Tattoos are for life.

If you don’t make an educated decision there may come a time when you regret what you did. If you already have one or several tattoo designs inked I hope you’re proud of them, but most importantly comfortable in your own skin. Think about not just the short-term gratification but also the long term weight attached.

Will you still be ok with them no matter what direction you may take in life?

Do you want to still have it when you have kids in the future and be a father?

Will it still be ok with you then?

I remember a guy who got a huge devil tattoo design inked on his back 10 years ago when he was in his early twenties. I wonder how he feels about it now…

If you’re thinking about going for ink…I recommend you think about it for a few weeks just to make sure that you’re totally ok with it. Either be 140% convinced about the decision or don’t do it at all.

If you want to get a tattoo design inked it IS a decision that is not to be taken lightly although now they do have laser removal. You should never see that as an option. However strange it may sound, I would personally never recommend anyone to get a tattoo design inked, despite my own love of tattoos.

You are an adult and you can make your own decisions.

When making the decision to get a tattoo design inked, always ask yourself for what reason you’re doing it. Don’t do it from social pressure or for anyone else…do it for yourself!

If you after having asked yourself the questions above are fully sure that you want a tattoo design, and know what you want, then GO FOR IT!

The right tattoo design, one that looks good and means something to you, is an extension of your character and something to be proud of. Don’t you agree that trying to decide on what tattoo design to get is extremely difficult?

And the fact that high quality tattoo designs are almost impossible to find online doesn’t make things easier…

The sad truth is that most tattoo decision are made in a hurry while flipping the binders in a local tattoo studio. That’s not the way such an important, life-long decision should be made, and it often results in people regretting they ever got that darn tattoo! Some go as far as getting surgery to have their tattoo designs removed, which could easily end up in the $1000’s! And sadly, even though it cost them an arm and a leg, the result doesn’t always turn out the way they were hoping for..

However, if you’re lucky enough to find that perfect tattoo design for you, you will have a piece of art that will bring you satisfaction for the rest of your life!

So how do you find that perfect tattoo design?

The secret is to browse through a lot of tattoo ideas before you settle on one. That’s where the problem comes in. I’ve spent countless of late nights and early hours searching for tattoo design ideas online… most of the times quitting in frustration after having found nothing of value..

No wonder so many people are walking around with downright ugly tattoos!

There are too many sites out there to list that offer gallery after gallery of tattoo designs, so a good point to check is if you decide to go with a membership site that offers, a money back guarantee and few good solid testimonials, bonus‘s are great too. The one above has a great selection but I will write a product review shortly as I have just purchased this myself. Hmm now its fun time!!!

Once you have chosen that perfect design and you just know that its too wicked to be original, think about certain things that you could add or modify to make it original. Hold onto those ideas and go for a visit down to your local parlor and have a chat to one of artists.

I find if you go down on a weekday, say Monday or Tuesday when its not busy is the best time as they’ll be more inclined to actually discuss something in more creative detail with a “potential customer” apposed to someone who‘s just wasting their time.

As some artists may want to charge you an artwork cost, going down to see them in the slower days is a good opportunity because they get paid on per tattoo sales so not wanting to scare you off they’ll do the artwork for free and throw in their own ideas (who better to tweak your tattoo design than an Artist!!!), sneaky but has worked for me a few times. But they are great people and if you give them respect and courtesy most will do it for free anyway.

So hopes this has helped you even if its just a little bit. Thanks for visiting my blog and happy hunting!!!

Tattoo Design

What are the Most Popular Tattoo Designs?

Tribal Tattoos – Tribal tattoo designs have been around for hundreds of years and are becoming more and more complex and constantly evolving and morphing into what has become known as neo tribal tattoo styles. Tribal tattoos can be traditional ‘black work’ on the arms and legs or more colorful styles characterised by the ‘Modern Primitive’ look covering the entire body.

‘Old School’ Style Tattoos – Anchors and swallows seem to be making a comeback and not just amongst old sailors and bikers. A lot of females are asking for tattoos of swallows and anchors on their neck and chest while many guys are going for the ol’ sailor Jerry tattoos on their forearms. This style is further fueled by the 1950’s revival characterised by retro vixens such as the Suicide Girls.

Lower Back Tattoos – These are a perennial favorite particularly amongst females. The most popular lower back tattoos are still tribal designs but dragons, lotus flowers and eastern symbolism seems to be popular as well.

Dragon Tattoos – Dragon tattoo designs are another style of tattoo that seems to be enjoying a revival. There are so many styles of dragons from the traditional chinese dragon tattoo to more mythical dragons.

Celtic Tattoos – Celtic tattoos are being done on people with a celtic heritage but also by many people with no celtic origin. Some of the celtic symbols are universal in nature and have universal meanings common to all races. This may explain why celtic tattoos are being mixed with tribal tattoos creating a style of tattoo known as tribal celtic tattoos.

Tips for Getting Tattoos

Choose your tattoo carefully. Don’t go for some off the wall ‘flash’ tattoo. A good tattoo artist is capable of doing ‘custom work’.

Try not mix different tattoo styles such as Japanese and Tribal styles. It doesn’t work!

Go to a reputable tattoo artist not some backstreet ’scratcher’ who is cheap but you will inevitably regret later. Build a relationship with the tattoo artist if you plan of getting a lot of tattoos.

Take proper care especially of newer tattoos. In summer many people get tattooed and can’t wait to flash their tattoos in public. Be careful that you do not expose your new tattoos to too much sun which will fade them. Use plenty of sunscreen to avoid them fading prematurely.

Looking for tattoo designs? Visit Tao of Tattoos for more ideas.

Subscribe for FREE to ‘Kinky Ink’ ezine for the kookiest tattoo pictures of the month.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Declan_O_Reilly

Tattoo Machines

Some tribal cultures traditionally created tattoos by cutting designs into the skin and rubbing the resulting wound with ink, ashes or other agents; some cultures continue this practice, which may be an adjunct to scarification. Some cultures create tattooed marks by hand-tapping the ink into the skin using sharpened sticks or animal bones or, in modern times, needles. Traditional Japanese tattoos (irezumi) are still “hand-poked,” that is, the ink is inserted beneath the skin using non-electrical, hand-made and hand held tools with needles of sharpened bamboo or steel.

The most common method of tattooing in modern times is the electric tattoo machine, which inserts ink into the skin via a group of needles that are soldered onto a bar, which is attached to an oscillating unit. The unit rapidly and repeatedly drives the needles in and out of the skin, usually 80 to 150 times a second.

The modern electric tattoo machine is far removed from the machine invented by Samuel O’Reilly in 1891. O’Reilly’s machine was based on the rotary technology of the electric engraving device invented by Thomas Edison. Modern tattoo machines use electromagnetic coils. The first coil machine was patented by Thomas Riley in London, 1891 using a single coil. The first twin coil machine, the predecessor of the modern configuration, was invented by another Englishman, Alfred Charles South of London, in 1899.

“Natural” tattoos

According to George Orwell, workers in coal mines would develop characteristic tattoos owing to coal dust getting into wounds. This can also occur with substances like gunpowder. Similarly, a traumatic tattoo occurs when a substance such as asphalt is rubbed into a wound as the result of some kind of accident or trauma. These are particularly difficult to remove as they tend to be spread across several different layers of skin, and scarring or permanent discoloration is almost unavoidable depending on the location. In addition, tattooing of the gingiva from implantation of amalgam particles during dental filling placement and removal is possible and not uncommon.

Dyes and pigments

A wide range of dyes and pigments can be used in tattoos, from inorganic materials like titanium dioxide and iron oxides to carbon black, azo dyes, and acridine, quinoline, phthalocyanine and naphthol derivates, dyes made from ash, and other mixtures.

Iron oxide pigments are used in greater extent in cosmetic tattooing. Many pigments were found to be used in a survey of professional tattooists. Recently, a blacklight-reactive tattoo ink using PMMA microcapsules has surfaced. The technical name is BIOMETRIX System-1000, and is marketed under the name “Chameleon Tattoo Ink”.

Question: I am thinking about getting a tattoo but the unsanitary reputation of tattoo parlors worries me. Is getting a tattoo hazardous to my health?

Answer: According to the limited statistics available, there appears to be resurgence in the popularity of tattoos. Tattooing has been performed as a decorative practice since ancient times. It is now also being used for some cosmetic medical procedures and for permanent make-up applications. Tattooing involves multiple intradermal injections of the skin by a small machine having one or more needles connected to tubes containing the dyes. The tattooist guides the machine over the skin and controls its speed. The procedure involves a variable amount of pain and a small amount of bleeding. It can take several hours depending on the size of the tattoo. The site of application usually takes 7 to 10 days to heal. Those considering an intradermal tattoo should also remember that it is ‘permanent’ and removal can involve painful surgery or dermabrasion and possible scarring.

Tattooing received a bad reputation in the past and has been banned in some states and localities due to operation of parlors with neglect of health and safety, resulting in outbreaks of infectious diseases. In most of the parlors operating now, there is a greater focus on cleanliness and sterilization of equipment. However, individuals who provide tattooing in unsanitary conditions from their home or the back of a van still exist.

Even in modern facilities, tattooing is not without risks. The two most significant ones are allergic responses to the pigments and exposure to bloodborne pathogens. The compounds used as pigments range from metal oxides to synthetic organic dyes. Cases of hypersensitivity to a pigment resulting in allergic responses have been reported but the incidence of such reactions is low. Since tattooing involves injections under the skin, poor infection control practices before, during and after the procedure by the tattooist and the consumer can lead to risk of bacterial and/or viral infection. There have been cases of hepatitis B transmission through tattooing. Transmission of hepatitis C and HIV are also possible with lack of proper sanitation but have never been reported.

If appropriate disinfection and sterilization techniques are used, the health risk associated with tattooing is small. Currently, many state and local health departments regulate tattooing facilities. In considering whether to get a tattoo, they are a source of information concerning the guidelines and regulations for tattoo parlors in the local area. Another way to ensure safety is to check whether the tattooist at a particular parlor has been certified by the Alliance for Professional Tattooists (APT). This nonprofit professional organization has developed a set of infection control guidelines, in association with the FDA, for its members to follow.

The following are the primary complications that can result from tattooing:

• Infection. Unsterile tattooing equipment and needles can transmit infectious diseases, such as hepatitis and skin infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus (“staph”) bacteria^*. Tattoos received at facilities not regulated by your state or at facilities that use unsterile equipment (or re-use ink) may prevent you from being accepted as a blood or plasma donor for twelve months.

• Removal problems. Despite advances in laser technology, removing a tattoo is a painstaking process, usually involving several treatments and considerable expense. Complete removal without scarring may be impossible.

• Allergic reactions. Although FDA has received reports of numerous adverse ractions associated with certain shades of ink in permanent makeup, marketed by a particular manufacturer, reports of allergic reactions to tattoo pigments have been rare. However, when they happen they may be particularly troublesome because the pigments can be hard to remove. Occasionally, people may develop an allergic reaction to tattoos they have had for years.

• Granulomas.These are nodules that may form around material that the body perceives as foreign, such as particles of tattoo pigment.

• Keloid formation. If you are prone to developing keloids — scars that grow beyond normal boundaries — you are at risk of keloid formation from a tattoo. Keloids may form any time you injure or traumatize your skin. Micropigmentation: State of the Art, a book written by Charles Zwerling, M.D., Annette Walker, R.N., and Norman Goldstein, M.D., states that keloids occur more frequently as a consequence of tattoo removal.

• MRI complications. There have been reports of people with tattoos or permanent makeup who experienced swelling or burning in the affected areas when they underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This seems to occur only rarely and apparently without lasting effects.

There also have been reports of tattoo pigments interfering with the quality of the image. This seems to occur mainly when a person with permanent eyeliner undergoes MRI of the eyes. Mascara may produce a similar effect. The difference is that mascara is easily removable.

The cause of these complications is uncertain. Some have theorized that they result from an interaction with the metallic components of some pigments.

However, the risks of avoiding an MRI when your doctor has recommended one are likely to be much greater than the risks of complications from an interaction between the MRI and tattoo or permanent makeup. Instead of avoiding an MRI, individuals who have tattoos or permanent makeup should inform the radiologist or technician of this fact in order to take appropriate precautions and avoid complications.

The word “tattoo” is traced to the Tahitian tatu or tatau, meaning to mark or strike (the latter referring to traditional methods of applying the designs). In Japanese the word used for traditional designs or those that are applied using traditional methods is irezumi (“insertion of ink”), while “tattoo” is used for non-Japanese designs.
Tattoo enthusiasts may refer to tattoos as tats, ink, art or work, and to tattooists as artists. The latter usage is gaining support, with mainstream art galleries holding exhibitions of tattoo designs and photographs of tattoos.
Tattoo designs that are mass-produced and sold to tattoo artists and studios and displayed in shop are known as flash.

A tattoo is a mark made by inserting pigment into the skin: in technical terms, tattooing is micro-pigment implantation. Tattoos may be made on human or animal skin. Tattoos on humans are a type of body modification, while tattoos on animals are most often used for identification.

Tattooing has been a nearly ubiquitous human practice. The Ainu, the indigenous people of Japan, wore facial tattoos. Tattooing was widespread among Polynesian people, and in the Philippines, Borneo, Africa, North America, South America,  Mesoamerica, Europe, Japan, and China. Despite some taboos surrounding tattooing, the art continues to be popular all over the world.

Welcome to the Tattoo Lair.

Tattoos are pretty much permanent (removals tend to leave scars) so before you go out and get your tattoo, choose your design carefully. Here you’ll find thousands of tattoo designs, tips & tricks and general information. Take your time and browse through the various tattoo categories and enjoy the site!