Tattoos are becoming more and more popular, especially for today’s high school and college students. Students may cover them up, but each and every tattoo has a meaning. Each tattoo has a story behind it. Most students choose to have their tattoos done professionally. Others have done their own tattoos or had a friend tattoo them. As this controversy unfolds the truth is now uncovered.
The process of getting a tattoo is nothing to be taken lightly. Usually, tattoos are painful. However, the pain is different for each person. Those with a high pain tolerance may feel as if there is only an annoying buzzing of the needle and a feeling of a pin scraping across the skin. Others may feel tremendous pain. Location of the tattoo on the body also plays a factor in painfulness.
Choosing a Tattoo Studio
There is more to a tattoo than simply choosing a symbol to have printed on a person’s skin. The person must find a tattoo studio to get their tattoo done. This studio-searching should be taken very seriously.
It is very important for a person to choose a location they feel comfortable in. There are some risks when using needles and getting tattoos and things can go wrong if the studio and the procedure are not carefully researched.
“When you’re thinking about getting a tattoo, make sure you get it done professionally,” Jason Doll, owner of Doll’s Kustoms, a tattoo studio in Bismarck, N.D., said. “Make sure it will last over time and it isn’t just spur of the moment. You don’t want to regret it later because it will be there forever. Search a tattoo artist that you are comfortable with. Check out their portfolio and make sure that they’re a good, professional artist. Do not, under any circumstances, go to a home scratcher. There are a lot of risks that come with them.”
Doll strongly advises going to a professional tattoo artist because there are risks that can be avoided if a person gets their tattoo done in a professional setting.
“When you do your own tattoos there are sterility issues and autoclaves,” Doll said. “It’s very risky. If things aren’t sterilized properly you can get AIDS or Hepatitis. If you don’t get it done by a professional artist in a professional setting, it’s not going to be good.”
Steps for Getting Tattoos
The process of getting a tattoo includes a few steps. The most important of these steps is choosing a tattoo that has meaning to the client.
“First, we come up with the art, whether the client brings it in or we pick out a flash– images that are posted on the wall,” Doll said. “We make a stencil of the tattoo and then trace it and illustrate. We have to make sure that we pick out artwork that is symbolic or has meaning to the client.”
Risks When Getting Tattoos
There are other risks involved in getting a tattoo, though.
“The biggest risk is buyer’s remorse,” Doll said. “Make sure it’s something you want years and years down the road. There are also blood-born diseases like AIDS and Hepatitis. Of course, these are more common when you’re not getting your tattoo done in a professional studio, but it is always a risk. This is why you should choose a professional studio to get it done in. When it’s healing it shouldn’t be in contact with anything or it could get infected. It’s a wound that’s healing.”
Maintaining Tattoos
Tattoo maintenance may include “Tattoo Goo.” This ointment can be bought at any tattoo studio and rubbed on the surface of a tattoo. Making sure the tattoo is not dry and does not come in contact with anything may also be advised due to sterility and infection issues. Tattoo artists will advise a person how to take care of their tattoo before or when they receive their tattoo.
Costs of Tattoos
Cost is also a factor when choosing a tattoo.
“[Cost] depends on the complexity of the tattoo,” Doll said. “At a professional tattoo studio they are usually about $100 an hour. They can range from $50 to $1,000. Some collectors have thousands of dollars put into their artwork.”
Knowing the risks and procedures for getting tattoos is extremely important. As this tattoo trend continues to grow, students and adults alike should be aware of the advantages and disadvantages of getting inked and make an educated decision on the topic. Some things may only run skin-deep, but those may be those things may also affect people the most in the long run.