here's my documentation from a few 'dermed tattoos. Decide for yourself: 1) Moderate sized Forearm tattoo lines/shading: Session Length: About 2.5hrs Applied derm next morning after tattoo. Left on for 3 days and removed. Easy heal. 2) Forearm tattoo colour (same tattoo as above): Session Length: about 90mins Applied next morning. Left on for 3 days and removed. Got some moderate heat rash, mostly on the non-tattooed skin. Heat rash took longer to settle than the tattoo itself. Tattooed healed great, bright etc. 3) Massive Shin Tattoo - 6-7 hour session. As per artist's instructions, wrapped in derm immediately following session, left on for 24hrs (there was a LOT of fluid on this one....pretty gross/awesome). Removed and re-applied (which sucked), left on for 5 days (also as per artist's instructions). Lots more fluid. Started getting super itchy on the 5th day...turned out to be MASSIVE HEAT RASH. Tattoo healed very slowly with a few pretty impressive scabs, but I think it would have anyway (lower leg tattoos and all that). Heat rash took a long time to subside. 4) Big Rib piece final colour/touch-up session: 5 Hours Applied derm 24hrs after session ended (wanted to avoid massive pooling...). Left on for 2 1/2 days....started feeling like heart rash was a-comin' so I took it off immediately. Tattoo healed great, no heat rash. 5) Small Buddy Tattoo on thigh: Less than an hour Applied derm the next day. Left it on for 3 days. Healed great, but it was a baby-tattoo and I don't think I could've damaged it with anything less than a brillo-pad. No heat rash. So, a few personal conclusions from using this stuff: 1) It's super convenient, which with my work schedule often wins out over some of the drawbacks 2) Don't sweat in this shit. Looking at the times I got heat-rash, the common denominator was when I couldn't avoid getting sweaty with the 'derm applied. 3) Taking it off is never pleasant. You'll live, but it feels like shit pulling something sticky off of healing skin. 4) Saran-wrap and medical tape is a lot cheaper/easier to find As I said, I'm on the fence. If I have a few days to heal up before having to travel, I think I'll prefer to heal without it. If I know I've gotta split town immediately after the session, I'll probably use some of the sticky-stuff and try to keep cool.

@irezumi Great idea for a thread! This is one of the few openings I'll probably be able to make, thanks for sharing!

@OutOfIdeas nope, not on me unfortunately. I dig the WWGGD? also. Whoever that dude is wearing those, he isn't afraid of a good time....

El Monga:

Aloha Tattoos Barcelona: Aloha Tattoos Barcelona | Bold and solid tattoos in the heart of Barcelona. Super cool shop set up as a gallery upstairs and owned by the mighty El Monga (who is The Man!). Got the chance for a quick walk in there last spring and it was awesome!

Just finished the last session on my 7 headed rib snake with Uncle Allan. Touch up and details. I'll post to the lowdown when it's all healed up. STOKED.

I Dig that Mcstay/Jondix leg. For sure.

Looks like a great day. For realz. Pushing a sled rules. And sucks. Mostly rules though.

You've got two, right?

It's great that you're down with the contemporary-classical masters and have yourself mastered several life-times worth of artistic disciplines, but this isn't the place for you. This is not a forum dedicated to amateur tattoos. Your CV will not change this.

Damn, that is a nice tattoo!

To me this aspect of the show is the clearest indicator that there is a lot of scripting/coaching going on. I really don't want to believe that these are rational adults that work with the human body every day but can't get past "OMG OMG A DICK!!!!!11!!1!"

Awww, come on now...Don't hate, appreciate! Front Squats rule! (...so do goblet squats)

My bank account will attest to the fact that the "come-back" seems to be working...

Wouldn't it be in the tattooer's best interest to use high-quality, non-dangerous pigments? Seems like a bunch of clients with skin issues or long term health problems isn't so great for business or your reputation... One more reason to go to a professional.

To re-iterate what you already know: this is great. Go if you have the chance. The wife and I loved it all...the exhibit, the discussions, the people willing to show their stellar tattoos to total strangers, the catalogue etc etc etc x 1000000. It was...moving.

Yes! Echo above: Greg Christian!

@Shaun1105 Ha! Totally down for this! I love road-trips. And hanging out.

Agree 100%...it's just a tattoo, you're not really damaged....

My wife and I try to make it to the Roadburn music festival in Holland every year. Last year we went to Berlin ahead of time to get tattooed by Uncle Allan, then took a train to the Netherlands. The tattoo I got was big (rib panel) so I was useless for about 2 days afterwards. We knew this going in and planned a day chillin post-tattoo, then the next day was just sitting on the train before megatons of RIFF. So, I think as long as you are realistic about what you want to do during your vacation it's a great way to go about it.

Check out the Gyuto Monks if you're down with chanting. I can't get enough of this stuff...

Ha! Alright then, here's my RH Wells from last year (march-ish I think).

@CABS thanks man! You've got a killer collection yourself! Got a few buddies in from out of town. Our plan was to take a motorcycle trip down the coast this weekend, but it might be too ugly. Fallback plan might include walk-in at blackheart....

@CABS Both?