Quote:
Originally Posted by Kate*
For awhile I've kind of toyed with the idea of getting a tattoo, but mostly because of the pain and the fact that it's permanent, I never seriously thought about it. But, I'm turning 30 this year and I've made peace with some major things over the last few years and I want something to symbolize that. I do have a clear idea of what, how big, and where I would want it, but there are things I'm worried about.
My pain tolerance is less than zero- This is the main thing holding me back, I know everyone is different, but I'm afraid that I'll regret it as soon as the pain starts and there's no turning back.
Healing/reactions- The necessary care seems pretty extensive, and if I went through with it, the last thing I'd want to do would be to screw it up somehow by doing something wrong. Also, because of where I would put it, it would be covered while it's healing and I've heard that that can cause problems. I also heard it's possible t be allergic to the ink or to have reactions years later and that might be rare, but my luck is basically if it's rare, it's going to happen to me.
Cost- It's a factor, but it's not the deciding factor, I have some income now and can save up if needed, but I don't know what's reasonable expensive vs. too expensive. It's going to be relatively small, so it shouldn't be too bad.
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I have a couple of tattoos, and the pain varies where you're getting it. Since you have so many concerns, why don't you go talk to or email a couple of tattoo artists about your concerns. I'm sure they'd be able to answer your questions more appropriately. Particularly in the case of healing. My wife has a tattoo on her bra line, so I can ask her how it healed for her. However, I'm fairly certain they'll have you keep it covered and expose it when possible. Typically if its a covered area, it should likely remained wrapped for about a week because it can cause staph infections since it is an open wound. Overall, I wouldn't be worried about it. So long as you care for it properly, you should be fine.
More importantly, I'd say that make sure you understand that it is permanent. Even if you regret it later, you should recognize it was important to you when you got it. I'm also 30 years old. I got one of my tattoos when I was 18. It's a dinosaur that looks like Charmander (but it isn't). For various reasons I got it, but I am embarrassed of it now. However, I don't want to cover it because it was part of who I was. I think if you recognize that, any concerns of permanence should be put to rest.