Straight answers to the things that stop people booking a tattoo — from the first idea to a healed tattoo. Each guide points you at real, credited work in the catalogue, and health guides quote dermatologists who specialise in tattoos.
Tattoos look great on every skin tone, but ink behaves a little differently on darker skin — and some artists have far more experience with it than others.
Everything below answers a question the artist would otherwise have to ask.
Avoid painkillers that thin the blood, such as aspirin, unless your doctor says otherwise; ask your artist about numbing creams before using one, as some affect how skin…
Keep it clean, keep it lightly moisturized (thin layer — a thick, greasy coat traps moisture and can actually slow healing), and keep your hands off it otherwise.
Nine stages from a vague idea to a healed tattoo. Every guide ends with a link to the next step, so you can read them in order — or jump straight to where you are.
The worries people mention most — and where the honest answer is.
11 guides
10 guides
4 guides
6 guides
4 guides
4 guides
5 guides
1 guide
Health guides quote dermatologists who specialise in tattoos word for word. New to the words? See the tattoo glossary. How guides are written and corrected: editorial policy.