I have to put my 2 cents into this also.
Jabberwocky said:
However, if your looking long term,
With tattoos there is no short term, they last forever....
Jabberwocky said:
don't get one on any large muscle mass and steer away from anything really large. Both the tattoo process and the tattoo istelf atrophy muscle, and can significantly weaken the muscle around the tattoo area.
A friend of mine is having real trouble because she got 4 large-ish multi colour tatoos up her right calf about 15 years ago, and she is having difficulty rebuilding muscle after she broke her leg.
That is just silly....
I too have never heard of anything like that. I just checked with my friend who is the artist that has done 3 of my tattoos and he told me that it never leaves the skin. It does not penetrate the muscle and therefore can not weaken the muscle.
I have 6 tattoos and have never had that problem....
Your friend is experiences this because of degenerative problem or something but not because of her tattoos.
Here aer some common questions about tattoos, and I can tell you that they are true because I have 6 of them:
How deep does the needle go?
A tattoo is a shallow wound or penetration to the skin. Your skin is made of two main sections of skin, the epidermis and the underlying dermis. A tattoo is placed into the dermis area. When you pluck or tweeze a hair, you are pulling from the same area that the tattoo needle will go. As an example of depth, look at the inside of your wrist, where the vein can be seen. A tattoo in that area will not puncture the vein, when properly done.
Is there any blood?
We do not tattoo into the circulatory blood system. However, there are some body fluids involved and minor skin surface bleeding similar to a shallow scrape. Most people are amazed at the lack of bleeding involved. Care should be taken by the customer to prepare themselves for the tattoo.
How long does it take to heal?
This answer varies as to the person, the health of the person, type of tattoo and location of tattoo. Generally, you will care for your new tattoo for the first two weeks, with healing time averaging 7 - 10 days. Your artist will go over the best method for you and your type of tattoo.
I have actually found about 2 weeks is the norm. - Der Adler
How is the tattoo applied? What can I expect?
Basically a solid needle will push a small amount of dye into the skin surface. The body will heal the skin over the dye resulting in a permanent tattoo when healed. To receive a tattoo, your skin will be washed and shaved in the area you desire the artwork. A pattern or a guideline will then be applied. Your tattoo will begin with an "outline" where the basic form is laid out. Then artist will begin the "shading", basically putting shadows and dimension to your tattoo. Then, if desired, "coloring" is added one color at a time until the tattoo is completed. Your tattoo will then be bandaged.