Alright I know I covered this yesterday but since I am on the topic of tattoos and pregnancy I thought this would be as good of time as any to talk more about tattoos on the stomach. I mean we all know what happens to your stomach when you get pregnant. It stretches and gets really big, so naturally your tattoo is going to stretch and get bigger as well. The one question I want to know is….will your tattoo go back down to regular size after you have had the baby and lost all the baby weight?

I have researched his topic and have found that it really depends on the person. It seems that different women have different results when it comes to their stomach tattoos. For instance, some say that after they have lost their baby weight the tattoo goes back to normal. While others say their tattoo faded a bit and stretched out a little. So I guess it really depends on how much weight you gain and how much your stomach stretches. But to be on the safe side when you are younger just try to refrain from getting a tattoo on your stomach or in any area that maybe affected if you become pregnant. However, if you find youself having a brain fart when getting a tattoo and get one on your stomach anyways, I have heard that some mothers keep their stomaches very moisturized and that seems to help with the stretching of the tattoo.

Your Tattoo Friend

Ashley

I have written some about tattoos and sun and how they really don’t mix well. But today I wanted to add a little something that I have not touched on about tattoos and sun. A lot of times people will get tattoos when they are on vacation and a lot of times when you are on vacation you are somewhere, where it is very sunny. This could become a little bit of a problem if you get fresh ink while there or have gotten fresh ink before your trip.

I’m not by all means telling you not to get a tattoo when you are on vacation but you may want to wait until the last day of your vacation so you can avoid the sun. But if that’s not the case there are a few little things you can do. First of all you can cover up the area you got tattooed with an article of clothing or you can simply put a bandage over your tattoo to prevent the sun’s rays from hitting your tattoo. And please please remember that you are not allowed to go swimming with a new tattoo so you will want to refrain from jumping in the pool or ocean.

So if you are dead set on getting a tattoo maybe you should wait until after you have gotten home from vacation that way you will not have to worry about your tattoo getting exposed to the sun. Alsoyou won’t feel left out because you can’t have fun in the pool or ocean. Just remember after your tattooed has healed and it is exposed to the sun to put a high SPF sun tan lotion on it to help prevent the ink from fading.

Your Tattoo Friend

Ashley

I have been thinking about getting a small tattoo of a purple raindrop with my mothers initials inside the raindrop. I would get it in between my shoulder blades. I was wondering how much it will hurt getting a tattoo there?

Have you noticed that it seems that every second person these days is proudly showing their tattoos. You have the traditional older guys who have been wearing tattoos for ages as well as young women and men who have just started on their ‘tattoo collection’. The trend seems to be growing so rapidly that new Tattoo Parlours are opening up almost on a daily basis. It would be fair to say that today tattoos are more popular than during the Second World War years when tattoos became the fashion amongst the armed services.

While it is just great seeing so many people wearing tattoos, particularly the young tattoo devotees, it is important that the potential wearer gives the subject some serious thought. It is imperative that if you are considering getting a tattoo that you take your time and put some serious thought into which tattoo design you are going to choose and, importantly, where you intend to put the tattoo.

A tattoo will become a permanent feature on your body so you must make absolutely sure that you choose tattoo designs that are going to look good and suit your own particular lifestyle and beliefs. You are going to have to be satisfied with your design and not get bored with it in the future.

Where Do You Source Tattoo Ideas?

There are simply so many different tattoo design options available that it would be impossible to catalog every one. You can either choose to go with one that has already been created, or you can literally start from scratch and design your very own tattoo. The majority of tattoo studios even allow you to work one-on-one with the tattoo artist so that together you can create the perfect design for you.

In my opinion creating your own individual design is the best option because what you end up having etched on your body will be personalized with a particular significance and meaning to you. You will also be less likely to tire of it in the future compared to a tattoo that has no particular significance other than you thought it was ‘cool’ when you had the tattoo done.

If, however, you are more interested in finding a design that has already been created, then you have unlimited options as there are literally tens of thousands of fantastic websites that you can visit and browse through their galleries until you find a tattoo design that you fall in love with.

One top website devoted to creative tattoo designs is Tattoo Johnny. Their gallery feature some of the world’s most popular and inspiring designs. One of the best features of Tattoo Johnny’s website is it allows you to pay for your chosen designs and print them off in full size. You can then head off to your local tattoo studio where they can use that exact print to produce your tattoo. This means that you will be getting exactly what you want and know what it is going to look like before you even venture into the tattoo studio.

Another brilliant online tattoo shop is the Bullseye Tattoo Company. They are universally regarded as having an incredibly large and varied selection of tattoo designs available for purchase and download. Again you can visit their website where you can browse through literally thousands of original tattoo designs from a compilation of different well known and creative artists and then buy and print off the ones that you like best.

So if you are looking to get a tattoo please think long and hard about the tattoo design you want and a word of warning, never get a tattoo unless you are one hundred percent sure that you will love your chosen one forever.

If you’re considering a tattoo, here are some helpful hints and important considerations before you head to the parlor.

1. Understand that it’s permanent. Take your time in choosing a design and an artist. If it’s simply an impulse that is causing you to be interested in getting a tattoo, resist the urge and slow down your decision.

2. If you are a first-timer, don’t go with an extravagant and large design. Your artist should be able to do a small design that could be expanded. Tattooing is not a necessarily pleasant sensation and it may be a bit overwhelming if you are starting with a huge tattoo. Also, once you actually see it on your skin you may have a change of heart as to how extensively you want to do this.

3. Should you be too young for a permanent tattoo, or not convinced that you want it to be permanent, try a temporary tattoo. Henna and some tea extracts may be used to give you something that could last for a month or two while you ‘try it on.’ There are many websites with info and designs for the temporary tattoos. Simply search on temporary tattoos for information, and if you want actual designs, add ‘free’ and ‘designs’ to your search.

4. Talk to someone you know that has tattoos and ask them all your questions. Did it hurt? Have you had any reactions? Are you still glad you did it? What would you do differently? Do you recommend the artist that you used? As with anything in which you don’t have a background, better to trust the people your friends trust.

5. Consider other effects of tattooing. In most states, you cannot donate blood for at least a year after any tattooing procedure, due to the fear of hepatitis. The exception to this is a state that regulates tattooing establishments for their hygiene practices. Do some homework, especially if you plan on donating blood within the next year.

6. There may be some slight bleeding, so if you are weak at heart, this could be stressful. Also, if you are on significant blood thinners for any other problem, you may want to consult your physician before getting the tattoo.

7. Is the tattoo going to become an obstacle of your faith? For Jewish individuals, having a tattoo is taboo. In fact, should someone with a tattoo convert to Judaism, they could not be buried in a Jewish cemetery unless the tattoo was removed. Christians, for the most part, believe that God calls us to honor our bodies and that tattooing would not be in permanent, think about ALL considerations before diving in keeping with that admonition. Again, since tattoos are permanent, think about ALL considerations before diving in.

8. Be cautious about putting someone’s name in a tattoo. Human relationships are very fragile, and putting a girlfriend or boyfriend’s name on a tattoo may be another source of heartache later if the relationship doesn’t work out.

9. Hand, foot, and/or face tattoos may be taboo with the artist him or herself. The artist realizes the possible negative reaction people may have to you with a tattoo and placing them in a highly visible spot only exacerbates the possibility. It may affect job opportunities and other places where you are trying to make a great first impression. The other concern with the hand and foot areas is the physical wear and tear that these locations endure. If you are a person that works with your hands heavily, don’t choose that area. The tattoo will get distorted and be highly visible, as well. For your feet, make sure you are ready to do what it takes to heal them properly, a 3 month process of being barefoot as much as possible and truly pampering your skin.

10. Know how to take care of your skin after the tattoo. Leave the bandage on the wound overnight. Wash it gently the next day. Do not scratch or rub it. Once healed, keep it out of the sun as much as possible to keep the colors from fading. This is another important consideration when determining the location of your tattoo

So you’ve thought long and hard about getting a tattoo and you’ve decided that yes, you’re definitely going to ‘get inked’? If so, the next logical question to ask is, “What design do I choose?”

If you have absolutely no idea about what sort of design you’d like superimposed onto your body, it’s going to take you many hours of careful consideration. You will need to view as many designs as possible, ensuring you make the right decision.

Making the right decision is critical – so we’ll help you find free tattoo designs!

Making the right decision is really important when it comes to choosing a tattoo design, because deciding to have a tattoo is a lifelong commitment. It’s not like buying something at the store, and taking it back because you’ve changed your mind. A tattoo – unless you undertake expensive, painful laser removal procedures – is for life. That is why we advise you to view as many different tattoo designs as possible, so you make the right design decision. If you’ve already been researching designs, chances are you have heard all about free tattoo designs and galleries online where you can view and download individual designs of interest. It’s an absolute maze online, because there are just so many galleries to check out, so to make the process a little easier and a whole lot more time efficient for you, we’re going to introduce you to four good websites – membership-based and totally free- that are jam-packed full of free tattoo designs!

Our recommended list of free tattoo design websites to check out!

We’re fairly confident in assuming that it’s going to take you many hours to decide on a tattoo design that’s right for you. When we searched the web on your behalf for the best free tattoo design sites online, we found that virtually all of them required paid membership which would allow you to download as many designs as you like. Here are just some of these membership-based or totally free tattoo design websites we took a look at:

1) tattoojohnny.com

A really well designed website dedicated to free tattoo design ideas, Tattoo Johnny provides anybody interested in getting a tattoo with the information and design ideas they need to consider, in order to make the right decision. Although the actual tattoo ideas are free for you to print the color version of the design, the strong message this site conveys is that to ensure your tattoo is perfect, you will need to download the artist’s stencil of the design you like. For a small fee (typically under $20USD), you can download the stencil, however visitors are assured that this will save you money when you go to a tattoo artist. If you simply take a design picture or photograph to your chosen artist, they will need to charge you to create a stencil while you wait. At Tattoo Johnny, you simply pay a small fee to download the artist stencil, and when you are ready to ‘get inked’, you give your tattoo artist a copy of the color version and the artist stencil. Tattoo Johnny even goes one step further to make sure you are well prepared to have a tattoo done, because you can test drive your tattoo by creating your own test tattoo using the transfer paper available for just $3.89 at the online store. This way you can trial a washable tattoo to make sure it suits you, before you take the permanent tattoo plunge.

2) tattoodles.com

Tattoodles is a paid membership website which features a large range of tattoo designs that you can print out and take to the tattoo artist of your choice. This website features the works of many tattoo artists and hosts an online tattoo artist community where these people can network and share ideas and inspiration. An online magazine is also accessible via the website, and is packed with articles related to all tattoo issues. This site is popular amongst tattoo artists and those interested in getting a tattoo of their own. With a huge array of tattoo designs to view, Tattoodles is a site you won’t want to miss in your search for the perfect design.

3) tattoospot.com

Tattoo Spot is a completely free website that allows you to check out a large range of tattoo photographs. It is a website where people upload photographs of their own tattoos, so it doesn’t actually provide visitors to the site with actual drawings of tattoo designs that you can take to your tattoo artist. If you found a design on this website from a photograph which appealed, you would need to take it to your tattoo artist, and they would have to create a stencil in order to superimpose the design onto your skin.

4) tattoomenow.com

This is another paid-membership website where you have access to thousands of tattoo designs once you join. Founded by a self-confessed tattoo enthusiast, Tattoo Me Now claims to be the ultimate tattoo membership and design gallery. After many months of research, Tattoo Me Now was launched and now provides tattoo enthusiasts with a huge tattoo design gallery of more than 3,500 tattoo designs categorized by type. A member gallery is also loaded with photographs of tattoos to provide you with even more ideas. If you’re looking for the perfect tattoo design or inspiration at all, this is a good site to join.

There are many more membership and completely free tattoo design websites to check out!

The four websites we list in this article will provide you with enough ideas to get you started on your tattoo design decision-making journey! We trust you’ll have a lot of fun and wish you all the very best when it comes to finding the tattoo design that’s just right for you! Remember that although there are many sites where you can print out photographs or drawings of tattoo designs, the tattoo design itself is never totally free, because your tattoo artist will need to create a stencil for that design, in order to superimpose it onto your skin. Happy searching!

In life, circumstances are always changing. What we think is good today may be a wrong for tomorrow. This is especially true when it comes to major decisions like getting a tattoo. However, in recent times, the available options for removing a tattoo are growing, and so are advancement in the methods used.

• Changing body types – Your weight is no longer what it used to be. You have either lost a lot or gained a lot. It can also be that you have been working out and put on a lot of muscle. On the other hand, perhaps you have just simply gotten older and your skin has loosened, wrinkled and/or sagged.

• Breakups – We all know someone, or a friend of a friend who tattooed “Jessica” on his shoulder only break up with her a month later.

• Changing views – Maybe you were a rebellious teen making a fearless statement on a positive issue, but since then you’re older and have changed some of your views. That symbol you tattooed on you arm is no longer an issue.

• Bad tattoo design – Hopefully you are not one of the unlucky ones and the tattoo artist messed your tattoo up and left you with an unappealing design.

• Job or “society” issues – If you have a large or easily visible tattoo, certain jobs or even certain individuals may look down on you and deny you certain opportunities.

Should you find yourself in any of the above situations, don’t panic; there are various options you can look into for tattoo removal. Let’s begin with the cheapest methods then discuss some of the more costly procedures.

• Creams – When looking to remove a tattoo, you will hear about tattoo removal creams that are on the market today. While the cost of these creams are relatively low (about a hundred bucks), compared to other methods, you will probably get what you pay for. Some people claim that the creams worked for them. Others say the cream faded their tattoo over time and others say they saw no effect. If you’re willing to roll the dice, tattoo removal creams may be worth looking into. Just keep in mind that results can vary.

• Cover-ups – A tattoo cover-up involves getting a new, fresh tattoo over your old tattoo. This is not always possible, and is not always done well. For example, you cannot expect to cover up a thick, black tattoo with light ink, or get rid of a large, intricate design, without getting a large, block-like design over it. Some tattoo artists are very good at doing cover-ups. However, you should consult a highly regarded artist to see if he thinks it would be successful. Here, the cost of tattoo removal (via cover-up) is just the cost of the new tattoo itself.

Apart from those two options for tattoo removal there are several types of medical procedures.

• Salabrasion – Salabrasion is a rather old technique that actually involves sanding off your tattoo covered skin. Anesthetic is administered to the area and then salt water is applied while your skin is vigorously rubbed. Yes, this is as painful as it sounds and is likely to cause scarring.

• Dermabrasion – With dermabrasion you are again basically sanding off your skin. Anesthetic is also used in this type of tattoo removal. Following that, a solution is applied (or simple ice packs are applied) to the tattooed skin that freezes the area. A hand-held rotary instrument is then used to scrape away the top layers of skin on the area. Due to the nature of the procedure there will likely be bleeding as well as scarring.

• Excision – Excision is a procedure where the tattooed skin is cut off. This is easiest with small tattoos however it is a tattoo removal procedure that can be used for even larger tattoos. With larger tattoos, you may undergo several the procedure several times. First cutting away the center of the tattoo and then following up with the outer portions later. After cutting away the skin and the tattoo, your skin is brought back together; in some cases with large tattoos a skin graft is used to cover the removed area. Local anesthetics are also used in this tattoo removal procedure.

The most common form of tattoo removal today is the use of a laser to remove the tattoo. A focused laser is used to break apart the tattoo ink under the surface of your skin. The rest of your skin remains unharmed and there will not be scarring. Different wavelengths are used for different ink colors which means the more colorful your tattoo, the more complex and costly your laser tattoo removal will be.

While laser tattoo removal is very successful (although not always completely), the cost of tattoo removal from laser procedures can be quite expensive and time consuming. For a small, single-color tattoo, the cost of tattoo removal may be one hundred to several hundred dollars.

For larger, thicker, more intricate and more colorful tattoos, you may have to have up to 10 sessions to get your tattoo completely removed. Sessions can range in cost anywhere from $100 to over $1,000, most likely falling in the $400-$500 range. With laser tattoo removal a numbing agent can be used beforehand if necessary, although most say it is a rather painless tattoo removal procedure. One downside to laser tattoo removal is obviously the cost of tattoo removal itself, as well as how long the complete process can take. Individual sessions need to be spaced out to allow proper time to heal.

As you can see there are various methods for getting your tattoo removed. You can find a method to suit your budget and tolerance to discomfort and pain. Just remember to do your research an make an informed decision.

Are you interested in getting a tattoo, but you don’t really know what you want? The best way to go is with a tattoo flash. Disegni tatuaggi are now popular in every tattoo salon, and you can even find them on the web. The best thing about them is that disegni tatuaggi give you the possibility to obtain exactly the tattoo you desire.

Tattoo flash is used in rapid tattooing and is already prepared tattoo designs. Everyone who has been in a tattoo shop has seen a disegni tatuaggi, because they are exposed on the walls and you can also find them in the portfolios of the artists, so that is easier for the client to establish a certain tattoo which reflects his expectations on the particular design of the tattoo.

Disegni tatuaggi encompasses a wide range of styles and designs, and they can come from a variety of sources. Most artist use tattoo flash to present their work, the tattoos they have made, but also tattoo flash can be found on the internet. A wide variety it is found on the web, and it represents the work of famous artist or basically everything you can think of, so that it is easier to imagine the tattoo you want.

With disegni tatuaggi you also have the possibility to be completely creative and unique and design your own tattoo, or come up with an original concept and have a professional artist flesh it out for you. This way you can be reasonably certain that no one else on the face of this planet will have a tattoo quite like yours.

What started out 500 hundred years ago, has become now a fashion icon, and therefore tattoo artist must keep up with the various demands, because as times change, so do the likes of people. Flash tattoo improves their work and makes it easier to promote their designs, so that it is possible to become world known in the art of tattooing only with the click of a button.

Disegni tatuaggi is a way to create whatever tattoo you like possible. If you have seen a cartoon, or you like a particular thing, it is now easier to have it created directly on your skin. You can also find inspiration in the tattoos of other people, with tattoo flash. If your mind is not made up yet, you don’t even have to go to a tattoo salon, you can visit the disegni tatuaggi on their websites and get them for free.

So, I am going to attend the MusInk festival later this month…my dream would be to get tattooed by Hannah Aitchison, but since it’s highly improbable, I have other artists in mind. How do I go about getting a tattoo done there? It’s not so easy to make appointments, so is it only by appointments or can you get tattooed on the spot? I’ve never been to a tattoo convention so I’m not sure how it works…

I am planning on getting a tattoo, but the area of my body on which I plan to get it is heavily scarred in places due to a mis-spent youth. I was just wondering: a) is it possible to tattoo over scar tissue? & b) does the scarring adversely affect the look of the tattoo in any way?

hi im planning on getting a tattoo of a cupcake on my foot i take to pain pretty well but people scare me telling me about the pain is it really that bad??? plus ita my first one…
yea a cupcake cuz im really girlie and i have a strange obsession with them if you knew me you would understand