So... tell me about tattoos....

[wangle99]

How much does it hurt having one done? Am debating getting one on my lower back.

Are you pleased with yours? Wish you never had it done?

Whereas the rest of an 80 year old's body looks so great!

Spherical objects to being judged by "blanks" and who cares what your tats look like when you're old. If you look after your skin they'll be fine, helps to distract from the wrinkles and liver spots anyway. The point of having them is to enjoy them. I do! And as for cake..... that's good in ANY situation

My tattoo is a badge of pride that I may be a mumsy old SAHM now but I was a bad grrrl once (yes back in the early 90s when it was spellt like that LOL). It says je ne regret rien.

Well, it doesn't actually say that LOL, it's a pictorial one not words!

I quite fancy one, but is there anyway of stopping them going all blurred and nasty looking? Is it just down to a good tatooist?

I have a 6" wide tattoo on my lower back. I have always loved tattoos and was very careful on choosing somewhere where I knew I could hide it and it would be something for me to enjoy without being judged by others ( because unfortunately people can be very nasty about a person and judge their character because of the fact they have a piece of art on their body ) RIDICULOUS BUT TRUE

Anyway, to cut a long story short, I still love my tatt and have no regrets BUT if we manage to conceive baby no 2 then I have to have a c-section, therefore have an epidural in my spine presumeably, and so all the doctors and nurses will see my tattoo. I hate the idea that they may judge me based on that fact and expect me to have an alcohol problem as teslagirl says ( I no you are just pointing this out teslagirl and is not necessarily your view point ).

Surely the stigma behind tattoos has disappeared by now and they are just seen as the norm !!!

as an awrd wingning travel writer i ahev a map of the world on my arse

lol williamgray

I'm thinking of having this (it's a small picture) on my lower back with my ds' name and D.O.B at either side.

This thread has really made me want another tattoo

I have two - one really small one on the back of my shoulder - which to be honest is a bit rubbish - but I can't see it and usually forget it is even there. I spent about 8 years thinking about getting another one, looking at books and drawings to get an idea of what i wanted. i ended up getting a massive custom piece down the whole top part of my right arm. I was a bit alarmed when the tattooist showed me the outline (on paper) as it was about 10 times bigger than I had intended. but it was a beautiful design and I am so glad I had it done - it is a bit of a conversation piece and i have no regrets. It took 8 hours to do and hurt like hell but your natural endorphins (is that the right word???) kick in after a while so the pain gets less and less. Childbirth is most definitely more painful and being waxed is too - although I still get that done every few weeks! Spend some time looking at some tattoo mags to get an idea what you want and where. Anywhere close to the bone, like the small of your back, ankle etc will hurt much more, but anywhere softer - tummy, breast is at risk of going really out of shape as you get bigger/smaller/older as the skin will stretch more easily. colours fade more easily so the more colours in it, the less distinctive it will be over time). I would suggest don't have a tattoo with the idea that you can have it lasered off at a later date if you don't like it. If you think that you don't want it permanently - get a temporary one instead - like a henna one. Whatever you choose - enjoy it but be prepared for everyone else you meet to show you theirs - whether you want to see it or not. I frequently get old fat men showing me the most hideous tattoos on their grotesque bellies - it is really not a pretty sight!

Welshlinz, you never know, the anaesthetist, surgeon and midwife might all have tattoos of their own. It really is pretty mainstream now and surgeons (like policeman) get younger as we get older .
Plus, they must see tattoos everyday, I find it hard to believe they have time to make irrelevant judgements about people's lifestyles when they're supposed to be so overworked and understaffed.

I have an angel on my left shoulder that I designed myself. It was designed to represent my daughter, and i need to have her name put on coz i didnt have it done at the time. But i love my tattoo
Am going to get another one done, but i need to book the appt. I cant wait

wangle99 I haven't read the all the other posts but I just wanted to tell you exactly what it feels like. IME it felt like a deep cat scratch which doesn't stop until the tattoo is finished. I've got a Joey on my lower back (baby kangaroo not Joey from friends ) It's too big and I wish I hadn't had it done. I was absolutely 100% certain at the time I wanted one and had been thinking about it for a few years.

Also you can't give blood for a few years (I think) after having a tattoo (if you wanted to of course)

Buckets, what is Silkepil? sorry if i am bit thick, I had my tattoo on my shoulder, about 36 years ago, my mum said i was nothing better than a streetwalker (shock) how times have changed.

Don't know if Silkepil still exists actually! It was an electric hair remover gadget with rotating wheels that caught the hair and yanked it out, waxing style. Absolute agony, I couldn't use mine without crying so it was quickly passed on to some poor unsuspecting friend.

An Epilator! VERY psinful and dont grab all the hirs anyway, all that pain for nowt

I change my hair style so often I can not imagine being stuck with the same tattoo forever.
I digress but I think I had a silkepil but it was called an epilady...my gawd did it hurt!!! I got one as a Xmas present and used it once for about 5 seconds...

LOL We women really are a bit thick about some things aren't we? Epilators will have been invented by some well-meaning bloke trying to solve his wife's hair-removal moans. I bet there isn't a single bloke out there who wouldn't rather his wife went hairy than crying her eyes out whilst doing her legs!

hey girls... tattooing is my job! I think some tattoos can be trashy and I consider myself quite a tattoo snob, after tattooing for 6 years, I have seen some sights and heard some rubbish ideas!! But on the whole, ladies are getting larger, more feminine pieces every day. I tattoo with coloured outlines and like to stay away form black as much as possible, as I love the look this gives, a lot more girly! On maternity leave next week, as my bump is just starting to get in the way and I cant reach all body areas now! My baby likes the sound of my tattoo machine, he seems to go to sleep once I start it up every day!!!
I think as long as you dont go with the trends that sweep across the country now and again...ie stars at the mo!! and you choose something personal, then you wont regret your permenant markings, i love my tattoos, they give me confidence and make me feel sexy even on bad hair days!Like Cyteen says, find your artist who will do the best job for you..some of us do specialise now, so seek out the one for you! xx

Hey Lizi, I agree that tattoos can look sexy.

I love teh Kat Von Dee look, although DH is horrified.
I have 6, many of which are in all teh popular places(wrist lowrr back etc) but I;ve had mine years....and I often piont that out just to show I;m not a tattoo fashion follower

I'm desparatley trying to get DH's really dodgy pather head covered before we go on holiday this year. Its soooooo bad.
He wants to get it covered, but keeps fannying about getting it done.

i saw a pic of a girl on one of the tattoo mags who had a load of floral stuff on her arms and back, with no black or grey at all, all colour. it looked really good, very feminine

Stars are on the design i've picked (on my profile) I didn't know they were really popular, i picked it cos i like it

I have a really beautiful coloured butterfly with stars at either side on my lower back, I absolutely love it (and am planning to add to it shortly) and my DH thinks its v.sexy! It didn't hurt very much at all, it felt a little bit like sunburn, but I had a great tattoist who had a waiting list, talked me all the way through the procedure, then told me how to look after it - it didn't scab at all. And best of all, its in a place where I don't have to have it on display if I don't want to.

stars are really popular at the moment and they look lovely. i saw a girl on holiday with the words twinkle twinkle at the bottom of her neck with some tiny stars around it, it looked brilliant.

I currently have 3 but would like another one! Had my first one done about 9 years ago - two (coloured) daisies on my bum (so if I didn't like them, they would never be seen as they are hidden by bikini bottoms, etc)! Then had a thistle (mostly black but very thin and small) on the right hand side of my tummy and then lastly had a (coloured) flower garland on my lower back. I think that the places I have my tattoos, when I get older, if I don't want them on show, I could hide them by, (when I am on holiday) wearing a swimming costume and they wouldn't be seen. The other place I would like one is inside my wrist - another 'flower' themed tattoo - again, I don't wear watches but when I am older I could always wear one and it would be hidden.

The one that hurt the most was the lower back one because my bum(!) and tummy were/are a bit fleshier and didn't hurt so much. I am sure the new one I want on my inside wrist will hurt but it will only be small so the pain should be bearable.