Is ink like potato chips?

“Are tattoos like potato chips — you can’t stop after the first one” (Farrell par.1)? Society has developed many different ways to identify who a person is or where they may come from. Over 2000 years ago, and even to this day, tattoos have been distinguishing who a person is. To most teenagers, this seems to be the rage of fashion. What used to be an ancient tradition, has recently turned into a post-modern form of “trendy self expression”. However, tattoos are not things people get from one day to another, but consider certain details before applying their permanent mark. Aspects considered like visibility, pain, change of shape after age, and its health issues are considered in order to conclude the best places in the body to get tattooed.

Visibility

Permanent things tend to scare people at times, not only because they will have it the rest of their lives, but because it’s something they will never be able to change once it’s already done. For this, visibility is one of the key components that people keep in mind before getting tattoos. The visibility of a tattoo is not really about facts and information; however, it is about comfortableness, what people want to express, how much they care about peers judging it, and about their own enjoyment of having it. “I chose places that when I have sleeves can’t be seen because I don’t want to be a role model for my students that way” (Constantini). Visualness tends to be considered because of all the stereotypes and negative prejudices associated with having tattoos. Some worry about what other people’s opinions will be, while others care about the simple appearance. In Michael Constantini’s case (ASFM high school teacher), he mentioned how he has sometimes been stereotyped because of his tattoos. The thing is, there are people who “personally prefer to avoid judgmental comments from peers,” since they don’t want to intimidate people. Another thing that comes along with this, is when people stare at the tattoo. “I find it rude when people stare at them and [I feel like] they sometimes get wrong perceptions of me. For example, when they see my tattoo of the virgin they automatically think I’m religious, but I’m not” (Constantini). Moreover, people’s opinions can also cause tattoos to be placed in certain parts of the body. For instance, when people want something meaningful, but want to maintain it private, it is recommended to place the tattoo where it can be hidden. A great example for this is the bottom of the foot, since it’s a place that people usually don’t pay attention to, and privacy takes place as well. (Hughman par.25) Between fingers is also a good idea, not because it’s trendy today, but because it is a “good place for small symbols and works great when it comes to disguising the tattoo” (Gonzalez). Through a simulation of getting a non permanent tattoo between her fingers for 21 days, Miros Gonzalez mentioned how having a tattoo in her finger was “pretty cool,” and she felt it “difficult to regret”. Furthermore, although she enjoyed having it with her, judgmental comments always came along by her parents and friends. “What is that?”, “Why would you have that thing on your finger?”, “Are you acting like a rebel?” These comments that surrounded her daily sometimes made her want to get rid of the tattoo. These comments along with others have to be considered before getting a tattoo, simply by the fact that they might end up being the reason why the tattoo people wanted so much in the past, is now something they want to get rid off in the present. Each person decides where to place their tattoos, according to their ideologies and ways of thinking. There might be people that care when it comes to judgment, but there are others that get tattoos to express themselves in a distinct way. Mostly, when people want to demonstrate their feelings, they tend to tattoo their necks since they express meaning and emotion of their lives or a simple event. (Hughman par.10) At this point, it is nice to recognize how each tattoo depends on the person’s wants and likes, each person decides where they want their tattoo to be placed because of their perceptions and the idea of having something meaningful permanently in their bodies. This is why considering the visibility of a tattoo is fundamental before getting it at any point in life.

Pain

Moreover, another thing to consider when thinking of where to get a tattoo is the different degree of pain for each body part. “All tattoos hurt no matter what,” but “some areas of the body are better suited for tattooing than others” (Charlie par.1). If someone already has a low pain tolerance, or has never gotten a tattoo, it would be best for them to look for these easy places. Areas that are “extremely boney such as fingers are the most painful places to get tattoos because they don’t offer much cushion for the needle” (Charlie par.2). In contrast, areas that are more “meaty” such as thighs grant the customer a quick and easy appointment. (Charlie par.2) Michael Constantini who has six tattoos on his arms, bicep, and shoulders says that on a scale from 1–5, the discomfort he felt was a 1.

“It didn’t hurt at all, but it starts to hurt more when you retouch it and as you get older. It also depends a lot on if the artist has a steady hand” (Constantini). Since this is only one person’s opinion it’s important to consider that “pain is subjective — what hurts more for one person doesn’t for another” (Markarian par.1). Nevertheless, “there’s some consensus about which spots hurt more than others” (Markarian par.1). According to Inked Magazine, which is a popular magazine and website created by tattoo artists, biceps and thighs are some of the easiest places to get tattoos, with a rating of 3/10 because they’re meaty. Likewise, the forearm also has this pain rating because it’s a soft area that “doesn’t swell up much and is easy to avoid sleeping on at night” (Charlie par.5). To add on, both the shoulders and calves are rated a 4/10 on the pain scale because they have some muscle but not as much as thighs or biceps, and “give a lot of space for a large design” (Charlie par.6). The last body part they mention is the wrist which rates as a 5/10. This is because its skin is thinner, and it “hurts more the closer you get to your hand,” “but because it is smaller it will be a relatively quick process” (Charlie par.2). Chester Bennington (tattoo artist) said that even compared to his back pieces, the wrist was still the most painful — especially “where the flex point is” (Markarian par.2). Additionally, he also mentions that based on what he sees from other employees, artists, and clients, he knows the stomach, back of the knee, neck, throat, and ribs also top the “most painful” list. (Markarian par.3) On the contrary, “areas of [the] body with fewer nerve endings” such as the “outer shoulder, calf, buttocks, and outer arm” are the least painful (Markarian par.6). Ultimately, the last factor that contributes to how much a tattoo hurts is the size. Based on a survey conducted in San Pedro, the people with tattoos in smaller and less popular areas such as the navel and mouth rated them as an average 2/5 (Gonzalez, Miroslava, Quintana, Valeria). The bigger it is means the longer the artist will have to work on it, and thus the more it hurts. Thereby, “when a tattoo is especially intricate, it also requires more shading, more coloring, and various types of needles — all of which increase tattoo pain” (Markarian par.7).

Aging

As people get older, like it or not, wrinkles begin to settle in over the skin. The older people get, the greater the wrinkles begin to appeal to the eye. What people don’t necessarily consider, is that unfortunately, life cycle occurs, people are born, grow, continue growing, and finally become old. When it comes to aging, there are certain body changes that don’t depend on healthy status, but on the age. When it comes to tattoos, there are concerns about this since the skin begins to change, and because of it, the shape of the tattoo does as well. Most of the times aging consists of getting old, not only mentally but physically. Aging skin changes “shape, composition, elasticity, and tattoos, because they are embedded in the skin”(Garret par.8). A recent study conducted by Ian Eames, of the University College London, stated that tattoos ‘move’ with age. Change in shape of a tattoo is what concerns people at times; however, some people don’t mind if their artwork fades or changes, since they feel that tattoos have “become part of their identities, so as they age, the tattoos should too”(Hill par.10). Kushala, of Berkeley, who has complex designs all over his body, mentioned how “Some of his tattoos have faded somewhat, but it happens, it’s part of the natural process”(Hill par.12). In other words, age should not be one of the greatest factors of why people consider tattooing themselves, on the contrary, it symbolizes natural change in body and life in general. Aside from the physical appearance when becoming old, another factor that gets affected by aging is the amount of pain experienced while getting tattooed. This is because younger skin isn’t as painful as older skin to tattoo since the younger the skin, the better the ink is absorbed (Markarian par.8). Although there are people that don’t care about aging, there are still areas that men and women consider keeping away from. One of the places that people try to avoid, is the underside of the upper arm. Aside from the fact that it is painful, “the flesh under the arm can get flabby with age”(Laura par.8). By this, it is crucial to pay attention to the place in the body where the person should like the tattoo to be drawn. It is important to remember that tattoos are permanent. Therefore, people need to be fully prepared when wanting to tattoo any part of their body. Everyone decides what is best for them in the short-term, but consider the long-term, something that preferably shouldn’t be regrettable, aging is one of those factors. Of course, as aging occurs, body parts are more prone to changing size than others. This means that there are certain body parts that don’t change as much as others, and those are things that need to be considered as well before getting a tattoo done. (Laura par.5)

Health

The last and probably most important thing to take into consideration when picking a place for a tattoo are the potential health risks. Most people don’t know it, but there are a lot of possible complications that can come from getting a tattoo. This happens when it’s not done correctly, when it’s not taken care of afterwards, or when the client doesn’t research beforehand. Some of the possible health risks include allergic reactions, skin infections, skin problems such as granuloma, bloodborne diseases, or MRI complications. The worst part is that these problems happen from small details, such as being allergic to the type of ink, having delicate skin, if the equipment is contaminated with infected blood, or having an MRI exam. Nonetheless, there are 3 ways to be protected against these risks. The first way to stay safe is to try and steer away from colorful tattoo dyes especially red, green, yellow, and blue because they can cause skin reactions such as rashes even years after getting the tattoo (Mayo Clinic Staff par.3). The second way to be protected is to “get tattooed at a clean and responsible shop that’s licensed (Markarian par.5). This point is incredibly important because in some parlors, the staff is too lazy to clean the needles after use which creates the risk of passing serious blood diseases and infections between people. The last and third way to stay safe are to follow the aftercare instructions. “A lot of people don’t follow the directions on not jumping into public pools, lakes, and rivers for at least two to three weeks after they get a tattoo, they think because a tattoo is small, it’s going to be very easy to take care of, and that’s not always the case.” (Markarian par.12). No matter how small, tattoos always come with the risk of contracting a very serious bacterial infection. Because of this, the artists also “advise against intense physical activity or going to the gym, as gyms can be breeding grounds for bacteria” (Markarian par.12). Some other advise to appropriately care for a tattoo include keeping the tattooed skin clean, avoiding direct streams of water on the newly tattooed skin, not rubbing the area, using moisturizer, avoiding sun exposure, avoiding swimming, choosing clothing carefully, and allowing weeks for the tattoo to heal properly without picking at any scabs. (Mayo Clinic Staff par.6) Apart from all of this, another way to steer clear of health risks is to choose the spot wisely. “Infections arise because of bad bacteria, so when thinking about which tattoos are most likely to get infected, think about which parts of [the] body have the most interaction with bacteria” (Markarian par.9). These areas would most likely be the feet or hands, which people don’t realize how exposed they really are. “Simply walking down the street can be an issue, especially [when] wearing flip-flops or other open-toe shoes” (Markarian par.9). “The same also goes for hands, since hands and fingers come into contact with tons of bacteria every day” (Markarian par.9). Another body area that fits into this category but is only for the most daring people is the eyeball. “The most dangerous a person can get, is the eyeball. Those who do decide to get inked there run a potentially huge risk. With an eyeball tattoo, there’s a higher risk of getting an infection. Plus, getting an infection in the eye, it has serious potential problems including vision loss” (Markarian par.11). In the end, when thinking of getting a tattoo the best bet is to research about the area beforehand, and to talk to the tattoo artist as well in order to stay as safe as possible.

Tattoos are a form of self-expression and art. They are a way to take something of meaning, and transform it into a scar on someone’s body to take everywhere they go. In order to make a decision so big, it’s important to be prepared. Through this research, interview, discussions, survey, and simulation, the best places on the human body to get a tattoo have been narrowed down. Considering visibility, pain, change after aging, and health issues along with each person’s preference and beliefs, the answer can be found. It’s up to each person to find it.

Work Cited

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www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/swim-in-denial/201703/are-tattoos-addictive.

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http://info.painfulpleasures.com/help-center/tattoo-information/tattoos-and-aging

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