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For those of you with tattoos, what advice would you give to a person planning on getting their first tattoo?
- Spend the extra money on a quality artist. Tattoos are permanent - so that's not the time to look for someone who will do it cheap. Spend the extra cash, and work together with your artist beforehand to design the tattoo so it's original for you both.
— lunalannister
- It does hurt. I got mine on my ribs. It's like a cat scratch on a sunburn. Also, once you get one, you're going to want more. Wait, because I got another one 3 months after my first and I'm not too proud of that one.
— AbortionPunchCards
- Get a good night’s sleep and a big meal before getting it done. It’ll go much easier. I’ve gotten tattooed a lot and the most difficult sessions were when I was tired, run down, or hungry.
— GALACTIC-SAUSAGE
- Follow your artist's aftercare instructions to the letter.
DON'T pick at the scab!
— PirateKilt
- Don't bring a whole group of friends.
Sit still.
— megashitfactory
- Get an artist you are comfortable with! I have 4 tattoos and my most recent one I got while I was on vacation, therefore the artist was not my normal guy. I wasn't sure about him and he kept insisting I get my design bigger than I wanted it. Now, every time I look at it, I wish it was smaller. It makes me mad because I remember I kept telling him I wanted it smaller, but he kept saying "oh no, you don't want that this sort of design in this placement looks much better at a larger size". Find someone who will do what *you* want.
— lexielou48
- When I got my first tattoo I printed out the design and taped it to my bathroom mirror for a few months, just to make sure I wouldn't get sick of it. The regret of getting a bad/impulsive tattoo is something you want to avoid. As for the actual tattoo, how it feels and heals will depend on where you get the tattoo and whether you are skinny or not. If you're skinny and get a tattoo on your legs/ribs then the tattoo machine will be right on the bone and it can be unpleasant. In other places you might hardly feel it. It also depends on your pain tolerance, just be able to grit your teeth and get through it. Tattoo artists hate babies who need to stop every 30 seconds. Also, follow all the instructions for taking care of it afterwards. You really don't want to infect the healing tattoo or damage it in any way. Winter is usually a good time to get tattoos because you are less likely to damage it through physical activity or sun exposure.
— VengefulKenny
- I am covered with tattoos, I love tattoos. I got my first tattoo on my neck.
If you are getting inked for the first time, do not get your first tattoo on your neck, or hands, especially if you are young and do not have a university degree that will get you a job without having to rely on your physical appearance.(such as many retail and service jobs) Society still does judge quite a bit even if tattoos are commonplace.
— dragonquestazzy
- Be prepared for people to make fun of you. If they don't like tattoos they might make fun of you for having one. If they have a billion tattoos, they might make fun of you for only having one. If they're an obnoxious hipster, they will make fun of you for not getting something original enough. If you have something super original, they'll make fun of you for being a hipster. If it's at all feminine, They'll make fun of you for that. If it's at all masculine, you'll get made fun of for being a "Billy badass." If it's somewhere in between, they'll make fun of you for both. Not just people you know, either. Random strangers will invariably feel entitled to give you their opinion on your body, every single place you go.
In short, if you're a bit thin skinned you might want to make sure it's in a place no one will see. People are assholes. It bugged me a lot at first, but after a few years of it, it's like water off a ducks back at this point.
— Nerdysylph
- don't EVER drink before getting one. it thins your blood and it'll make you bleed more than it should.
— derpderp37