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adventure, advice, After care, City, Edinburgh, encourage, favorite quote, health, inspiration, inspire, Instagram, Journal, life, love, lyrics, medical, medical history, one day at a time, photography, plus48tattoo, Poem, quotes, research, Tattoo, Tattoo Artist, tattoo experience, tattoo tips, tattooist, tips, writing
Hey guys,
A few posts ago I told you that I got my tattoo and I also shared the reasons why I got that particular one. For today’s post, I thought I’d give you an inside sneak peak of the entire day. If you’re planning on getting a tattoo, you might be interested to hear what happens at the appointment. I know for me, I get really nervous when I don’t know exactly whats happening. So I hope I can help 🙂
So, a few days ago my friend and I set off on our adventure to the tattoo artist. However, the first steps are to make sure you research all of the tattoo places near you and make sure they aren’t dodgy before you make a decision. Just remember, it’s better to pay a little bit more and be safe with a pristine tattoo than go cheaper and it ends up being awful, ya feel me? I mean, its going to be on your skin forever so make sure you do it right 🙂 My friend Eilidh ( Turning The Faucet On ) had researched a place because she’s also planning on getting her tattoo in a few weeks so I trusted her judgement and went to the same place. When I arrived, they spoke to me straight away. They were really lovely. First of all, I filled in a consent form. This basically includes a medical history and then your signature obviously to make sure you are 18 ( or 16 if accompanied by an adult) and are agreeing to a random person putting permanent ink on your body. That probably just takes a few minutes. I always get really worried filling them in. I re think my whole life…
“Do I have a heart condition?”
“Am I prone to fainting?”
“Do I have hepatitis?”
All of this goes through my mind and I checked with Eilidh (even though she isn’t my mother so I don’t know why I thought she’d be any more knowledgeable than me :’D) But I always need a second brain for these things either way aha!
After I filled in the form and gave the lady my ID to check, the tattoo artist and I decided on font. He already had a picture of the words I wanted and he knew I wanted them on my wrist but the discussion isn’t over there. Size, placement and font needed to be discussed. Be prepared to be open minded as well, listen to their advice because they know what they’re talking about. For example, I was planning on having ‘one day at a time’ in one line on my wrist. Can you imagine how small that would’ve been? And he explained that in a few years the letters would be so small that they could join slightly. None. Of. That. So after deciding on a font, I consulted with Eilidh about the position of the tattoo because my mind often goes hazy when I need to make decisions in social settings. It’s great. Especially when its a tattoo that will be on me forever :’) I’m so glad she was there because I talked to her about it and decided that having ‘one day’ and then just below it ‘at a time’ would be best. And low and behold, I love it even more than what it would have looked like if it was just in one line. Now the writing is bigger and lovelier. So, just be prepared to be open minded and slightly alter the way you might have had it in your mind.
The next step is the waiting game. My tattooist took maybe 5/10 to prepare everything and make sure everything was set up for me, etc. Then I sat in a chair with an arm rest at the side and a light above. I felt like I was in a dentist. Except it wasn’t so don’t worry. He cleaned my wrist with disinfectant and shaved around where the tattoo would be placed. I didn’t even think about this but it makes sense because hair can’t get in the way. It was strange having some of my arm hair shaved off though I must say. After all of the cleaning and preparing, he drew three dots with an orange pen marking where the tattoo would be and took the photocopy of the tattoo with ink on it and printed it onto my skin and let me check if everything was ok with the placement, etc. He asked if I wanted to look in the mirror just to make sure but I was just like, “Nope, just go for it.” :’D
And then he took the tattoo gun and started with a little bit before asking me how it felt. It is sore, I mean its a needle being dragged through your skin but because he just does it little by little, the pain comes and goes. It really isn’t that bad. Totally bearable. You also get used to the pain as well. Even though I got used to it with every passing moment, a shiver still went through my body from my head to my stomach every time he put the needle in aha!
And then it was done.
It probably took about fifteen minutes for the actual tattoo. It passed really quickly. Once it was over he wiped any excess ink, then he wrapped it with cling film and microporous tape. Joe ( the tattooist ) talked to Eilidh and I for a little while afterward and told Eilidh that it feels like a butterfly kissing you with really sharp teeth :’) He was pretty funny. Â He told me all of the after care stuff and then gave me a sheet to take away with me.
Done.
After I left, I felt on top of the world. As I said in previous posts, the adrenaline is insane. I felt on top of the world and like I could do anything. it’s great.
Anyway, after care.
You will need to buy cling film, microporous tape, antibacterial non scented soap and a plain moisturiser. On the first day, I cleaned it every 3/4 hours and also changed the cover. Keep it covered for the first few nights! The ink might go onto your clothes other wise. I woke up this morning and I had it covered but when I woke up it was all smudged… or I thought it was. I panicked and jumped out of bed to clean it. After I cleaned it, it was back to normal. I messaged the tattoo place and they said that its totally normal for it to do that! And that its just the excess ink. They said it might do that for the first few nights, so keep it covered. In short:
- Keep it covered for the first day (or I did.) and change the cover every 3/4 hours.
- After every change, clean it with warm water and a little bit of soap, then pat it dry (don’t rub or itch it!) and put a fresh cover on it.
- Keep it covered for the first 3 nights or so depending on how long it takes for any excess ink to come of. You probably only need it for 1 or 2 nights but it depends.
- For the first few days, you can keep it uncovered at home but if you go somewhere where it might get infected then it’s probably best to cover it. However, I only covered it for the first day and now I just covered it at night.
- Keep cleaning it a few times a day for the first few days.
 (Isn’t this such an Instagram worthy photo though? am i right?And there we have it!
I tag Eilidh ( Turning The Faucet On ) to share her tattoo experience once she gets hers done in a few weeks! 🙂
Much love,Lisa
