Tattoo removal advice?

I’m trying to wrap my head around how dangerous this actually is for your health, and honestly, what kind of damage does it do to your wallet?

What are all the red flags you need to look out for with this stuff?

😕

And once it's over, am I even allowed to donate blood?

stormytrucker21 said:I'm wondering how risky this is for your health—and what the damage to my wallet might be.

What should I actually look out for here?

😕

Is donating blood allowed afterward?

Health-wise, it’s basically zero risk, I guess. As for the price, it really just depends on the size of the tattoo, if you want color or whatever—it's better to just head to a shop and ask.

You just have to make sure you don't soak it for about two weeks, and apply some Neosporin a few times a day—that's pretty much it.

You can donate blood.

If you ever decide to get inked, just a heads up: factor in about 2-3 months where you absolutely CANNOT let that spot hit the sun!!!

You won't hurt yourself, but the lines and colors could fade big time...

Anyway, if you want the best info, I’d highly recommend checking out that tattoo shop in rural Washington, D.C.! 👍

You can't even get your bloodwork back until after six months!

JoZ@ said:You can't donate blood until six months have passed!

🙂That’s just not true.
You actually have to wait a full year.
(Basically, you could lie about it. They take your blood, and if it comes back clean, then whatever—they test ALL blood from volunteers anyway. That's just how they play it since testing is expensive; they just weed out anything that seems even remotely risky.)

So, if you really want to donate, you could just lie and say you don't have a tattoo...
If the shop was good and clean, the person who tattooed you isn't going to infect you with anything.
And if your blood is bad, infected, or whatever, the folks over at the blood bank will just call you at home.

Gary Sanchez said:If your blood isn't clean—like if it's infected or whatever—and you donate it, those folks over at the blood bank will give you a call at home.

Now this is interesting...

Are you sure that actually happens (is that really how they handle it), or is that just how it's supposed to work?

silentpanther15 said:Now this is getting interesting...

Are you actually sure about that—like, is that how things really work—or is it just how it's supposed to go?

I know for a fact.
At least, that's how it works here in the States.
My mom used to donate blood all the time for years, and everything was fine...
until some damn dentist🙂 infected her. I'm not even sure which hepatitis it was, B or C...
And when she went to donate again, they told her the blood wasn't good enough and sent her home, or maybe they mailed her something—I can't remember exactly, but they DEFINITELY let you know.

Why do you ask?

silentpanther15 said:Enivej, if you want some solid advice, I highly recommend checking out that tattoo shop in the rural outskirts of Washington, D.C.! 👍

Are we talking about the guys from Burger King or... 😕

Anyone here ever gone through with getting a tattoo on the inside of their bicep? If you did... how was the experience?

Nicole Lee43 said:Is that Robi & Mustard or... 😕

Nah...
I actually wanted to get my ink done by Robi, but back then he was (let's just say 😁) super flaky. So I hit up this basement studio about thirty yards down the street instead. Man, I was blown away!

They've totally leveled up since then—the whole shop looks super pro and legit now! 🙏

Thanks for the heads-up. I'll make sure to head out there sometime this week to check it out for myself.

I’d honestly suggest checking out Zele... I can't recall the exact name of his studio off the top of my head, but I went there for a piercing and didn't have any issues at all. Plus, Zele is just a really great guy—super smart, too—and you can tell he actually gives a damn about his work and stays strictly professional about everything he does.

Where on earth is his salon located?

stormytrucker21 said:I’m honestly wondering how much of a health risk this actually poses and what the damage does to your wallet.

What kind of precautions should someone even be taking here?

😕

And is there any restriction on donating blood afterward?

When you walk into a legitimate tattoo studio, they’ll hand you a waiver to read through and sign, which usually lays out all the fine print quite clearly. If you’ve chosen a reputable shop, you don't really need to lose sleep over disease transmission, though theoretically, things like Hepatitis or HIV can be spread via contaminated needles if standards aren't met. As for the cost, it’s a bit of a sliding scale; it depends on the dimensions, whether you’re sticking to a single color or going full palette, and just how intricate the design is. I personally had a black dragon about five inches in size, and it set me back $167.
If you have a low pain tolerance, you might want to reconsider, because let’s be honest—it hurts like hell. But if you happen to be a bit of a masochist, you’ll probably find the sensation oddly satisfying and end up wanting more (personally, I’m already planning my next one, maybe something around 🙂).

Regarding blood donation, the standard rule is that you have to wait a full year. That said, I wasn't exactly following the handbook myself; I went ahead and donated blood only a month after getting inked, which was probably a pretty irresponsible move on my part.

...hey, can anyone tell me if getting tattooed is actually a good idea when you have psoriasis? It's just on my elbows and hasn't spread in over fifteen years, but I'm still wondering if there are any side effects I should worry about. A few tattoo shops gave me some pretty weird looks when I asked 😕

All I'm hearing are these supposed "experts" claiming they know everything there is to know about skin. If they actually understood infectious diseases and sterilization protocols as well as they claim, I wouldn't be this skeptical...

You should really run this by a dermatologist. Maybe check out WebMD or Mayo Clinic if you aren't in the mood to see a specialist in person.

Casey Palmer5 said:You should probably run this by a dermatologist. Maybe check out WebMD or Mayo Clinic if you don't feel like seeing one in person.

....thanks a lot 👍

So, about a week or two ago, I picked up a business card from this new boutique studio here in Washington, D.C.
They specialize in bio-tattoos, which isn't something we really heard much about until they suddenly became the talk of the town, and honestly, what can I even say to you? If you actually want me to sit down and type out their phone number for you, just let me know and I'll gladly get that written down.
Personally, I don't think I could ever commit to a permanent tattoo because my personality tends to shift quite a bit—I guess you could say I just go wherever the wind blows me... if that makes sense.

With a bio-tattoo, the ink lasts maybe four or five years, and if you choose to put it on a part of your body that stays covered by a shirt most of the year, the fading process won't even really start until the third or fourth year, which seems pretty manageable, don't you think?

Does anyone have any experience with tattoo removal?
If this has already been discussed, please just drop a link and don't be mad at me.
Specifically, I'm curious about a process where they basically re-tattoo the area, but instead of ink, they inject some kind of herbal solution that's supposed to gradually dissolve the pigment.
Supposedly, this works for those plant-based tattoos, but apparently, it can work for professional ones too if you need more sessions.
So, if anyone here has actually done this—or even just knows someone who has—could you let me know if it actually works? Like, how many treatments does it take, what’s the cost, etc.?

thanks

From what I've heard, you can only do it with lasers—I don't think you can get rid of real tattoos the same way you can with those bio-ink ones...

So, why are you so set on getting it removed? Honestly, the whole process is super painful and crazy expensive—you might just want to look into getting the tattoo touched up or redesigned if you're over it instead.