Need Tattoo Opinions!

Hey, sorry to start another tattoo thread, but I didn't want to hijack TheCatsMeow's thread. So this weekend I am taking some of my best friends from nursing school with me to my hometown. We all are wanting to get a tattoo together, but can't decide what we want to do. I would maybe like to do something signifying a nurse, or health, etc. since we are in nursing school. Does anyone have any ideas? I'm open to all, not just health ideas! Thanks guys....

I know a guy that has a band of dolphins around his upper arm..what made it special to me was that it had no black outlines. Just beautiful. The guy who did it has a great rep around here & as an artist I love the idea of art with no outlines, no matter where it is.

What about a little white nurse's hat with the red cross in it? Or that symbol with the snake wrapped around it? Or kitty paw prints..hehe

I worked with a midwife who had a tattoo of a stork holding a baby in a blanket

Originally Posted by menagerie mama

What about a little white nurse's hat with the red cross in it? Or that symbol with the snake wrapped around it? Or kitty paw prints..hehe

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I love the idea of the nurses hat with a red cross!

Do you like the zodiak signs? I have mine on my lower back - only beacuse my Zodiak sign will never change!

Do you have any ideas really? I always watch Miami Ink and get ideas! (plus its a great show with REALLY cute guys! )

Also, how about a stethescope?

One of my friends got a caduceus on his arm and it's just amazing. My boyfriend has always said that's the only tattoo he'll ever get, but he's waiting until he graduates from med school.

You could get the star of life as well...even though it's more for emergency medicine

some girls i knew in nursing school all went together and got tatoos of a caduceus on their foot. they were really cute tatoos!

The caduceus is something I've thought about, or even just the basic red cross. These are all good ideas! (And I love Miami Ink too! I think thats why I've got the itch again so bad!) I LOVE the kitty print idea, I've thought of that before also. I also like ankhs (which mean life). Hmmm....there really are so many things I would like to get! I want to go sometime with my mom and sister and get matching ones (whats going through my head is each of us getting a small heart on our ankles, each of us a different color). I have also wanted a four leaf clover/irish clover for a long time. If I can make a decision I may get one this weekend. If not, then I hope to do it wiht my mom and sister on my spring break in march! Thanks so much everyone, if anyone has anythign to add, feel welcome!

heheh why don't you jsut have a big red cross?! Sorry, I coudln't resist. There are some really good ideas here

get Something that you are willing to risk getting hepatitis C and HIV, the virus that causes AIDS — which both can be fatal — as well as hepatitis B, tetanus and tuberculosis for.

Get something worth getting granulomas around tattoo ink, especially if your tattoo includes red ink. Tattooing can also cause areas of raised, excessive scarring (keloids).

and

Get something that you are willing to live the rest of your life with, including what how your family or future family and jobs will accept. Regret isnt an option once you have it.

well there was a pessimistic post if ever I saw one, hun But I'm afraid I shall have to just add my twopennoth worth for that Of course, every tattoo artist worth their salt sterilizes all of their reusable equipment after every use - and there should be official hygeine inspection certificates displayed where you can see them. Those contagious diseases mentioned above are not passed down from a tattoo artist who knows what they're doing and does it properly. Reactions to ink are rare. Anyone who has been tattooed will tell you this. The myths about which inks hurt and which don't... that's all rubbish. It does hurt, but only where you have nerves that get a little jangled. Me, it tickled more than anything, but everyone is different.

http://www.dermadoctor.com/pages/new...3.asp?AID=1067

This is a very good link explaining the science behind tattoos and inks - please note that there are many many alternatives to simply cadmium red (metallic - which is linked most often to granulosa reactions) - probably more than are mentioned on this site - lots of those being organic.

Though I will agree on the fact that it has to be something you are willing to live with for the rest of your life (lazer tattoo removal is very expensive, after all - though it can be done and does leave some scarring)

every statement truth. If you just goto your local "tattoo by dude" your asking for any of those.

funny how truth is confused with pessimism.
Nothing wrong with tattoos at all IMO. have em myself. but if you want to belittle the risks, go ahead.

Oh I understand that it's truth - and I agree the risks are there - certainly if you go to someone called "OLD MAN TATTOOS" or something!! My little local tattoo artist was really one in a million. For my first tattoo, he even took apart all of his equipment so that I could see how it was all sterilized, how it all worked and what noise it would make just so I didn't get nervy over it. That's the kinda guy you want to do your tattoo. While I'm thinking about him (God love'im) I'd also suggest you try to find one who custom makes tattoos (like mine did) because they will take your own designs, they'll make some for you and fiddle about with it until you have something you're absolutely in love with.

I'm not getting at you for sounding pessimistic - it's hard to get sarcasm to come across on a forum post, don't you think!? Nice to know that there is someone willing to give people a reality check for their health though

I'm also not trying to belittle the risks, God alone knows I wouldn't want to say that they're not there, because they are, but I think that people should be aware of the alternatives as well as the risks. If I'd heard about all of those really scary diseases and not about the precautions taken against their transmission just before I had my first tattoo, I'd have been too petrified to get one!

I didn't mean to offend, but if I did, I apologise

Hehe, yeah posts can be very 2-D. Hard to talk with your hands and face when all you can see are words. No worries, none taken.

I did want to bring some harsh realities. She is a nurse, but most people get so wound up in "im gonna do it" and forget some very real concerns.

The tattoo process is indeed neat and very cool. You bring up some good points, you want to spend some time with the artist and have him work with you on what you want.
If you find a place that has many artists and all they offer are books with examples id start to be concerned. You dont want to be another number or part of a quota.
You want someone to talk to you, work with you and show you what is going on. after all you will have it forever. You want to remember 20 years from now getting it and have it be a happy memory.

1 important thing neither of us mentioned.

Do not go Drunk. whatever anyone tells you, it will still hurt and the alcohol will increase your bleeding as the EtOH limits the coagulents in your blood as well as cloud your judgement.

Originally Posted by Middletown

get Something that you are willing to risk getting hepatitis C and HIV, the virus that causes AIDS — which both can be fatal — as well as hepatitis B, tetanus and tuberculosis for.

Get something worth getting granulomas around tattoo ink, especially if your tattoo includes red ink. Tattooing can also cause areas of raised, excessive scarring (keloids).

and

Get something that you are willing to live the rest of your life with, including what how your family or future family and jobs will accept. Regret isnt an option once you have it.

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Of course those things are risks if you go about it irresponsibly, such as letting the next door neighbor's kid do it
When you make a decision to get a tattoo you have to be responsible throughout the entire process, from the selection to the after care. If you go to a reputable tattoo artist you are not going to contract any diseases and as was all ready said, it is rare to have a reaction from the ink. As long as you educate yourself and make smart decisions.
I would suggest getting a tattoo in a place that can be covered by normal clothing for ovbious reasons... but again that comes along with going about it responsibly.

A good tattoo parlor wont give a tattoo while the person is intoxicated.

I agree with checking out the place (repeatedly) before hand. Talk to people who have had their work done their and look at the end result. Like what you see? Go for it!

I like the idea of the little nurses hat. Have fun with it but I would get it in a place that is easily covered for the future if you decide when you are 60 that you hate it!

Originally Posted by Middletown

get Something that you are willing to risk getting hepatitis C and HIV, the virus that causes AIDS — which both can be fatal — as well as hepatitis B, tetanus and tuberculosis for.

Get something worth getting granulomas around tattoo ink, especially if your tattoo includes red ink. Tattooing can also cause areas of raised, excessive scarring (keloids).

and

Get something that you are willing to live the rest of your life with, including what how your family or future family and jobs will accept. Regret isnt an option once you have it.

Click to expand...

hmm hmm. ALL United States Tattoo Parlours are required by law to employ certified professionals. Their certifications must be visibly displayed in their shop, and they are required to follow sterile procedures to minimize the risk of disease transfer. All needles are to be freshly removed in front of the customer (who then has the right to inspect the cleanliness of their materials) before a tattoo is applied.

Granulomas (also known as "red reaction") are often mild reactions but in the case of more serious reactions are easily treatable. Persons with allergies to certain food dyes will be more susceptible to any of these reactions.

Also regarding keloids. keloidal scarring is something that the customer should be aware of, as it would have presented before the age of 18 (the legal age for getting tattoos) either through ear piercing, or from a wound healing. there is no severe risk of keloid scarring in a person that has never presented that condition before.

As for something that you can "live with" for the rest of your life, well yes, you want something with meaning to you. I've never gotten a tattoo that wasn't well planned for in advance, and always suggest that a person spend time examining the design they're getting to be certain that it is a design that they want for years to come.

Ok, I have to jump in here. According to the CDC, there has never been a case of HIV contracted from a public tattoo shop. As of last year the only possible case was in a prison, and it was intentionally inflicted. It happened to use a tattoo crude tattoo machine, it could as well been anything a prisoner could have sharpened and used within a few minutes of applying the infected blood. The HIV virus is temperature specific, and dies very shortly after being exposed to air. Most of the diseases mentioned in previous posts and also prison related, or done at home by unqualified people, or scratchers, that purchase kits from unethical supply houses that do not include sterilizers or any advice on how not to spread disease. Whoever makes these statistics does not bother to tell people that.
Granulomas or granular lesions are usually associated with poor quality or home made inks. Red reaction occurs less and less as the quality of professional inks improves. They happen most often in people that have sensitive skin, or when the artist packs an unnecessary amount of ink into the skin. This can also cause scarring.
There is no such thing as a "certified" professional tattoo artist. They must be licensed in most states, and in some be able to prove to health officials they have been through sterilization and communicable disease courses. No where do you have to prove that you are competent to actually do a tattoo. That is bull*hit made up by unethical and incompetent tattoo "artists" to lure people in. The only way to be sure that someone is competent is to see a tattoo on someone's skin and find out where they got it. Visit that place and ask questions regarding sterilization procedures and disposable needles. If you do not see the artist pull the needles and tubes out of sterile packages in front of you, RUN. If you see bars with needles still attatched sitting usually in the sharps container, and they say they break them off at the end of the day, RUN. They are probably lying and are reusing the needles. Make sure that the person who's work you saw that brought you there is the one you talk to about doing your tattoo. Just because someone works in the same shop does not always mean that they are as good, though a good shop will have standards, and artists of similar talent. Ask to see their photo album.
This is a business that you pretty much have to rely on how ethical your artist is, and unfortunately there are running about half and half ethical to unethical. If someone is evasive when you ask questions, DON'T TRUST THEM. If they are not evasive, just a little cranky, tattoo artists are just a cranky lot.
I don't mean to sound like I know everything, but this is a business I know a lot about. I owned a small shop years ago, and I have worked in tattoo shops as a piercer, floor person, receptionist, janitor, manager, and have spent 21 years with a highly ethical and talented tattoo artist.

At first I was a little offended by the first post by Middletown. After reading several more, I no longer am (the first one just came across a little mean, but as said later its hard to convery emotion over the computer!). Also just let me say that this is not my first tattoo. And I do know that this shop is very clean (my future mother-in-law is a nurse at the health department and has personally done thier inspections). But thank you for the concern! And I may not even end up getting one this weekend, if I don't find something I absolutely love and know I will love forever. If nothing else, I'm just going to get my first tattoo touched up. And I would never go drunk, I know from seeing it firsthand that this shop will not tattoo an intoxicated person. First off b/c you have to sign a form saying you have done no drugs or drank alcohol before coming. Second because I have been there when they turned away someone who was acting as if they had been drinking. Unfortunately the man who did my first tattoo no longer works at this parlor, he moved to another city. And I plan on carefully checking out the artists still there, and to talk to several good friends in my hometown who have been tattooed by them. Thanks again for all the opinions and concerns!