Thursday, March 4, 2010

Minimizing The Pain Of Tattoos

Minimizing The Pain Of Tattoos

No matter what you may hear, there really is no way to predict the amount of pain that you’ll experience when getting a tattoo.  If you arrive with determination and the right frame of mind, it may not hurt you as much as you thought.  On the other hand, if you arrive at the studio scared half to death – it will more than likely hurt you more than you thought possible.

Tattoos involve piercing into skin, which almost always involves pain.  No matter how big or how small the tattoo may be or where it is located, you can expect to feel some pain.  The overall amount of pain you experience though, all depends on your tolerance.  If you have a high pain tolerance, you may feel next to nothing during the entire process.

When you get a tattoo, the needles will puncture your skin at very fast rates and variable depths.  The outline of the tattoo is easily the most painful, as the needles will be used to create a black line that will stand out on the tattoo.  This part need to be inserted fairly deeply and carefully to ensure that it’s done correctly.  The shading of the tattoo normally isn’t painful, although it depends on the penetration depth and effect that you desire.

Normally, the pain you feel is a slight burn or scratching feeling.  If the tattoo is going to be on an area where there is less bone and tissue such as the wrist or chest, the pain will be a bit more intense.  Areas like the arms and legs however, normally aren’t that painful.  Areas such as these have more tissue and muscle, which will lessen the amount of pain you feel.

Even though some pain is to be expected, there are ways that you can minimize the pain.  Below are some tips that will help you deal with the pain.
1.    Never show up to a get a tattoo on drugs or drunk.  This will thin out your blood, causing you to bleed more.
2.    Always choose a tattoo artist that you are comfortable around.  If you have confidence in your artist you can minimize the pain a great deal.
3.    Show up at the studio with sheer determination.  You should accept the fact that the tattoo will take time.  Quality work is an art – and should never be rushed.
4.    If the pain becomes too much to bear, you should let your tattoo artist know immediately.  He will allow you to take a break, or stop and come back later.  You can always break up your sessions, as tattoos don’t need to be finished immediately.
5.    To ease your mind, listen to music.  This way, you can take your mind to a different place and focus on something other than the tattoo.

Pros And Cons Of Tattoos

Pros And Cons Of Tattoos

These days’ tattoos are more common than ever.  Tattoos have gained quite a bit in popularity over the years, giving people a chance to stand out and broadcast who they really are.  Men and women alike have tattoos, some covering their entire body.  The choice is entirely up to you though, as you can get a tattoo in virtually any size you want.

Even though there are many good things about tattoos, there are bad things as well.  Among the good things about tattoos include the chance to broadcast who you are, the chance to be you, and the chance to stand out.  Most people who get tattoos get them for the symbolic meaning.  Although there are some who get tattoos strictly for the look, many end up regretting getting the tattoo later on in life.

Tattoos are great for show, although the design itself should hold some meaning.  There are a variety of designs and colors to choose from, which helps to add to the positive benefits of tattoos.  You can check out many designs at your local tattoo studio, in books and magazines, and on the Internet.  The Internet is a great resource for tattoo designs, as there are literally thousands to look at.  You can also look at pictures of those who have tattoos so you can get an idea as to what a certain style will look like once it has been finished.

The cons of tattoos are pretty straight forward.  Tattoos work by piercing the skin with a needle and injecting little gobs of ink.  With that being said the risk of infection when getting a tattoo is always there.  If the tattoo artist isn’t sanitary and doesn’t clean his equipment after every use, the risk of infection will be much higher.

Another thing to worry about with tattoos is removal.  If you later decide that you don’t want the tattoo, you’ll have to pay an expensive price to have it surgically removed.  Surgery carries risks and complications as well.  In some cases, those who have got tattoos have had to have the tattoo removed due to infection.  In these cases the infection has gotten so bad that there really is no other choice than to get the tattoo removed.

No matter how you look at it, there will always be both pros and cons with tattoos.  Before you decide to get a tattoo, you should make sure that the design you have picked out is something that you can see yourself with for years to come.  If there is any doubt in your mind about the tattoo, you shouldn’t get it.  Even though it may seem cool at the time – the price for removal and the complications with surgery may not be worth it in the long run.

Samoan Tattoos

Samoan Tattoos going mainstream more than ever!

Samoan Tattoos are an ancient art that has been receiving a lot of attention in modern times. There are very few of us who  would be willing to undergo the painful and lengthy procedure that real Samoan Tattoo necessitate, we might well be attracted to elements of the traditional tribal designs and wish to incorporate them into our own tattoos – using modern methods (most of us anyway).

Samoan Tattoos artists used combs to apply their designs.
On the Pacific island of Samoa, tattooist carried out their art by dipping the pointed teeth of combs into ink and placing them on the surface of the skin. The comb was then tapped so that the teeth punctured the skin, inserting the ink. Both men and women had their bodies tattooed and elaborate designs could take several months to complete. In Samoan tradition, tattoos were restricted to the lower part of the body.

Samoan Tattoos are generally very large and denote the social status and rank of the man or woman who wears it.

Samoan Tattoos are receiving a lot of attention.

Samoan Tattoos is particularly impressive for several reasons – the designs are very intricate.
The men's tattoos are called pe'a, and can cover almost half of a man’s body, starting from just under the ribcage, and continuing down to the ankles. Very striking!

The women's tats are called malu. Samoan women also had tattoos on their hands.

Samoan Tattoos patterns are highly meaningful. You can tell just by looking at a Samoan Tattoos, even without knowing what its precise meaning is. The tattoo patterns and symbols are very complex with a lot of interlocked, interwoven shapes and patterns.

In Samoa's cultural past most males were tattooed between the ages of 14-18, when it was determined they had stopped growing, so the designs would not stretch and suffer in beauty. Today, there has been a strong revival of traditional tattooing in the past generation, not only in Samoa but throughout Polynesia, often as a symbol of cultural identity.As mentioned before, they are also remarkable because of the sheer expanse of skin that they occupy.

Tattoo Removal Options

Tattoo Removal Options

The removal of a tattoo is often thought of as being a very painful process.  Although the process may have been very painful in the past, the technology of today offers methods of removing tattoos.  Currently, there are two options to remove tattoos that are rapidly becoming more and more popular – laser technology and light based technology.

Both surgeries used light energy to destroy the ink in the tattoo.  The ink in the tattoo will absorb the energy of the light, breaking it up.  Once the ink starts to break up, it can easily be passed through and out of your body through filtering.  In most cases this is extremely safe, as the ink is broken down into micro size to where it can easily pass through the body with no complications.

The process is actually similar to the surgery in which hair is removed.  The surgeon or doctor who performs the surgery will hold a wand to the skin that is being treated.  As he does this, the pulses of light are aimed at the tattoo, breaking up the ink.  The wand is normally held right up against the tattoo, as this makes the pulses of light much more effective.

Normally, the feeling that you’ll experience is best described as an elastic or rubber band flicking constantly against your skin.  If the tattoo is big, the pain could certainly be a bit more intense.  The area where the tattoo is at is also important, as sensitive areas may cause you quite a bit of pain and discomfort.  If the area in which you have the tattoo doesn’t have a lot of muscle or tissue, you’ll more than likely want to be numbed as much as possible before starting the procedure.

Both laser and light based treatments are somewhat similar.  With both tattoo removal procedures, the doctor that is doing the procedure will always apply a cooling gel to the tattoo area that is being treated to cool the skin and conduct the energy of the light.  This cooling gel helps to draw the light, and at the same time protect your skin.  The gel will feel cool to the touch, although it will help your skin when the light pulses start to break the ink apart.

If you’ve been thinking about having a tattoo removed you should consider both light and laser based procedures.  Keep in mind that they are both expensive, and both impose risks.  Depending on how big your tattoo is and what the procedure involves, you may need to spend a night or two in the hospital.  Even though both procedures do offer ways to have your tattoo removed, you’ll need to think long and hard before you make a final decision.

Black And Gray Tattoos

Black And Gray Tattoos

How do you get a black/grey value scale in tattoos?
Is it mixing black and white or wut?

you can do that, although i dont think that will come out as well.
Most tattoo artists when wanting to make different shades of grey just dilute the black ink with water. That gives the appearance of shading (the lighter the color gets, the less noticible and so forth). If you mix white with it there is a chance the color wont stay as well over time, and also it will be much brighter looking and not realistic. I have many friends who are tattoo artists and they all just dilute the black to make the different shades.


What exactly do butterfly tattoos on females symbolize and what would be the masculine/male version tattoo?
I noticed a lot of females with butterfly tatoos. Why are those so popular with young ladies and what would be equivalent on the male side?Like what tattoos do young males have thats almost like females and their butterfly tattoos?

It's an interesting question, but the truth is... it's a popular design that women like, more than anything else. Kinda like faries or dolphins. They're just pretty, and women go for that kinda stuff. It's kinda like guys having skulls and dragons. Those are popular masculine tattoos worn almost exclusivly by men. The television shows/soap operas would have you belive otherwise, but most people just get what they like. That's the real truth of it, in most cases. But because of TV shows, everyone is looking for 'hidden meaning'. Go figure.