First Tattoo

Brett Ashley

I'll be eighteen on Saturday. Yes, I'm excited to buy cigarettes, cigars, porn, vote and oh yes, get tattoos. So, I've been wanting to get a celtic trinity symbol on my hip for ages, but I started to wonder.. what am I suppose to wear? O_o



My friend said wear loose shorts but, I'm worried that .. I'll.. have.. to be pantless.. :oops:

anyone know what I should wear to get a tattoo on my hip. And also, best ways to care for the healing after it's done?

noir_blood

Do you mean what to wear when getting the tattoo? Just wear anything you want, and realize that depending on where exactly you want it, the tattoo artist might ask you to pull down your pants/shorts/boxers/panties whatever.

DrZiplock

Aaaand..if you're worried about having to be pantyless to get the tattoo..how are you going to feel if other people see the tattoo.


As for care, preperation H. God, i wish I was kidding. It's a great anti-inflamatory and moisturizing cream.


edit: yea..I read panty..you said pants. umm...yea, You'll likely have to drop the pants a bit to get it done.

Smilingoat

do NOT put anything on it that your tatt artist does not mention. that means no lotion, vasaline, prep H, ect. but those are questions you can ask your artist.

just wear pants, you'll have to pull them down "a bit" but they wont ask you to take them off. if they do, go to a different tatt shop.

it might actually help to have a pair of tighter jeans, as if he does need to move them, they are not elastic so they should stay exactly where he pulls them down to, instead of slide around a lot like a pair of silky gym shorts.

Brett Ashley

Thanks alot everyone. The elastic in the jeans is a pretty good idea. I hadn't thought of that.

HyperAquaBlast

So wait you're gonna get a tattoo in a spot that is only visible if pantless and you are afraid of showing a little ass or what? I dunno it sounds weird to me that you want it there but don't wanna show off that part of the body.

I would wear some basketball shorts that are loose. easy to pull down and hold in place and then when you leave you can pull them up and tie them off. And I guess you can wear a jock strap too if you're afraid your package might show. See that way the artist has access to that area since its just the elastic band there and no fabric or what not on your ass.

noir_blood

HyperAquaBlast wrote: »

So wait you're gonna get a tattoo in a spot that is only visible if pantless and you are afraid of showing a little ass or what? I dunno it sounds weird to me that you want it there but don't wanna show off that part of the body.

I don't really find that weird. Some people get tattoos cause they want others to see it, and some don't. The OP might want to have it there for a very specific reason, but that doesn't mean s/he wants everyone to see it. I have a tattoo on my shoulder, doesn't mean I go around wearing sleeveless shirts all the time.

Marathon

If you are going to get it on your hip the artist will most likely ask you to lower your pants on that side slightly. Or you could maybe wear a bikini bottom or something like that if you are comfortable doing it. The artist is not going to try and make you take your clothes off or anything creepy like that. If they do try and say something like that and you are uncomfortable with either speak up and work something out or simply find another artist who makes you feel comfortable.

As far as aftercare, keep the area covered and be careful to not scratch it once it scabs over (it will itch like mad). You can slap at the area to relieve some of the itch, but scratching it will get rid of scabs before they have healed properly and you will lose some of the color. Which is not a huge deal, because you will most likely go in a few weeks after your tattoo heals so the artist can do some touching up.

Also, don't drink alcohol or anything before you go in an attempt to losen yourself up..it will just make you bleed more.

Brett Ashley

HyperAquaBlast wrote: »

And I guess you can wear a jock strap too if you're afraid your package might show. See that way the artist has access to that area since its just the elastic band there and no fabric or what not on your ass.

heh. im a chick kiddo, but thanks for the advice.

Cryogen

Take a friend with you, that way if anything dubious starts to happen (like them asking you to take off all lower half clothing) at least theres someone you trust there to stop things. Some people can get intimidated in those situations and start to freak out and just do what they're told, then feel awful & violated afterwards.

Filler Inc.

Lubriderm is what I was reccomended to use.

But heres how it goes down, for the first 4 hours you keep it bandaged. Then you wait a night before applying anything to it. The next day, you can start applying lotion, again lubriderm is what I used and it worked great.

Don't let the sun hit it for a couple weeks, if it's gonna hit it, you get some suntan lotion on it.

Don't let water hit it for extended periods of time.

As for what to wear, maybe a skirt? You can hike up just the part that needs to be hiked up.

Also, it doesn't hurt, it pinches a little, but it's more of an annoyance than a pain.

That's pretty much it.

Oh, don't itch it, or pick at it, or let anything scratch it while it's healing. Also don't put too much pressure on it, sleep on the opposite side, or on your back.

CoJoeTheLawyer

If your going to a reputable tattoo parlor, they will give you detailed instructions on what to/not to do with your new body art. They will also either give you a few packets of approved lotion to use, or have some for sale.

As for what to wear, I'd go with the pants suggestion.

mugginns

Bag Balm worked for me, didn't really hurt that much either. I didn't get it on my hip, tho.

Mom2Kat

Maybe pants you don't care about. You are bound to get some ink on your clothes and that shit stains!

Re: nholder

Filler wrote: »

Oh, don't itch it, or pick at it, or let anything scratch it while it's healing. Also don't put too much pressure on it, sleep on the opposite side, or on your back.

I feel this should be emphasized.

Seriously, let the scabs fall off by themselves. It'll be kinda gross looking for a good two weeks or so, but seriously, DON'T pick at it.

If you do, the ink might not set enough and you'll end up with splotchy patches of skin showing through.

JeffH

Wear a thong? Or if possible one of the panties that have just a small string on the sides?

Not sure if this is possible with the location of your tattoo, but I wouldn't be too worried if you had to strip down to nude to get it

JohnnyCache

the best thing to put on a tattoo is the stuff your artist sells you that is for tattoos.

Horseshoe

The funny part is if you ask a tattoo artist you know well enough what they put on their new tats, most of them answer "nothing". Never understood the ritualistic nature of tattoo care. Your body heals itself pretty well for the most part, and a tattoo is a pretty minor wound.

Also, get your first tattoo somewhere it's easier to see, and in a place on your body that doesn't gain weight as easily. You're 18 and invincible now, but someday you may be in your 30's and gain pounds if you just get lazy for a couple weeks in a row. The hips are particularly not a good idea for females... I've seen pregnancy do horrible things to tattoos in the stomach and hip areas.

Filler Inc.

JohnnyCache wrote: »

the best thing to put on a tattoo is the stuff your artist sells you that is for tattoos.

Quick note on this;

NOT IF IT'S CALLED TATTOO GOO!

My artist told me about it. His store sells it, but only to people who don't get their tattoos done there. He said he would never sell that to a customer and recomends lubriderm.

I keep pushing it, but it works great.

EDIT:

Something I don't think anyones touched upon. Make sure you really want this tattoo. Give it time, don't just do it because you're turning 18 and you can. Think about what you're getting tattooed and what it means to you. Make sure you like it, make sure you want it, and make sure you're not gonna look at it in 3 years and think why did I do this? My tattoo took me over a year to decide what I wanted and why. I decided that I wanted to celebrate my heritage and got an irish harp. I spent months looking through different designs, and finally chose one. I have more work to do to it, but as it stands I'm happy with what I did.

reddog

As you'll notice, everyone has their different ways of taking care of a tattoo. Tattoo artists are often in debate about how to take care of a tattoo. I have 5 tat's myself and each artist has told me a different way to take care of it.

I've heard to take care of it with Bacitracin (sp?), or take care of it with A&D Ointment with putting non fragrance lotion on it after a week. I've heard don't put anything on it. I've heard put lotion on it right when you get home and honestly this has been the best thing.

I've used Eucerin and it works great. It'll keep your tat nice and moist. And like everyone said...DO NOT SCRATCH YOUR TAT. You can ruin it. Let your tat flake off on its own. If your dying to scratch it then slap your tattoo really hard. It'll help and it won't ruin the tat at all.

Don't worry about where you're getting it done...wear like sweat pants or a skirt and regular panties.

Brett Ashley

Well today's the day. I'm 18, finally, and ready to go. I'm pretty excited. I'm wearing old, loose, cotton shorts with an old black t-shirt and bikini style underwear.

Thanks for all the advice from everyone. My mom and my grandmother are both going with me to get tattoos also... yikes! thus I can't wait! Thanks again to everyone! ;-)

gneGne

PICS PLS!

haha... j/k... oh I'm so funny..