Pretty in Ink

By: Toni Merriss

Posted: 10/19/06

Although they can be dated back thousands of years, many people have thought that tattoos were only a passing fad or something for the biker gangs. In this day and age, however, tattoos can be for anyone from your kindergarten teacher to the CEO of your company. It is estimated that 16 percent of all adults in the United States have at least one tattoo.

People choose to get tattoos for a variety of reasons, from memorializing a loved one that has been lost all the way to just wanting to be different from everyone else. Sometimes wanting to remember a certain point in their life, showing their faith to God, or even just because they have a fondness for getting tattoos can influence a person to get one.

"I have 11 tattoos. Some of mine were done just to resemble a time in my life, but every one of them has a special meaning to me," said senior business major Eric Beck. "I have memorial tattoos, life-long goal tattoos and tattoos that show things about me and the things I love."

In the last few years, tattoos have really hit the mainstream with reality television shows such as "Miami Ink" and Hart & Huntington's "Inked". These shows alone have flooded the market with people getting tattoos that would have never gotten them before. Both of these series have shown the country that every type of person you can think of would get a tattoo in today's society, whether it's a man getting a memorial tattoo for his cat that passed way or someone getting a large tattoo on their shoulder of a tiger because they liked the way it looked. For senior communication major Kaitie Shell, the decision to get a tattoo was an easy one, the hard part was paying for it. "I have always wanted to get a tattoo, but they can be expensive so I am waiting. I think I am going to finally get one for my birthday in April though," said Shell.

Tattoos can be any size, shape or color you can think of and can be placed almost anywhere on the body. Of course, many people choose to have them placed where they can be hidden easily, but you also have those people that have them anywhere that there is skin.

For those that have never gotten a tattoo, there are many factors that go into getting one. The first choice is what to get. Some people like to pick their tattoo off of the wall at the shop or many have books available, which simplifies the process. "Music is my passion, so I already know that I want a music note on my hip," said Shell.

While others may want something custom made, it makes it a little harder to integrate everything they want. "I usually draw my own tattoos; that way I know that my tattoo will come out exactly the way I want it, and no one else will have the exact same tattoo as I do," Beck said.

The next decision to be made is where to have it placed. As it was said above, many people choose to have their tattoos done where it can still be hidden because some employers have an issue with tattoos showing while someone is at work. Due to this problem, some tattoo artists will not put one on certain areas such as the hands, neck or face. A person needs to be certain about where they want a tattoo placed because it is there for life. Unless, of course, they would like to pay for the removal, and that can range anywhere from $100-$500 per session, depending on the size and colors used.

The rest of the tattoo process is done by the artist. They take a carbon copy of the design and transfer it from the carbon paper to your skin. Once in place, they send you to look in the mirror to make sure everything is exactly how you want it. When the artist gets the okay, the tattoo process starts.

The process is pretty simple, but it can also be painful for some. "Personally, I do not think it really hurts. It is more of an annoying pain. It is a feeling that you cannot get doing anything else," Beck said.

For sanitation purposes, the artist wears rubber gloves during the entire process. First they clean and shave the entire area so that nothing is in the way of the design. Next, they remove a new needle from the package and place it into the gun. The needles used are a one-time-use only product. He or she should always set up in front of the customer so that there is never a question about whether or not a needle is new. The artist will use different size needles depending on what they are trying to do. For a more complicated design, they will use a thinner needle for the outline or detail and then change the needle to do the shading and coloring.

Once completed the artist will spray a liquid cleaner on the tattoo and then place an anti-bacterial ointment on it to help it heal faster. Last but not least, a plastic wrap is placed over it to protect it from rubbing against anything or possible infection.

The artist should give you a paper with instructions on how to take care of your new tattoo for the next few weeks, but a few common do's and don'ts are: DO continue applying ointment for a week or two; DON'T soak the tattoo in water; DON'T expose your tattoo for long periods of time to the sun, but if you are in the sun DO put sun block on your tattoo; and DON'T pick or scratch your tattoo under any circumstances.

Good luck and happy tattooing.