Does getting a tattoo hurt?

Depends on a person's pain tolerance and, more importantly, on where you choose to have the tattoo placed. Some low-pain locations include calves, arms, and shoulders. Some "stinger spots" are the middle of the chest and the inside of the triceps—a little more painful, but still easily bearable by most people. Tattoos are different than piercing in that with the latter there is a stabbing sharp pain that is not going away for some time, while the former stop hurting as soon as the needle is taken off the skin, with little or no pain immediately afterwards. There is also commonly more bleeding involved with piercing than with tattooing.

How long does the color last?

With today's advanced colors a tattoo can stay new-looking and bright up to 10-15 years. Of course, a big part of the staying power is how the person takes care of their tattoo. If you go in the sun a lot, use the highest S.P.F. sunscreen you can find and apply it to your tattoos. Sunlight will fade tattoos as the skin burns and peels, essentially taking layers of color off our tattoos. The first 3 weeks are the most crucial because they are the healing weeks that dictate how well the tattoo will look for the rest of your life.

How much do tattoos cost?

Since tattoo requests can be so individualized and varied, it can be hard to give a simple answer to this question. Rather than try to, I'll take a bit longer and explain my own viewpoint on the subject, and then provide you with some real-life examples of past situations and the costs they involved. If you'd like to get a free quote for a particular idea, stop by to see me (map), call me at 1/585.247.1390 or email me at trey@liquidimagetattoo.com with your request.

To start with, cost depends mainly on the size and detail of the piece. If a tattoo is going to take 2 hours instead of 45 minutes, of course you're getting into a more costly tattoo. No matter how big the job, though, I'm afraid this is always going to be a case of "you get what you pay for". An inexpensive $40.00 tattoo is going to look like a $40.00 tattoo, while good artists are going to charge for their years of experience and skill. A famous artist once told me to "never give your work away", and my own motto for this subject is that the bitterness of a bad tattoo will long outlast the exhilaration of a good deal.

If you do get one of those cheaper deals and then feel you can't live with the disgrace of it, you will pay twice for that mistake because you will need to hire another artist to try and cover up the offending image—assuming it's even possible to do so! That second artist is probably going to have to charge more than the covering design would have cost on open skin because now she has to work around a bad piece and make it look presentable.

Here are a few pricing situations I've dealt with in the past. Remember that it's hard to catagorize this kind of art due to the high demand for customized work and so please try to look at these examples as guidelines rather than a price list!

• I commonly do smaller butterflys, crosses or similar simple designs less than a couple inches across for around $40.00. You may have seen art like this on people's shouldlers, the small of their backs or on their calves. These are the quickest, least expensive tattoos I am likely to run into.
• I've done simpler jobs covering the entire upper arm for as little as $300.00 and some complex, intricate work over the same area for as much as $1050.00.
• Huge, complicated designs covering the entire upper back can run into the $2000.00-$3000.00 range.
• I once did a cover up for a guy who had a huge arm piece that went from shoulder to elbow without an inch of skin showing anywhere in the design. He initially wanted to be charged by the hour. During our early conversations, though, it came to light that he had been charged hourly by the original artist and was very unhappy that he'd paid $125 per hour for time that included frequent cigarette breaks and telephone calls. This situation begged for some creative pricing that would leave the customer more comfortable than his past experience had and so we worked out an arrangment to charge according to the amount of skin I covered in a given session. In the final agreement, he paid me $225.00 per session regardless of the time that session took and we both ended the job fully satisfied after several visits.
• On another occasion, I tattooed a person who had a tribal going around his forearm that needed to be reworked because the artist he first went to tattooed him too deeply. The black ink was missing in almost all of the design because he had bled so heavily the blood had pushed the ink out! He was left with a nasty scar going around his arm and a staph infection because the original artist had not sterilized the work area after the customer before this one—now, there's adding insult to injury! The original artist had charged him 150.00 and I charged only 75.00 because I felt such professional disgust over the situation. I have to admit to feeling a good deal of sympathy for the customer, too!

The bottom line of all these dire warnings is that $150.00 and up is a small price to pay for brilliant art that you can't wait for people to lay their eyes on. When you think of the years it will last you, price should not be the determining factor when fine artwork is your objective! Of course, my work is all competitively priced with any of equal quality and I will personally make sure you get that quality with every piece of art.

HOW TO CARE FOR YOUR NEW TATTOO

1. Remove the tbandage after one hour. If the bandage sticks to the tattoo, wet the area with lukewarm water and slide the bandage off.
2. Wash the area gently with mild soap and water, using clean hands (no washcloth should be applied throughout healing process) and be sure to remove all excess ointment, blood, and ink. Pat the area dry with a clean towel.
   DO NOT RUB.
3. Apply a small amount of non-fragrance moisturizing lotion thoroughly. Aveeno brand is best and is what I recommend using 3-4 times a day until the tattoo settles into the skin. This takes about three weeks to one month.
4. NO SUNNING, SWIMMING, OR HOT TUBS FOR 3 WEEKS. Bathing or showering is okay, but don't rub the area with a washcloth.
5. DO NOT SCRATCH OR PICK YOUR NEW TATTOO (you can pat it if it itches).
6. DO NOT use Bacitracin, or Neo-sporine, they are drawing salves and will pull your color out. Since you do not have an infection there is no reason for their use, or that of any other remedy that is not recommended by me. Your new tattoo has to breathe through your pores to heal quickly, so clogging the pores with grease will prolong the healing time. If you work in a dirty environment, you can cover the tattoo with loose cotton clothing and wash the tattoo as often as necessary to keep it clean. If you have any questions at all, please call the shop.
7. DO NOT TAKE ANYONE ELSE'S ADVICE!!

I hope I have answered some commonly asked questions for you and remember: if your tattoo is not becoming then you should be coming to us!

You have been tattooed with my best efforts: wear it with pride.

Thank you for your patronage.

General Piercing Aftercare: Cleaning Your Piercing:

AFTER CARE SHEET - VERY IMPORTANT!! FOLLOW ALL INSTRUCTIONS!!

T.L.C. stands for tender loving care, and that is exactly what your new piercing is going to need. Slacking off on your aftercare or using harmful products will only prolong your discomfort and the healing process. Most piercers will give aftercare instructions, but we have found that 60% of all customers allow this information to enter one ear and exit the other. Also, 47% of all piercing clients lose their paper aftercare instructions. Then there is the 21% that go to a mall kiosk and get pierced with a gun, then come here to learn they shouldn't have done that. These guidelines are based on a combination of vast professional experience, common sense, research, and extensive clinical practice. This is not to be considered a substitute for medical advice from a doctor. Be aware, however, that many doctors have no specific training or experience regarding piercing and may not be educated on how to best assist you.

1. First, wash your hands thoroughly. Never touch your piercing or jewelry with dirty hands.
2. Saturate a cotton suave with warm water, and gently wipe away any "crusties" that have gathered around the piercing site. Throw the cotton suave away.
3. Apply a generous amount of liquid soap to your hand, and apply to the piercing site and jewelry. Make sure you get the soap everywhere, rotating the jewelry is not really necessary unless you notice it trying to "stick" to your skin.
4. Rinse the piercing and jewelry several times with warm water, ensuring that all soap has been removed.
5. Dry your piercing with a clean paper towel, and throw the towel away.
6. Tongue piercings: rinse with 50/50 water and Listerine 3 times a day, no more. Rinse with water after eating. Excessive Listerine or any antiseptic will cause rawness and a coating on the tongue. Stay away from hot liquids, spicy and crunchy food. Crushed ice and cold water will keep swelling to a minimum. You will generally be sore 5-7 days. No oral contact with anything or anyone for 2 weeks, major cause of infection. Do not smoke! Chemical soaked tobacco is extremely harmful to an open wound. You will experience increased swelling, irritation, infection, bleeding, more drainage, excessive bacteria, swollen glands, loss of taste, etc.
7. Alcohol warning- Drinking causes blood thinning (bleeding) inflammation and swelling on any new piercing. Don't drink.

Cleaning Tips:

• Many piercers will tell you to rotate your jewelry. This is not wrong, but I have found that in many cases, this causes more problems than it solves. If you want to rotate your jewelry go right ahead but make sure the area is moistened first with soapy water. After cleaning out the area rotate the jewelry. If it becomes a problem or is painful, try not rotating it for a couple days. Better not to rotate than to irritate.
• Dirty hands and moving jewelry on dry skin cause irritation and infection. Cloth towels, especially those that have been already used, can harbor germs and bacteria. This is why it is safest to use a disposable paper towel. Other one-use products such as gauze, napkins, etc. can also be used.
• There is a big difference between Infected and Affected. In this case, Affected means slightly red and/or swollen.
• A hot compress will help speed up your blood circulation and bring healing co-factors to the afflicted area. A hot compress a few times a day has nursed a great many angry piercings to a happy ending.

If you have any questions about your piercing please call the shop, we will be happy to assist you. Thank you for choosing and trusting Liquid Image as your full service body art and piercing facility.