Interesting!
So, I have a few tattoos, and I always get asked the same question.
“Was it sore?”
I mean, obviously hun, I had a needle permanently mark my skin.
People also ask which one was the most painful, and I will always say my wrist.
However, it got me thinking; people have a lot of questions when it comes to tattoos.
And so, I called in the help of an expert.
The lovely Danielle from Dublin Ink answered all my tattoo related questions.
From pain to aftercare – we have it all covered.
What are the most painful areas to get tattooed?
“The places on the body that would be the most painful to have tattooed would be the chest, the ribcage and the feet.
These are the area’s our clients struggle with the most (myself included). Other less enjoyable spots would be the inside of the upper arm and lower back.
If your tattoo is only a small one, don’t consume yourself too much with thinking of the pain. Obviously the bigger or more intricate your piece of work is the longer that will take, some of our clients sit for 6 or 7 hours getting these spots tattooed.
In terms of easier spots, I’m not sure there is one, haha! There is no escaping some sort of pain, but if I were to choose the above areas to say a space like the thigh or the forearm, I know which place I’d opt for.”
What’s the most outrageous tattoo request you’ve ever had?
“Hard to say, we’ve had more than a few ‘outrageous’ requests.
Our favourite one is on a client back from living abroad, Thailand if I remember correctly. While there, he treated himself to an old school pin up woman on his upper arm.
The day he arrived back home in Ireland, he was worried about what his mother would have said about this topless woman on his arm so he came in to have a bra tattooed onto her chest. That is a favourite of ours.
Others include a Buddha with an machine rifle, a Mer-Cat (Yes, that’s a cat mermaid) and a personal favourite of mine was a Benedict Cumberbatch portrait. Each to their own.”
What should all tattoo first-timers be aware of?
“Usually first timers want to start off small. The most important thing to know in this case is that tattoos age, and the ink spreads ever so slightly under the skin.
So if you haven’t left enough negative spaces in between your lettering or pattern, it will age into a big messy blob.
Listen to your artist when he says your tattoo needs to be bigger than what you had in mind. We are only trying to make sure that your tattoo still looks great in 10 years. The next piece of advice may sound like common sense, but its often ignored.
Don’t drink the night before getting tattooed, firstly its going to hurt more and secondly you tend to bleed more which makes it harder for the client and the artist. Have a nice big breakfast and a good nights sleep.”
‘I have a horrible tattoo I really regret, what can I do?’
“Its not the end of the world, but do understand that its going to be a long road. Depending on the tattoo, you may be able to cover it up without laser, although this option is rarely realistic.
Most of the time you will require laser removal to at the very least lighten up some of the darker areas. Tattoo’s don’t work like painting over a wall. Its not layered. All the ink stays at the same level in the skin.
This is the reason that covering up without laser doesn’t work. Laser removal usually takes more than one session, and sessions must be 6 weeks apart. We’ve often had clients undergoing laser for longer than 8 months. But in the full scope of things, 8 months is not long compared to living with a tattoo you hate.”
How can I ensure my tattoo doesn’t fade over time?
“All tattoos, big or small. Colourful or black and grey, will fade over time. As the skin ages it breaks down the ink in the skin.
There is nothing we can do to stop this process but there are some things that we can do to slow it down or reduce the effect. This is as simple as just looking after your skin. Sun damage is the biggest burden to tattoos, when on holidays make sure the sun factor you wear is higher on your ink.
Don’t over expose yourself to sun rays, and that includes tanning beds! Organic body lotions such as bio oil and coconut oil are really good for restoring moisture into the skin in general, using these may help with the wear of your tattoos too.”
Are there any tattoos you would never do on a person?
“We won’t tattoo your face, neck or hands unless you work in the business, or at least have tattooed every other area on the body.
These body parts should be the very last place you opt for. Firstly, they aren’t ideal spots for healing and secondly we don’t want to be the reason you didn’t get your dream job!
We are a reasonable studio and appreciate everybody has different interests, but we won’t tattoo anything that can be deemed as seriously offensive.
There has only been two of these occasions in the past where we had to communicate to the client that none of the artists would feel comfortable tattooing such an image, you can let you imaginations play around with what they were.”
How would I care for a new tattoo?
“Dublin Ink has a slightly different method of aftercare, its a more modernised version that takes the hassle out of healing.
We use a product called Saniderm that’s free to all our clients. It involves a transparent wrap that covers the fresh tattoo, the wrap generally stays on between 3-6 days depending on the size of your tattoo.
During this period your tattoo starts the healing process without interruption from outside bacteria’s or agitators.
On the last day you gently peel the wrap from your arm and your tattoo, for the most part, will be fully healed. You may need a small bit of moisturiser for a day or two after to keep it hydrated. Easy peasy!”
