Have you noticed that there are a lot of people that have
Tattoos these days? In the past you may have only seen tattoos on people such
as sailors, outlaws, and biker gangs but now tattoos are a very popular body
decoration for many people. The types and styles of tattoos has also come a
very long way. It is no longer crude pictures of pinup girls, skulls, and
anchors. Tattoos have developed into very sophisticated art work ranging from
Celtic crosses to very personalized symbols. People have found and created
designs that express themselves in a very personal way.
What is a Tattoo?
Very simply a tattoo is a puncture wound made in the skin
that is filled with ink. Although done differently today than in the past the
technique is still somewhat similar. Today, tattoo artist use a tattoo gun that
has one or more needles that penetrate the skin and delivery ink into the skin.
Tattoos last a very long time due to the fact that the ink is placed deeply
into the skin. The top layer of skins is called the epidermis and it is
constantly shedding and being reproduced. If the ink from a tattoo was in this
layer of skin it would not last very long. The layer of skin that the ink is
injected to is called the dermis, which is a deeper layer of skin that is very
stable and makes the tattoo stay visible almost permanently.
Tattoos in the past were done manually with a tool that they
tapped on the skin to make the puncture wound and then the ink would be
injected by hand. Most tattoo shops today have tattoo guns or machines to do
this today, although you can still find areas around the world that still use
the older style of tattooing. The tattoo guns make tattooing much more quickly
today because the machine is able to deliver the ink into the skin as it is
puncturing the skin. The tattoo artist can change the tip of the machine to
contain one needle or group of needles depending on if they are drawing the
outline of the design or shading part of the design. Most tattoo artist today
are very skilled and know just how far to drive the needle into the skin to
produce a good tattoo. Not going deep enough can result in ragged tattoo and
going to deep can result in excessive bleeding, not to mention the pain would
be much worse.
Does It Hurt?
Getting a tattoo can hurt and can take several hours or even
days to complete depending on the size and design of the tattoo you are
getting. The amount of pain can and will very depending on the location of the
tattoo. Everyone has a different threshold to pain also. The art has a bit to
do with it also. A good tattoo artist can provide less pain over a new or less
experienced tattoo artist.
So you want a Tattoo!
First and foremost, if you are going to get a tattoo, get it
done safely! Remember, a tattoo is a puncture wound that needs to be taken care
of just like any other scrape or cut that you may get. By taking care of your
tattoo you will be less likely to have it get infected. It may sound a little
silly but you need to make sure that your immunizations are up to date. Tattoo
shops today have implement steps to help you avoid infections and disease but
it doesn't hurt to take an extra step for your own safety. Have a plan to get
medical care if your tattoo does get infected. Some signs of infection are
excessive redness, prolonged bleeding, pus or changes in your skin color around
the tattoo.
If you have a prior or existing condition such as heart
disease, allergies, diabetes or a condition that effects your immune systems by
all means consult with your doctor. He may be able to recommend precautions
that you can take before getting your tattoo.
Choosing the place to get your tattoo is very important. You
want to be sure the tattoo shop is clean and safe. Things such as needles,
gloves, mask should all be disposable and should never be used on more than one
person. The guns themselves and other equipment that is not disposable should
be sterilized after every use. You can contact your local government
agencies(county, city, local health department) that can inform your on
licensed tattoo shops, standards or complaints against a specific tattoo shop.
Here are some things to look for:
Does the tattoo shop you are looking at have an autoclave to
sterilize equipment? An autoclave is a piece of equipment that uses steam,
pressure and heat to sterilize with.
Is the shop licensed? You can check this through you local
government agency and the tattoo shop you are looking at should be able to
provide you with references.
Make sure the tattoo shop the regulations that outline
procedures to be followed when dealing with bodily fluids that are provided by
the Occupational Safely and Health Administration's Universal Procedures.
Just keep in mind, if the tattoo shop you are considering
looks dirty or just doesn't feel right to you for any reason it would probably
be best to find a tattoo shop you are more comfortable with.
What to expect
First of all you will need to find your design that you are
wanting tattooed on your body. The tattoo shop you are going to will most
likely have thousands of designs that you can look through. You may also be
able to have the artist create a unique design for you. There are also may designs
to choose from on the web. Once you have decided on a design you will need to
decide on a location.
You may already have a location in mind and be able to
choose the tattoo you will be getting for that particular location. The tattoo
artist will then clean and even shave if necessary to area getting tattooed and
apply a type of stencil of the tattoo on that area and allow you to see it.
This will give you a good idea of what it will look like.
As the artist is
getting the ink and gun ready they will explain things about the needles and
the procedures in order for you to become more comfortable with the whole
process. When you are both ready they will begin the outline. Once the outline
is finished the tattoo artist will once again clean the tattoo area and most
likely change the needles in the gun to do the shading or fill in. After
finishing the tattoo the artist will again clean the tattoo area and apply some
type of antibiotic ointment and then it will be covered with a bandage.
Congratulations! You now have a new tattoo. It will take a few days to heal but
soon you will be able to remove the bandage and show off your new art.
Tattoo Care
The last step you will need to follow in very important.
That is taking care of your new tattoo until it is fully healed. The tattoo
shop will give you instructions that you should follow and will most likely
give you ointment to use on your tattoo. Just remember to contact your doctor
if something about your tattoo seems out of the ordinary (as discussed
earlier). Make sure that you keep your tattoo bandaged for the first 24 hours.
This will help in the healing process greatly. You will want to avoid touching
the new tattoo and picking at any scabs that may form. After all, it is a wound
and will most likely form some scabs in places. When you wash it for the first
time try to use an antibiotic soap and just pat it dry. Re-apply some
antibiotic ointment and also re-bandage it.
This will only help your tattoo to
heal. You want to avoid getting your new tattoo wet(pools, hot tubs, long
showers) until the tattoo has fully healed. The other important step is keeping
your tattoo out of direct sunlight. Even after it is fully healed the sun can
cause fading of your tattoo a great deal. So it is suggested to use a sun
screen on your tattoo for quite some time so that your new tattoo does not
begin to fade to soon.
Rick Watson
Find out more about tattoos and other body modification at
http://www.tatsandthings.blogspot.com where you will find related information
on tattoos and piercings with links and more showing you where you can go to
get tattoo designs and body jewelry.
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Richard_V_Watson
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