i was wondering....(pic)

[Holly.Lynn.Pocket]

ok the pain?
so everyone has prolly been asked this 1 million times but i really need to know.
on my 18th birthday i want to get a side tattoo like this one:

http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=28s1mra&s=3


I absolutely love it and i have wanted it for about a year now. I dont care all that much about the pain but i would like so know. Also if anyone has any ideas for a smaller tattoo for lower back, sholder blade or hip bone to match somehow i would really apeaciate it! :) thanxx so so much!!!

-Holly

[tessariot]

ooooh that's really pretty! I've been looking for some really good looking roses to reference for a tattoo I'm planning for my leg

[mouse666]

i wanna know too. cause i wanna get a nautical star with vines or something going off it donw my side with other stuff in the vines.

[highseas]

i don't suggest a tramp stamp.
i never have, i never will. if you look at basic statistics, most tattoo removals are done on lower back tattoos. use that information at your own discretion.

as far as pain is concerned, rib tattoos are normally up on the charts as far as pain is concerned. there is little give in depth up in the ribcage area. also, even though you are young, and this may be completely out of the picture -- but you're a girl. most likely you are going to want to have a child, not necessarily in the near future -- but it weighs towards an inevitability. pregnancy stretches tattoos, and yes -- even on your sides. getting a tattoo touched up after stretching isn't as easy as one would think. stretch marks are areas of skin that have thinned out. they don't retain ink well. if you are truly adamant about a side tattoo, keep in mind that if that day ever comes -- keeping a thin layer of vitamin E all over your tattoo will minimize deformation[but not completely eliminate].

just keep in mind all the what if's if you're going to truly be smart about this.

[iamblackbird]

I've got a side piece that spans from under my arm to my belt line on my left side, and a smaller piece on my right. Yes, it hurts. There wasn't any part of those tattoos that were easy or fun for me, but they were very much worth it.

I don't want kids, so stretch marks and all that aren't concerns of mine.

As for the "tramp stamp" (which I personally hate the name of), I happen to have one. It's an om, and I enjoy it being there. That said, I do keep it covered most of the time, like the rest of my tattoos, purely for professional reasons.

[highseas]

that sounds tasteful, petra.
i wasn't looking to offend anyone with the comment i made. of course, there's a good and bad way to approach everything. i just don't want to see anyone who's just turning 18 to get something that they might regret just because they're turning an age where they can go and do it by themselves.

holly,
just start with the things you know you really want. i just get wary because i know way too many people who have invested in 'shotgun' tattoos that's they're not too happy with. i still wish you nothing but the best.

[iamblackbird]

Yeah... I'm wary of people getting huge pieces done for first tattoos. They don't know how their body will react to it (ink OR pain), and it's an altering decision... it changes how you look, in the end.

[Duckette]

Everyone is different, but I have 6 different tattoos, back, leg, ankle, arm, shoulder, and hand. My most painful one was on my hand.
I wouldnt get one on my ribs, but thats just me. I never wanted one on my hand either, but got one now, and there is no sense in regretting it because its there...and too much pain/$ to remove.
Anyhow, I cant see the pic of your tattoo, bc it wont load for me. BUT I would always go with a smaller one for your 1st tattoo, just so you get used to it first, then go for a bigger one. But you mentioned that you have been wanting this for more then a year so go for it, besides its only a few hours pain for a lifetime piece of art.
And after awhile, 20 mins or so, it stops hurting anyhow, your skin kinda goes numb and you get used to the sensation.
Good Luck, post pics onces its done.

I would always go with a smaller tattoo, for my 1st, just to make sure you like it and can handle the ink/pain, etc...but dont get a small tattoo just to get it, and then end up regretting it.

Please keep replies made in the same day as one post. We have an edit button for that reason.
-Jameson13
Moderator

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