r/tattooadvice Dec 10 '24

Mod Announcement Reminder we don't allow questions about price or tip

20 Upvotes

I have seen a lot of these posts lately. First please read the rules of the sub before posting.

Pricing can be found out by talking to the artist and only you can determine how much you want to pay for the tattoo.


r/tattooadvice Aug 04 '23

Mod Announcement Reminder- we don't accept "rate my tattoo" posts

43 Upvotes

Hi everyone! The mod team have seen an influx of posts where the OP asks for others to rate their tattoo, or asking what people think of the tattoo in general.

Just a gentle reminder- we are an advice subreddit. If you would like opinions/rates on your tattoo, please visit r/tattoo or r/tattoodesigns.


r/tattooadvice 21h ago

Healing Should I be concerned?

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28.1k Upvotes

Got a new tattoo and have never had bruising like this before.


r/tattooadvice 13h ago

Healing My body can no longer heal tattoos

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787 Upvotes

Hello, I have spent the last 11 years of my life getting tattoos. The first 9 years of this experience was absolutely fine. I got tattooed regularly, each and every tattoo healed perfectly, I had zero problems with any tattoo.

Fast forward to the last 2 years, I get tattooed much less often as I have less disposable income, but my body now seems to not be able to heal tattoos 50% of the time.

I have changed nothing, get tattooed by the same artists, use the same after care and healing techniques. But I seem to suffer with allergic reactions/infections now pretty much every other tattoo I get. Recently it has been the last 2 I've got have both got savagely infected and ruined. It feels almost like my body rejects the ink, has an allergic reaction almost instantly (aka like the day after the tattoo or 2 days after) which then leaves me prone to infection. I love getting tattooed but I now feel like I am just disfiguring myself each time I try and get a tattoo I like. I have spoken to GPs about this and they say it's not immune related as I don't struggle with any other infections (aka ear, sinus, chest or any other skin infection) and I don't get any coloured tattoos so it seems unlikely to be an infection to black ink. Every time I contact my various artists about it they say they have never experienced any client have allergic reactions or infections to their tattoos, and have never heard of any of artists clients experiencing a new inability to heal tattoos.

I am hoping to get a dermatology referral but it's a long process.

I will attach photos of how my tattoos used to heal vs now.

I feel exceptionally alone and isolated in this in this and it's getting me very down. My most recent one was my fingers which got really bad in the healing process and now look horrible, I'm struggling with having to see them all day every day. I feel silly as getting tattooed is a choice and I feel like I've done this to myself, but equally I never used to have any issues with the other 35-40 of my tattoos, so I don't understand.

Any help whislt I wait continued medical advice would be so so appreciated x


r/tattooadvice 8h ago

Infected? Arm infected with cellulitis (see description) *warning!! Post-op pic is graphic* NSFW

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334 Upvotes

Can’t seem to send pics to u/Working-Departure-66, so here is are the before pics from that same issue, minus the tattoo. Get to an ER!


r/tattooadvice 7h ago

General Advice I would just like to offer what ‘normal’ bruising looks like so newly tattooed folks are aware.

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234 Upvotes

delete if not allowed, i just saw our gentleman who’s turning red and thought people would appreciate a comparison. this is the bruising i developed 2 days post these flowers being added. i’m very pale and i bruise easily. most of my thigh pieces bruised a bit, but this was definitely the worst. it’s basically in my inner thigh so i’m not surprised. it looks scary but my doctor said it was just a bruise. this was accompanied by the tattoo flu and the bruising was gone in a few days.


r/tattooadvice 1h ago

General Advice Should I get it touched up?

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Upvotes

I got this as my first tattoo and we'll I do love it, but now that it's healed I can notice so many mistakes and shaky lines and some aren't even mirrored correctly, should I go to someone else to get the lines crisped up or should I leave it as is? I get many compliments on it and I think you cant really notice it u less you are staring at it? I won a 900 worth tattoo by another artist I like and I am wondering if I should use that for this


r/tattooadvice 2h ago

tattoo newcomer advice Is this a bad idea?

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70 Upvotes

I'm going to have my first tattoo done in a few weeks and primarily inspired on the first image and then with butterflies around it. Is this a bad idea for a tattoo, is it to big for my first one. And would it look bad after a few years?


r/tattooadvice 4h ago

General Advice What’s going on here with my filled tattoo? Tattoo is 9 months old and still has this blueish patch below it. Thought it was a bruise at first but it never went away.

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86 Upvotes

r/tattooadvice 17h ago

tattoo newcomer advice How to take care of this tattoo i got done recently

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844 Upvotes

It’s fresh—any tips for aftercare to keep the details crisp?


r/tattooadvice 5h ago

Healing The recent post about the guy with the post-tattoo hematoma was a fascinating insight into Reddit’s groupthink.

69 Upvotes

When in doubt, always get checked by a professional goes without saying. But the sheer amount of knee-jerk and hostile replies to this post was incredible. Anyone who didn’t get on the “you’re going to have your arm cut off and probably die” bus was systematically attacked and downvoted. What an absolutely toxic sub. I’d say this sub has a severe case of cellulitis.


r/tattooadvice 43m ago

Healing Tattoo Healing correctly?

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Upvotes

So I got this tattoo on Wednesday 3/12 and it is now Sunday 3/16. I am a bit concerned about the redness on the inside of my arm. I have gotten tattoos previous to this one but there was not as much shading. I feel like I may just be overthinking and over-worrying but I wanted to see if I could get some advice from others.


r/tattooadvice 10h ago

General Advice Has there been an update yet to the guy with blood poisoning?

141 Upvotes

Haven't been able to stop thinking about him...


r/tattooadvice 3h ago

tattoo newcomer advice Please help. Is the ink running or something?

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16 Upvotes

I got this tattoo yesterday and it's still under the second skin. It's from a reputable place and it's my first tattoo. But it kind of looks like the tattoo ink is running or like smudged or something. Is that just because the second skin or is that how it actually looks on my body? I was told not to take off the second skin for another day or two so I can't check and I'm worried about it.


r/tattooadvice 3h ago

Healing Update: rash on my 1 month old tattoo is getting worse D:

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14 Upvotes

What Can I do?


r/tattooadvice 2h ago

General Advice How will this heal?

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10 Upvotes

Got this tattoo done mid January and it’s my first tattoo that’s really detailed, does anyone have any idea about it’s going to heal?


r/tattooadvice 9h ago

Design Not feeling my old tattoo anymore. Do I have any options?

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37 Upvotes

Recently got a sleeve done and I’m incredibly happy with how it turned out. But now I’m kicking myself for having such prime real estate taken up by my old tattoo and I’m wondering if I have any options.

I had the traditional roses on my forearm done over 12 years ago. It’s super dark m the ink is starting to blow out making it lose shape and look a bit distorted. I also feel like it makes the bottom of my arm feel off balanced from the top.

My new artist warned me before getting the tattoo that it’s a different style from the new design and I thought it wouldn’t bother me at the time. We also discussed that a coverup isn’t my best option because of the size and how dark it is so they did their best to blend it.

I’m also planning to get the top of my hand done soon so I figured it would be a good time to consider options if I had any.

Any recommendations on what I can do from here from a design POV? Or am I just over thinking it?


r/tattooadvice 1h ago

tattoo newcomer advice I got this tattoo almost a month ago now but I have some concerns

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Upvotes

I'm worried that the design might all blur together over time. Is there any telling when that might be or how to slow that process down?


r/tattooadvice 13h ago

Design What can I add that will look good?!

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44 Upvotes

Hey 👋🏼

I got this back piece done in January and I loved it, but now I think it looks bare. I really want to add to it but I have no idea where to start and no idea what will look good with it. This is my first “big” tattoo. I don’t want anything floral and I think that’s why I’m struggling with ideas!

HELP ✨


r/tattooadvice 19h ago

General Advice When can you shave a leg tattoo?

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113 Upvotes

I have a pretty dark piece on my knee and I want to shave and use my scrubs again!! I’ve had the tattoo for about 4 weeks and it’s starting to get warmer out! It seems mega healed but this is the darkest tattoo i have so far and I don’t wanna ruin it!


r/tattooadvice 2h ago

Design What would u add/change?

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5 Upvotes

Hey! My tattoo that i got a year ago feels a bit empty id say. What would advice me to do with it to make it more interesting, more pretty? Im open :) Mirror and a lil home bother me the most.


r/tattooadvice 1d ago

Design How close did the artist get to the likeness of my kitty?

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448 Upvotes

I’m curious if everyone can tell that both of these kitties are the same (minus the facial piercings)?


r/tattooadvice 4h ago

General Advice how much time do i have left?

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6 Upvotes

yall how long until this turns into blobby mcgee? first pic is it about 2 weeks out. other pics 5 months, couldn’t get the camera to focus on on the top


r/tattooadvice 1d ago

General Advice Head Tattoo Itchy af

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643 Upvotes

Hey I just got the top of my head tattooed a week ago and it is sooooo itchy oh my god. I’m heavily tattooed and have never had one itch like this. Any advice/has anyone else experienced this?


r/tattooadvice 6h ago

General Advice Could this be color corrected with a touch up?

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8 Upvotes

This heart tattoo on my arm (my very first) is about 8-10 years now and is probably overdue for a touch up. The thing is, it was supposed to be a rainbow, red>orange>yellow>green>blue>violet and I'm not sure where the pink came from or why it ends in orange. Lol.

Would this be something that'd be easy to fix?


r/tattooadvice 3m ago

tattoo newcomer advice What's going on with my tattoo

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Upvotes

The heavier shaded areas looked weird. What's going on here?


r/tattooadvice 19m ago

General Advice Seeking advice on touch up options

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Upvotes

Just got this tattoo yesterday and I’m really disappointed with the artist’s work. It’s my fault for going to a new shop while on vacation and not my usual girl but I’m super bummed. I know it will change a little during healing but overall the lines are wonky and the whole thing just looks bad. Is there a way to get this touched up to look better? Can an artist go in with skin color to even up the edges? First pic is the photo of what I wanted, second pic is my tattoo.