Tattoo FAQ - please make separate threads for image ideas

[xena]

i may be overgeneralizing, but you can't enter a white-collar position with visible tattoos. do the arms, the chest, the back, the legs, etc.... but NOT the hands. ever!

 

[swilow]

^You can still pick up unemployment checks with your tatts though

 

[felix]

^ i believe you can also punch your wife in public too, it's like a bye-law in some places.

 

[B9]

^ You can run but you can't hide felix, even in OZ!

 

[Velbon]

tattoos ON FINGERS.

Yuck, I’m sorry, but just NO! :D

I’ve said my piece.

If it came down to two people in an interview, both had the same qualifications and both could do the job well, I'd go with who was more presentable. Someone without visible markings over someone who has.

It's no contest. Maybe it's a little askew over the pond, but over here, it's old farts that run the top tier workings. And they really are stuck in their own ways.

 

[SonOF]

I am all about tattoos, and think it's bullshit when one is forced to cover them up, but that is life, and it probably isn't going to change any time soon. With that in mind, I would rethink getting tattooed anywhere that is very difficult to cover up (neck, hands, fingers, face, etc.). ANYWHERE ELSE, for the most part, can be covered up if necessary without too much annoyance.

So screw the haters, and get whatever tat you desire. But in my opinion, I would rethink getting it in one of the locations I mentioned if you are in a white-collar field. If you are a drummer in a death metal band however, all bets are off. %)

 

[tribal girl]

^I think you summed up the entire thread with that one post

 

[PlurredChemistry]

If you're interested in academia you're probably good to go. I know a few phd folks that are essentially unhireable (because of their looks, dress etc) in private industry, but have made decent lives for themselves at universities. Just know, you gotta be good, really good.

Pharm/Medical, no can do.

The real question is what equation/pathway are you thinking of getting tattooed?

 

[pkt]

Tattoo's and tattoo removal

Has anyone ever had a girls name tatooed or something really stupid and had tattoo removal?

I split with my girl and every time i take my shirt off i see her name on my chest and i really want to get rid of it.

Does anyone know how expensive this shit is and how good the end results will be?

Im thinking of just getting something to cover it up but i don't really want any more tattoo's ATM,

anyone with any experience please reply any response much appreciated.

 

[jacqui]

I had laser treatment to remove a name off my arm about 10 years ago.

It cost £50 for each session (UK), it took 4 sessions over a period of 6 months to remove. The treatment only lasted about 30 seconds but was quite painful.... felt like hot oil spitting on my arm....ouch.

The tattoo was only about 1.5 inch wide. There is no scarring so the treatment is very effective but expensive.... Don't know how much it would cost today

 

[Thou]

Has anyone ever had a girls name tatooed or something really stupid and had tattoo removal?

I split with my girl and every time i take my shirt off i see her name on my chest and i really want to get rid of it.

Does anyone know how expensive this shit is and how good the end results will be?

Im thinking of just getting something to cover it up but i don't really want any more tattoo's ATM,

anyone with any experience please reply any response much appreciated.

As the above poster mentioned laser removal is usually just to lighten up really dark tattoos so that they can be successfully covered up naturally with a larger better tattoo. It would take very many sessions (at expensive prices each time) to FULLY wipe a tattoo clean, and it's possible you might scar a bit (depending on the tissue).

I know you mentioned you don't want anymore tattoos, but you might just have to bite the bullet and get something small and subtle to cover up the name. Where is the tattoo on your body and do you have a pic you can show us? I'd be able to tell you if it would come out easy. Is their a lot of scar tissue? Pics would definitly be helpful.

Before

After

This artist is probably one of the best in the world, he also happens to do lazer removal in his shop as well. Hope this was of some help to you.

 

[second650]

Dude my lady has my name tatted on her lower back. Now she got this like 8 years ago. At the time i told her i would do it also. i didnt think we'd still be together so now she's pissed as fuck cuz i never got her name on me. we got into a big fight yesterday because of this. we have a 2 year old son and im thinking of giving in and doing it. i am a man of my word. it took 8 years but i think i'll do it....

 

[purplefirefly]

No one should ever be pressured into getting a tattoo, especially not of someone's name....

 

[pkt]

Heres a pic of the tat...i hope y'all can see it as i had to make it real small to be able to attach it.

It's not that i dont want any more tattoo's, i just don't want to get a tattoo simply to cover up another one but since i dont have alot of cash it seems like the only option

Do you think i would get a good result out of laser on this tattoo? I need to get rid of this shit, as if it wasnt hard enough without that constant reminder...

All i can say is dont ever get someones name tattooed unless they are dead or you are dead sure youre going to spend the rest of your life with this person.

 

[Thou]

Dude my lady has my name tatted on her lower back. Now she got this like 8 years ago. At the time i told her i would do it also. i didnt think we'd still be together so now she's pissed as fuck cuz i never got her name on me. we got into a big fight yesterday because of this. we have a 2 year old son and im thinking of giving in and doing it. i am a man of my word. it took 8 years but i think i'll do it....

First of all, she should realize that's it's incredibly bad karma to tattoo your significant other's name on yourself. It's a horrible jinx and almost always ends up in the two breaking up within the month (call me superstitious whatever, I've seen it happen time and time again). My guess is the reason you guys are still together is because you didn't get her name on you. This is common knowledge in the tattoo industry (pretty much all ethical artists will not agree to do matching name tattoos based purely on this fact).

Explain this to her, and encourage her to cover it up with a nice colorful piece, perhaps symbolic to her, but an actual design. Tell her you'll do the same. No fuss, no muss. Just my two sense.

Heres a pic of the tat...i hope y'all can see it as i had to make it real small to be able to attach it.

It's not that i dont want any more tattoo's, i just don't want to get a tattoo simply to cover up another one but since i dont have alot of cash it seems like the only option

Do you think i would get a good result out of laser on this tattoo? I need to get rid of this shit, as if it wasnt hard enough without that constant reminder...

All i can say is dont ever get someones name tattooed unless they are dead or you are dead sure youre going to spend the rest of your life with this person.

Dude, that's nothing. First off it's faded to shit (no offense, just the artist didn't make those lines stay for shit). That's like two sessions getting it removed.

It however be far cheaper and most likely more fun to just find a good artist do some cover up work. keeping it relatively small, you can get a nice color/black and gray peice for 200-300 dollars (or less if you want to go simple). Each lazer session averages 500 dollars, and you'll need at least 3 of those before it's completely gone. Personally I don't think it would be worth it unless you needed to lighten the tattoo itself to do a coverup piece. Hope my opinions were of some use to you.

If your really strappd for cash you can just cut it out. Google scarification and you can remove that whole top layer of skin where the inks at (WARNING DO NOT DO THIS WHATSOEVER). My girl actually did this to this little spider on her hip (like size of a dime) with a scalpel because the hack artist tattood it on her when she told him not too. It's now been covered beautifully by her new boss. But, again, DO NOT DO THIS.

 

[jacqui]

laser treatment works by drawing the ink of the tattoo to the surface of the skin over a period of time...

How effective laser treatment will be is dependent on how deep the tattoo ink is. Also the deeper the tattoo = more money and longer to remove as you have to wait months between sessions.

Your tattoo looks pretty much the same as mine did but I only had 4 letters so i would imagine it could be removed quite easily over a 6 to 9 month period.

 

[Perpetual Indulgence]

Has anyone tried www.tatbgone.com?
Personally, I would rather spend the money on ink than laser.

 

[Thou]

^I've been reading those ads in tattoo magazines for years now, I don't know from personal experience but every artist I've ever talked to about the subject says it's crap. Kind of like hair in a can. Lazer works well, but it's costly and takes at least 4 sessions just to lighten it up, let alone get rid of the ink completly.

Personally I think cover ups are the best way to go, usually they can just push a whole lot of white ink into the black and fade it like crazy, and if their's little to no scar tissue you'll never know it was there. Plus it won't even have to be that dark (depending on how faded), you can opt for real light pastels with black highlights. It's all about positioning.

 

[Mariposa]

Dude my lady has my name tatted on her lower back. Now she got this like 8 years ago. At the time i told her i would do it also. i didnt think we'd still be together so now she's pissed as fuck cuz i never got her name on me. we got into a big fight yesterday because of this. we have a 2 year old son and im thinking of giving in and doing it. i am a man of my word. it took 8 years but i think i'll do it....

Out of curiosity, are you married to the mother of your son? I think most women, especially women who have children with an unmarried partner, would prefer a formalization of your commitment in the form of a wedding, even a simple one, rather than a tattoo.

But if after 8 years and a son you don't see the two of you still being together forever, you'd be best off not getting a woman's name tattooed on your body. I should really put this in the "dealbreakers" thread in SLR, but I would not date a man who had a tattoo of an ex's name on his body. Period. I can understand and respect the reasons of people who have memoriam tattoos of the names of deceased relatives, etc... but while I realize it takes two to start or end a relationship and sometimes the other person really *is* at fault, I would question the capacity for commitment of a guy who left the woman whose name is on his body. And removing it would not change my mind.

To the OP: I think your best bet is a coverup of a design that has personal meaning to you. While you can't change the past, you can hide the evidence under a well-done, unique, original design that expresses who you are. The new tattoo would be a reminder of who you are now, not your ex. I think it might even be very therapeutic to kind of "take back" your own identity.

I know of a lot of BLers (including PI) who have awesome, stylish, original ink... I would go with the coverup.

But since I'm horrible at taking my own advice, I'm getting the small (2 sq. in or so) tattoo on my shoulder blade I got a month after my 18th birthday with several of my friends (not the same tattoo). I still like the symbolism and meaning behind my tattoo, and I chose it carefully... I just don't want something permanent on my body in that place anymore. I have thought about a coverup. I would rather not. Even more ironic is that I like lower back tattoos when done stylishly... another case of "I wish I knew then what I know now". I couldn't get one tattoo removed and then get another! Mine is small and black and should only take a couple treatments. It will be gone when the budget gets less tight.

Good luck. I'm sure you'll have no shortage of design suggestions if you ask.

 

[Jabberwocky]

tattoo question

hey if somebody is going to get a roughly circular tattoo (~4-5 inches in diameter) that is going to be colored in, and this person is relatively poor...would it be worth it to do it in two stages (outline stage one, then color in stage two) or would this just end up being too much more money compared to getting it in one stage? Or would it break down equally?