Tattoos

Anyone on here with knee/shin tats, how did you find the healing process?

I'm itchy as fuck!

Can't tell how much of its due to hair regrowth.

Considering reshaving to take it out the equation.

Otherwise healing seems to be going as expected. Did 3 days of bepanthen then moved onto moisturiser. Was quite peely around days 7-9ish, mostly gone now with just light scabbing on the lines.

Lines are quite raised. Itching is probably worst in areas with more line work.

Think the incredibly good weather up here isn't helping.

Both my shins were really itchy! I think it was just down to the hair groeing through though. I don't know how much I'd feel like shaving a new tattoo though....

Well, at least it's good to hear that someone else has had a similar experience.

The best part is, I'm booked in a fortnight on Saturday to get it (hopefully*) finished so even if it gets better, I get to do it all over again real soon!

*I'm have an open ended booking, starting when the shop opens at 10am and finishing when either the tattoo is done or I am or the shop shuts at 6pm! :S

I remember my shins being very itchy but I didn't have any raised lines. I wouldn't worry about it as long as it's healing well otherwise.

My shin itched like a motherfucker.

Strangely after the night I posted that, when it felt like tearing the skin off my leg with a butter knife would have been an improvement, it's been a lot better.

You guys have just put me off with having my next tattoo on my shin, was debating either there or elsewhere on the leg... that said, I am a woman, so hair regrow is not really that big a problem, if it is the cause of the itchy feeling...

My thigh was an itchy bastard once the colouring in had been done.

source unknown

Just wonder, my cycling tattooed peers, or whatever I shall refer you lot as, do you put sun screen on when you commute, let say to work etc on a sunny days like we have had? I know sun screen is important for keep tattoos looking great but I am not sure if I am over doing it, my commute is only about 30mins... obvs there won't be any today, but like sunny days earlier this week?

I don't think you can overdo sunscreen.

Personally though, I only do anything different with tattoos when they are new. After a few months I just treat the skin as if it were normal ie, I wouldn't bother with sunscreen for commute (though perhaps I should really).

I do but that's because I am the whitest person in the world

I've used sunscreen three times since living in the Middle East.

I generally tend to avoid the sun, using buildings to screen myself from it.

never really seen the point of putting a load of sunscreen on my tattoos, especially in the uk.... but then again i'm a fan of scars, blastovers and pretty dodgy tattoos. doesn't really bother me, the ink is going to fade or get mashed up whatever happens, especially if you're a cyclist and you've got your legs out a lot, and the odd errant pedal catching you on the shin or brambles scratching your arms is likely to happen. if you wanted the design preserved you should have got it framed, not tattooed on you (my 2p). but to echo what someone else said, you can't really over-do sunscreen. the effectiveness will plateau but it sounds like your attitude necessitates the reassurance

kola is finishing off my other shin tomorrow, but i'm also looking for someone for do my elbow crook. suggestions from the floor? black linework (quelle surprise), some detailing/thinner linework/shading, floral. a la:

myra oh

kola

? think this is rebecca vincent

artist unknown

just got reminded by my boyfriend that antoine at SB would be perfect for this. he's already said he'll do it. result!

Henbo Henning's linework is good.

I like your attitude, basically rough n love it.

I don't bother with sunscreen specifically for tattoos. Especially if I'm cycling. It all eventually runs off into a horrible sticky mess.

Mine are black and grey though which does seem to deal better with the sun than bright colours.

Have you thought about MXM at Sang Bleu?

Currently one of my favourite artists for black linework.

http://mxmttt.tumblr.com/

I use a sun block stick for kids, spf 50+ on my tats, takes 10 seconds to apply in the morning. My sleeve is 18 years old and still looks pretty fresh, while sun loving pals of mine have a fucking mess. It'll bleed eventually but you can't just tidy up a tattoo so I'll keep on preserving it even though I don't really even see/care about the stuff I had done half my life ago.

haha, not to sound like a hipster prick but i was into maxime's stuff about 5 years ago and emailed him about booking in, but after a few emails he stopped replying and i wasn't bothered about chasing it at the time.... now he's one of the most expensive artists in london and i'm not paying what i think is an extortionate price to get tattooed because >>>>>>>

had this done today by kola, it's based on the best/most emo statue i've ever seen, at the cimitero monumentale in milan. it was going to be a shin job but i didn't have enough space so it's on the calf:

i was really close to the knee ditch, do not want.

So good. Very jealous of your growin collection of Kola's work.
Definitely want to get somethin done by him soon. Maybe this summer.

I'm with you on the Maxime thing. He's really unreliable at respondin to emails which really puts me off.

like this a lot

Has anyone suffer from itchy tattoos? I am sure I am not having an allergic reaction to my tattoos as none of them are particularly new, but some have been itchy as fuck and the black lines are raised, the last week or so. I did a quick google search and it seems humidity can cause it?

Every now and then some of mine will itch, it seems to mostly be where the lines go over thin skin like the collarbone.