How long should you be tattooed for

While you may have saved up for your first tattoo, the chances are that you have expended all that cash. Despite the desire to get your next tattoo almost immediately, your focus should first be on the more important and urgent bills.

Paying off your mortgage, car payments and feeding your family should top your priority list. After putting aside your savings, any cash left over can go into your tattoo kitty. Getting a tattoo should not be a project that makes you break the bank. Have a plan and save with a reasonable timeline as your goal. You may surprise yourself by superseding your goal! Getting a tattoo booking must have included setting up an appointment weeks, and maybe even months, in advance. This can greatly delay the time between your tattoo sessions.

Patience is the name of this game. Besides, the longer you wait, the better your healing will be. A tattoo is a pretty permanent thing to do, so you want to be sure about it. Sometimes, the excitement and endorphin rush that comes with getting a tattoo could cloud your judgment. A tattoo machine powers the needles up and down as ink is deposited in the skin. If you're thinking about getting a tattoo, you should understand that tattoos are permanent. Tattoo removal is difficult, expensive, and may not be completely remove the tattoo.

Before getting a tattoo, make sure you have had all your immunizations especially hepatitis B and tetanus shots. If you have a medical problem such as heart disease, allergies, diabetes, skin problems like eczema or psoriasis , a weakened immune system , or a bleeding problem, talk to your doctor before getting a tattoo. Also, if you get keloids an overgrowth of scar tissue you should probably not get a tattoo.

Even though tattoos are generally accepted, having one may hurt your chances of getting a job or advancing your career. If you get a tattoo, career coaches recommend you get one that's easy to cover with work clothes. It's very important to protect yourself against infection if you decide to get a tattoo. Make sure the tattoo studio is clean and safe, and that all equipment used is disposable in the case of needles, ink, gloves and sterilized everything else.

Call your state, county, or local health department to find out about your state's laws on tattooing, ask for recommendations on licensed tattoo shops, or check for any complaints about a particular studio.

Most states don't allow minors people younger than 18 years to get a tattoo without a parent's permission, and some require that a parent be present during the tattooing. In some states, minors are not allowed to get tattoos. If the studio looks unclean, if anything looks out of the ordinary, or if you feel in any way uncomfortable, find a better place to get your tattoo. Getting a tattoo hurts, but the level of pain can vary. It can feel like scratching, burning, stinging, or tingling.

Some people feel sharp pains while others may describe the feeling as dull. The amount of pain you feel will depend on your pain threshold and other factors, including where on your body you're getting the tattoo, the size and number of needles being used, and the artist's style some are quick and some work more slowly, some are more gentle than others.

Follow all of the instructions the studio gives you for caring for your tattoo. To make sure it heals properly:. Tattoos usually take about 2 weeks to heal. Even after it's fully healed, wear a sunscreen with a minimum sun protection factor SPF of This not only protects your skin, but can help keep the tattoo from fading. If you decide to get a tattoo, chances are everything will go as planned. Some people have allergic reactions to the tattoo ink, causing itching, bumps, and rashes that might happen days, weeks, or longer after the tattoo was placed.

Tattoos might make eczema, psoriasis, or other skin conditions flare up. Serious problems can happen if you try to do a tattoo yourself, have a friend do it for you, or have it done in any unclean environment.

Skin infections caused by bacteria, viruses, or fungi can happen if the skin is not cleaned properly, or the ink or needles are contaminated. In which case, pay a visit to your doctor ASAP. A tattoo on the back of your thigh, for example, might make sitting for those first few days a little tricky, while an underboob tattoo might interfere with your wearing a bra for a week. Try to plan ahead and accommodate for those things to prevent agitating the area even more.

How badly do tattoos hurt? What does tattoo pain feel like? Will I cry?! Hey, I get it—those are very real, normal questions. And the answers…vary, depending on the size of the tattoo and where on your body it is smaller tattoos on fleshier parts of your body will hurt the least. Roman says tattoos on your wrist or forearm tend to be pretty easy places to start with, but a pinch test yes, literally pinching yourself with your nails is a good indicator of which areas on your own body might be more sensitive than others.

Although everyone experiences pain differently, you can expect for the tattoo pain to be worse on your ribs, feet, ankles, neck, backs of your knees, or insides of your elbows. Really, anywhere that has a high level of nerve endings and not a lot of fat. So if you were planning on getting a tattoo in one—or all—of those areas, brace yourself.

Or pop a few Tylenol not ibuprofen, aspirin, or even a quick shot of tequila, since they all thin your blood and can make the process dangerous. Gonna say it again in case you missed it: alcohol. Roman says slamming a few shots right before getting your tattoo not only thins your blood, which can make you bleed more during your tattoo which is risky , but excess blood can then thin the ink and mess with your final result. Remember how I said a tattoo can feel like a sunburn?