Tattoo aftercare and sunscreen recommendations?

We realized they were pricey the second we stepped foot inside the salon—that much was obvious. As for everything else... I guess you'll just have to hear it from someone else.

graniteeagle10 said:we realized they were pricey the second we stepped through the door, but as for anything else, you'll have to hear that from someone else.

Regarding that tattoo studio in Washington, D.C.—yes, they’re expensive. To be fair, a few years back, there wasn't such a massive price gap between them and the other reputable, clean, and professional shops in town. Their rates have climbed a bit faster than the rest of the competition, I suppose. That said, my wife and I have had all our tattoos done there, including piercings. We also have a handful of friends who went to either Gandalf or Rob Tattoo back when they were still operating independently. Honestly, if I were in your shoes, I’d suggest looking closely at either Rob Tattoo or Zelet—they're practically neighbors, just a 😬 two-minute walk apart. Take a look at their portfolios, see whose style resonates with you more, weigh the price difference, and go from there. Just please, whatever you do, don't hand your skin over to some amateur who promises to do it for half the price. You really can't go wrong with either Rob Tattoo or the guys in Washington, D.C. 👍

He isn't heading up to heaven with some amateur—the guy is just too sharp for that—but then again, we did agree to go together. Oh, and by the way, Mom needs to be paid. So, we've basically put all of that under our own control. We’re just still going back and forth regarding the size of the tattoo. He’d obviously want a massive one, whereas I'm leaning toward something smaller.

Ryan Ruiz said:Now my friend is telling me I shouldn't worry about it and that the swelling is totally normal. Hmm...

Swelling isn't normal; it means the tattoo is scarring. Any real professional tattoo artist will tell you that immediately.
My advice? Avoid direct sunlight on the tattoo for at least two months. My artist told me to wait three or four, even though I have a naturally darker complexion.

Everything seems to be healing up just fine on my end without any issues. It looks like some areas have just flaked off; I actually shaved my legs today, and it feels like that peeling effect has been there for a little while now. Looking closely at it, it doesn't really look like the ink is fading, but more like the actual skin is peeling away. I am wondering if this is just a normal part of the healing process or if I should be worried about something going wrong.
By the way, my skin tends to get pretty dry.

To be more specific, it looks more flaky than anything else, though that’s mostly just how it appears visually.

Ryan Ruiz, I honestly think that's just how things go. A tattoo eventually has to be removed...

I wish 😢 were different. Is it actually okay for me to wear shorts right now if I make sure to slather on some SPF 30 first?

Ryan Ruiz said:If only it were that simple. 😢 Can I actually get away with wearing shorts right now if I just slather on some SPF 30?

Look, you can certainly do that—but please, for heaven's sake, don't just slap on some sunscreen in the morning and think you're invincible while you're out baking under the sun all day. That's a recipe for disaster. You really ought to be applying moisturizer to that tattoo every four hours, plain and simple.

I got a new black and grey tattoo on my ankle about six days ago, and honestly, the white ink part is practically invisible right now. My artist told me the white would pop after a few days, but I’m sitting here looking at nothing. I’m starting to get pretty anxious that I’ll have to go back in for a touch-up just to make sure the white parts actually show up, because right now, they don't exist. Is this actually normal, or am I just staring at a wasted session?