How to get a Tattoo
At A Glance Author Corey O Contact [email protected] For thousands of years, people all over the world have been indelibly marking their bodies by placing pigments under the skin, by a variety of processes collectively known as tattoo. The Iceman, a naturally freeze-dried specimen, recently spit from a glacier, had symbols tattooed on his lower spine, his ankle and the back of his knee. He is estimated to have died 5,000 years ago, and is the oldest tattooed person ever found. The mummy of a 4,000-year-old, Egyptian priestess has the sun god pricked on her skin. These are but two of the earliest examples of a tradition that is still strong today.
In the past, people prayed to their gods, did their mods*, and hoped that they would heal. (* Mod is a shortened term for body modification, a broad category that includes tattoos.) In our modern world of deadly blood born pathogens, and weakened immune systems (thanks largely to over-prescribe antibiotics and our general removal from nature,) we have to be a little more careful.
For the modern Westerner, the reason's for getting tattooed may or may not differ form those of past generations, and other cultures, but in today's world there are many things to consider before getting inked...
DISCLAIMER: The opinions expressed below are just that: Opinions of an informed individual, who believes that all forms of body modification should be carefully considered, and thought of as permanent additions to one's body. The order of the first few steps may vary, but I have written them in a common progression.
Step one: What do you want, and why?
Choosing a design is usually the first step in getting a tattoo. There are many things to consider, from size, color, and placement, to the meanings and motivations behind it.
On the issue of size, if you like a piece, and want it to take up a certain amount of space, save up to get it that size, don't shrink it to save money. A well known tattoo artist (who's name escapes me at the moment) once said "a big, beautiful, snarling bear's head just looks like an angry hamster when you shrink it down."
Color selection is not as straight forward as one might think, tattoo inks are not opaque, and even if they were, they are seen through the skin, and as such will always be mixed with your skin color. This means that if you are a sun worshiper, or naturally have dark skin, lighter inks will be altered significantly, especially white and yellow, and you may be unhappy with the result. The same idea goes for mixing inks, and cover-ups; you cannot tattoo flesh (or white, or whatever) color over blackwork to make it go away, it will not work.
Placement is often a tricky issue that wants many questions answered:
� How will this piece's (in)visibility effect my professional, social, and private life?
� Is this a statement for the world to see? Or a private journey, not meant for everyone's viewing pleasure?
� Is this piece going to survive its healing? Tattoos on knees, wrists, etc. aren't always as good an idea as they may have first seemed, unless you are prepared to baby them for a while to prevent color loss.
� Will it still look okay when I move this way? More abstract designs look less weird than those that are more fixed, when they get distorted.
� Is this thing going to look funny or sag with age, or weight gain/loss? Beware that Rose you got on your now perky bosom has a good chance of becoming long stemmed by the time you are seventy. Fitness freaks, take note, the weight gain/ loss applies to muscle, as well as fat; the hot, nekkid chick on your bicep might start getting fat if you bulk up significantly, after getting her.
However the less material aspect of the impending tattoo, is no less important. Before you mark your body forever, explore your motives. Is this an expression of something you truly believe you want to be a permanent part of you, or a passing phase? If it's a phase, get a T-shirt. Some people form a design over many years, others see it in an instant and know that it is right (I use the word "see" for both visualization, and in the literal, physical sense.) No matter how you arrive at your chosen piece of art, walk away from it for a while, anywhere from a few weeks to a few years. If, when you come back to it, you want it just as much as when you picked it, go for it, if not, you need to do some more thinking. As a last word about motivation, please, PLEASE, PLEEEZZZZE make sure that you are getting the tattoo for yourself, not for some other person, or group.
Step two: Whom are you going to get to do it?
There are several factors that should be considered when choosing an artist (I will use male pronouns here for simplicity and the plain fact that the majority of tattoo artists are male):
� Artistic ability
� Technical skill
� Personality*
� Sterility
The artistic ability is mostly self-explanatory. Can he draw? Do you like his style? Technical skill refers to his ability to tattoo properly; does he know how to place things? How to hold the tattoo machine? Does he have a steady hand? Do not judge an artist by the flash he has in the studio, they are not a reflection of his ability, (flash being all of those ready-made drawings in books and on the wall.) Instead, ask to see photos of healed pieces. When possible try to get a look at some of his work "in the flesh", look at the work carefully. Check the line quality, is it consistent? Does the shading look good, what about areas of solid color? (Give a little leeway on big, solid, fill-ins, especially with black, some colors just don't take well on the first try.) If the person wearing the tattoo doesn't mind, touch it; close your eyes and run your hand over the piece. If it's more than a few weeks old and you can feel it, you might want to find someone else. A well-done tattoo should be undetectable to touch, once it's healed. While you're at it, talk to those clients about their experiences. Is the artist professional? Heavy or light handed? Is he a nice guy? Or is he a rude blankity-blank who still makes a living because his work is impeccable? No, I wouldn't know anything about that, (nudge, nudge, wink, wink.) As far as personality is concerned, you just have to decide whether, and how much, you need to like the person, or if you just need to trust them.
Sterility is so important that it is almost a separate issue, here is a checklist:
* Look around, is the studio clean, what about the artist? If they can't keep themselves clean, how can you trust them to handle micro-contamination?
* They should have, use, and conduct monthly spore tests on an autoclave or chemclave; the results of these tests should be displayed, or available upon request. The test results will say pass or fail, and you should try to get them going as far back as possible.
* If possible, watch the artist in action.
* The area should be neat, and efficient.
* There should be disposable barriers on all surfaces that could be contaminated - countertops, work lamps, phone - if it's in the workroom, clip cord for tattoo machine, etc.
* All chairs, stools, tables, and other platforms which the artist, or clients, will be sitting, laying, or propping body parts on should be covered in a non-porous, wipe-able (smooth), or disposable material.
* All supplies that come into contact with the client's body should be A) single use, this includes razors, marking implements, tattoo needles, and any type of cake soap, or B) autoclaveable, like the tattoo machine.
* All inks should be dispensed from their sterile bottles into small single use containers that will be thrown away at the end of each session. (this avoids "double dipping" in the sterile ink supply)
* There should be a cleaning room, separate from the tattooing area where the autoclave, sinks, sharps containers, and other biohazard materials are handled and stored. This room should have distinct clean and contaminated zones, but don't go poking around in there; it's unsafe because you don't know which side is which. Besides, your artist probably wouldn't appreciate it.
* Before setting up, the artist should wash his hands thoroughly, using medical grade green soap (note: it's not green.) This sink must be separate from the one in the clean room.
* The artist should wear sterile latex gloves (if you or the artist is allergic to latex, nitro gloves are an excellent substitute, these gloves are usually sea green or purple.) Gloves should be changed after each contamination; this means that every time that he touches something non-sterile (like you), the gloves must be changed before he touches anything sterile (like medical tape, etc.) All contaminated gloves must be disposed of; gloves should never be reused.
If the artist has passed ALL of these tests, CONGRADULATIONS!!! You now have yourself an artist; now, it's up to you.
Preparing for your tattoo:
First and foremost, be in good health. You are about to inflict an open wound on your unsuspecting body, and then ask it to heal with foreign matter imbedded in said wound. If you are already sick, or rundown, don't further stress your system. Wait until you are well, your body will thank you.
The day before your tattoo you should...
* Eat well.
* Lay off all substances for 24 hours. This includes illicit drugs, caffeine and nicotine if you (and others that must deal with you) can stand it, and especially alcohol, ibuprofen and any other types of anti-coagulants or blood thinners (check with your doctor before stopping any prescription medications.)
The day of your tattoo you should...
* Eat something with protein in it about two hours beforehand.
* Shower.
When you get in the chair...
* Accept the fact that this is probably going to be somewhat unpleasant and just try to relax.
* DON'T MOVE!
Aftercare
There are as many aftercare methods as there are tattoos and most of them work just fine. So unless the method your artist gives you sounds totally ludicrous, follow that one. There are a few basic things that should be universal.
* Don't pick at it, or scratch it.
* Don't swim in public water (pools, hot tubs, lakes, oceans, etc.) for the entire healing period.
* Keep it out of the sun when you can, once it is healed always put sun block on it to prevent fading.
* Listen to your body. Don't put anything on it that irritates it. This is the other exception to following your recommended after care. Ex. if they say to use A&D ointment, and your body doesn't like it, try something else. Many people don't react well to petroleum products. Also try not to use anything stronger than your body actually needs: Antibiotic ointments are always a hot issue, my personal opinion is this; look at your life and decide if and when you need it. If you have a quiet, clean day at home, school, or the office, don't bother. But if you have been or are planning on working in the yard, getting sweaty in a mosh pit, or otherwise cootie-ridden, you may want to consider using it (sparingly, and only in situations that warrant it.) A good place to look for alternate aftercare methods is on WWW.bmezine.com.
* Once your tattoo is healed, spare it from excessive sun exposure, by either covering it up, or using sun block (I like at least an SPF 25). This will help prevent fading and generally keep your tattoo looking sharper, longer.
If you get work done by several different artists, you may wish to find a method of aftercare that works for you and stick with it.
Now you have a shiny new tattoo, and have joined the billions before you in this form of body adornment. Care for your tattoo well and it will look great for a lifetime.
I wrote this for a freshman year, college English course. It was written to a layman audience, and was well received. And, Yes I had to include a bme reference, I've learned so much, I couldn't help sharing!