When Should I Get First Tattoo

Before my WLS, I had told myself that when I reached goal I would get my first tattoo. I want something kind of on my lower tummy--to the right of my belly button and slightly below. I am not sure yet what I want to get. I'm 52 years old, so it may seem kind of nuts to be getting a tattoo now. I was thinking about a butterfly (for obvious reasons) or a hummingbird with a flower (because I love hummingbirds). I've lost 87 lbs. and just have five more to reach my target weight of 135. I am ready to get my tattoo now. I have a feeling that I'll really never be able to afford plastic surgery. I don't really have a lot of sagging skin anyway, but if money were no object I would have a lower body lift and a breast lift. I actually think if I could just have one thing done it would be the breast lift. If I were ever able to have the lower body lift, would it ruin my tattoo? How do you find a good artist when you don't know anyone with a tattoo? I hope it's okay to post websites. Here are a couple of places in my area that sounded reputable to me. Can someone tell if if this is what I should be looking for in a shop? http://www.mythicalmarkings.com/ http://www.sainttattoo.com/ I apologize for the length of this message but do appreciate any input! Carol

Hi Carol, First off I want to say CONGRATZ for being so close to your goal! I'm still pre-op so I hope to be as successful as you've been one day. I can absolutely relate to your excitement about getting your first tattoo. And perish the thought about age EVER being an issue. Before it became so popularized by sailors and rockstars, Tattoo was a long honored tradition held high by so many cultures across the world. Female, male...old and young...tattoos were (and are) worn with great pride and should always hold deep meaning for the wearer. It's good that you are thinking about the placement of your piece(s) and how they might be affected by a lbl. I would be very careful about those areas because of how they will be stretched and distorted by the surgeon. But if you're really set on wanting your ink to be in those areas, I'd recommend waiting until you had the lbl and THEN get the pieces done. You could always choose another spot for your 1st. It's great that you're searching out and comparing different shops. Both of the sites look very promising. I like how Mythical lists how long the artist has been tattooing up front, and his portfolio is quite nice. Saint also has a nice range of portfolios. I can't help but be drawn to shops that have a mix of female and male artists. Now that you've seen their sites, do you feel up for checking out the shops in-person? This is such a crucial step for any of us in search of work. Does the shop look tidy and well maintained? Are the counters/stations clean and organized? Are the floors messy? Don't feel weird about looking for things like this. We must be proactive and advocate for our health. And when you finally do meet with the artist, does s/he seem impatient and pushy? Does s/he seem interested in your ideas about the design? Does s/he offer constructive suggestions on how to develop the design? Remember, tattoo is an intimate experience between you and your artist. The bottom line is -- It's your body...and this artwork will be with you for the rest of your life. You deserve a quality tattoo(s) from a talented artist in a clean, healthful shop. Anything less is unacceptable. Sorry if I've gone on too long in this response, but tattoos are something I feel very passionate about. I've been very fortunate to have gotten work by some incredible artists over the years (one of them being Hannah Aitchison featured on TLC's LA Ink). But a lot of my friends haven't been as lucky. Some of them picked a tattoo shop out of the phone book, went in without bothering to research or measure the quality of the artists' work with anyone elses...and now they're living with some major tattoo-regret. I hate seeing this happen to people. You're off to a great start in searching for artists and comparing shops. I wish you well with getting your first tattoo. Please post to let us know how things are going -- and feel free to PM me if you'd like to talk more about this. All the best, Kami