FAQs about Tattoos

Mar 12, 2014

Jade Q.

Hello ladies,

Recently I've been seeing a lot of tattoo-related questions popping up, so I've decided to start an "everything tattoos" thread. I'm a licensed, professional Tattooer and Artist in Southern California. I figured I could share my knowledge with anyone who is interested! Ask away!

Mar 12, 2014

Sabrina K.

That's so cool Jade! I have a question! I got a beautiful tattoo on the back of my neck in January 2013, but it got terrible infected (partly my own fault partly bad info from the artist which wasn't my regular artist but was trained by him) Well the infection made the tattoo a bit blurry and I need the colors retouched! But when I run my fingers over the tattoo I can still feel something like scaring on the skin. How long should I wait to get it retouched?

Mar 12, 2014

Jade Q.

FALSE!! All ink feels the same going into your skin. The only part that will ever feel "different" is different sized needles. The reason people think white ink hurts more, is bc generally, in a full color or black and grey tattoo, the white ink is the last thing applied to the skin. Meaning that you've already gone through the pain of the rest of the tattoo (your skin has been broken open for hours and the artist goes back in with white ink for detail and highlight.

If you're getting a "white ink tattoo" it feels just the same as getting a regular black and grey or color tattoo. 👍

Mar 12, 2014

Jade Q.

@sabrina anytime your tattoo ever gets infected, you should go see your artist immediately!! It is their responsibility to make sure you are versed in tattoo aftercare. The healing process is just as (if not more) important than the tattoo process itself. From the sounds of it, the artist who tattooed the back of your neck wasn't experienced enough for the job. If you have blurred, blown out, and raised linework, that is an indication of poor technique. Your artist did what we in the tattoo community like to call "digging you out" which basically means he sent his needles too deep, and too hard into your skin, causing scarring. In the instance of scarring, we generally tell our clientele to wait around a year to make sure the skin is fully healed and prepared to accept more trauma. If you break the scar open too soon, it could lead to the same thing happening all over again, or the ink not saturating the skin. I'm sure that is the last thing you want happening!!

Mar 12, 2014

Emily W.

I have a less technical question:

I got a tattoo in October of 2010, and was told by the artist to cone back after it healed to get it touched up. Well, long story short I was hospitalized shortly after that and then went away to college. My question is: about how much should I expect to pay to get it fixed now that it has been so long? I know it is different by artist, I'm just curious about kinda the base rate for touchups.

Mar 12, 2014

Devin P.

@jade I love seeing female artists you go girl. first can you come to ct to do my next one?? haha and how fast does color fade? b.c I got my first one like a year ago and my blue looks like its fading already :-( sorry one more how painful is it to get it near your :speacil" area but more on the front of your hip? if that made any sence.

Mar 12, 2014

Coralys V.

Hi this is a awesome thread thanks :) , it is true that if you have a tattoo you can't breast feed your baby?

Mar 12, 2014

M G.

Devin It hurts like shit.

Mar 12, 2014

M G.

Coralys no it not true.However its recommended tht one dosent get a tattoo while pregnant b/c of the risk of infection.

Mar 12, 2014

M G.

agreed^

Mar 12, 2014

Emily W.

Erin yes, tattoos get damaged by UV exposure just like the rest of your skin. Don't tan, it isn't worth the health risks.

Mar 12, 2014

Jade Q.

@emily sometimes if you go back to the same artist for touch up work, they will either comp it, or will charge shop minimum (which varies from shop to shop). If you're going to a new artist, they will most likely charge you based on how much needs to be "touched-up". That could be a per-hour rate, or whatever the artist feels is an appropriate price. So basically, you'll most likely be paying a standard rate. Some artists won't even touch other artist's work, but there are quite a few that will. Shop around, and CHECK PORTFOLIOS. Always make sure you're confident in the abilities of your artist!

Mar 12, 2014

Jade Q.

@devin thanks girl!! It's empowering, that's for sure 💪 as for color fading, it could be a number of things... The artists technique, the quality of the ink used, and how your skin personally reacts and handles pigments. Every color is cut with different materials in order to get the bright, vibrant colors you see on many people today. Generally, color fade is normal, and expected. Even tattoos don't stay the same forever! We usually recommend a second session to go through and make sure everything is fully saturated, bright, and clean. If it's just light fading, I'd say go see your artist and ask about getting a touch up 👍

Mar 12, 2014

Hannah E.

Do you know any really reliable shops in south Florida? I want to get my next piece and I just moved here.

Mar 12, 2014

Jade Q.

@tjerlin cover ups generally need to be bigger than the existing tattoo because: you need to be able to draw the eye away from the tattoo underneath the coverup. The more area the artist had to work with, the better the chance of the cover being convincing. A lot of people don't realize exactly how difficult it is to pull off a convincing cover up.

Mar 12, 2014

Jade Q.

@coralys I've never heard of that... I do know that if you are expecting, you CAN NOT get tattooed. Period. As far as the breast feeding thing, sounds like a myth to me.

Mar 12, 2014

Jade Q.

@erin white tattoos ALWAYS fade. I'll be honest, I don't recommend them at all. They just end up healing to look like scars. White is meant to be an accent color, not the primary color of a tattoo.

Mar 12, 2014

Coralys V.

Thanks @Maria but not while pregnant I mean if eventually you're going to have a baby you can breast feed if you have a tatto? or you have to wait years or something?

Mar 12, 2014

Jade Q.

@devin about the pain question... It really all depends on your personal pain threshold. I've had tiny girls take it like champs and I've had big beefy macho men cry like little bitches.

Mar 12, 2014

Jade Q.

@hannah I know of a shop in ft lauderdale, not sure if that's in southern Florida? I've never been!

Mar 12, 2014

Jade Q.

@coralys I have quite a few friends with tattoos that breast-fed no problem. Their kids are totally fine.

Mar 12, 2014

Coralys V.

thanks @Jade :)