Top 10 Things We Wish We Knew Before Getting Tattooed

Getting tattoos as a black person, it's important to find an artist who understands color theory. I have a few color tattoos that wouldn't have come out half as well if I didn't have artists that took the time to figure out what colors work on my skin. Ask to see healed work on darker skin. Ask for their methods on tattooing darker skin, especially if color is what you're looking for.

One thing I would have liked to know before I got my first leg tattoo, is that if you ever want laser hair removal you can't do it over tattoos. I feel like it's important to know to be able to plan ahead if that's something you want.

I did not know how much I would love my tattoos. I already had a lot of body confidence, but now I've got body confidence plus. I feel more me, like the tattoos were already there under the skin, and we're just revealing them, which was a surprise to me.

itching solution - icepacks! It’s a total lifesaver for me bc it numbs the area and the itching totally goes away and it’s good for the tattoo too bc it helps with healing faster

Ooh something that is important is : hydrate your tattoos even after yeeeears of having them ! The ink under your skin is not drying, it will move with time so the more hydrated your skin is, the better it is. Don’t need to over do it, but like once a day or every two days is good :) And put SUNSCREEN (SPF 50 is the best) on your tattoos when exposed in the sun or else the ink will change color to like a greenish tint. Don’t hesitate to put sunscreen again during the day if you’ve especially exposed it a lot (ex : at the beach, during hiking…). Take good care of your tattoos, you pay a lot of money for it so make sure it was worth it ^^

I got my first tattoo at 18, and the artist honestly gave me some really great advice about placement. He asked me about my tattoo plans and ideas and is honestly the reason i don't have a bunch of random tattoos because i had the money at the time. I think about the things he told me every time i get a tattoo lol

I’m an introvert, so discussion with strangers is not exactly my strong point, but I totally understand it’s going to happen so it’s fine. It’s the touching that freaks me out. Don’t touch people without their consent. It is not okay.

i’d like to add that as a woman, specifically, my tattoos have made it easier for men to approach me and invade my space :( didn’t think about that before i started getting more heavily tattooed

The friend/stranger answer is such a good idea. I have a clipper ship and underwater scene on my right arm which I give significant meaning to, but when my band played a yacht club everyone thought I was a sailor. I just rolled with how much I loved boating as a kid and left it at that. No need to tell strangers what your tattoos mean to you. They can appreciate them for how they look and let that be it.

finally having enough tattoos that i look ’’tattooed’’, it has made me so comfortable in my skin. not necessarily more than before but in a different way. i feel cool and i love that. i also like how your style as a person really can be defined by your tattoos and how it opens up conversation with people with similar vibe. to me i feel kind of clothed with them, they makes me more comfortable to wear less fabric and still not feeling super exposed. <3

I went in to get a single tattoo and the artist told me "you'll see, You will want more. It will get obsessive". She was so right. Just before the end of my first tattoo, I changed my mind and wanted a full sleeve. So I booked more appointments. I started last October (this was for my 50th years old crisis) and I'm now at my 6th appointment. BTW, I'm lucky, I never got any Itching.

I just got my first at 53. My artist told me he knows only one person with a single tattoo and that person doesn't like that one. This, to me, highlights how important the experience is when you get your first. If it goes really well and is a great memory then you will want to get another. I had an excellent experience.

One thing I did not realize is that color hurts a lot more than black & gray because the artist has to go over it more than once. The same placement can feel a looot different depending on the ink, needle, technique.

Tattoos are soooooooo addictive. There were so many tattoos i wanted at 18 - but I'm not a rich girl. Good thing too because at 29 - i am so glad 18 year old me didn't cover myself in teenage-brain ink. Same goes with plastic surgery.

I'm surprised so many people don't consider placement in relation to possible future tattoos. Concerns about placement (and by extension theme cuz I want tattoos that all work together to form a larger coherent art piece) are one of the main reasons I haven't gotten any tattoos yet. Also I'd love to hear why you dont want to use numbing cream anymore. That's an interesting choice.

I was warned about the itchyness and was expecting the worst, but for some reason my first tattoo healed with basically no itching and almost no shedding. Maybe it was just that particular spot of skin that behaved that way, we'll see when I get the next tattoo, which is already planned^^

Petition for solo vid for number 7 cause it deserves better😭 you get 9️⃣ instead of 10!

it surprises me how many people stop me to show me their tattoos now. have people randomly taking off their clothes showing me all sorts of things I didnt ask to see 😂makes me feel like an ass too when they say "yea my cousin did this in my garage for $50" and all i think is yea i can tell 🔟

I got my first tattoo about a month ago and I love how it makes me feel about myself, feeling my body as a canvas that can be change as many times and in many ways to feel more comfortable inhabiting my body.

Tattooing is much more of a collection then an addiction