Should I Get A Tattoo?

Do you really want a tattoo or you just like the design a lot?

Will the design you choose fit the style of clothing you like to wear?

Are you prepared to do the proper amount of maintenance on it?

Do you know enough about tattoos and styles to be specific about what you want?

Have you saved enough to be sure you will get a good tattoo?

Have you really selected your tattoo artist carefully?

Are you prepared for people to potentially react poorly to it?

Try something out: put the design on a t-shirt. Or on your wall. Or as your computer backdrop. If you're satisfied with having it in full view somewhere else, consider whether you really need a tattoo, or whether this is enough.

In the first weeks and months of healing, you're not going to be able to put the tattoo in the sun, and will have to keep it under very loose clothing. After that, it also has to fit into the bits of your body you like to show off. Give this some thought.

Tattoos are not an easy experience. The pain's one thing, but the after-work is another thing entirely. Foot and hand tattoos in particular require a lot of care when they've first been done, diaper cream, a lot of disinfecting, lots of bandaging — and if you're about to go on a vacation, or have too much other stuff going on, you may want to reconsider.

Familiarize yourself with the different schools of tattoo style, and identify the specific ones you want. Is it blackwork? Color? Japanese? American? A good tattoo artist will ask a lot of questions and require proper design consultation.

Good tattoos are expensive. They're worth it, though; a cheap tattoo is not worth it is in the long run, because they'll require the additional expense of maintenance and fixes, plus a potential cover-up or removal in the future.

Artists can be awesome, baller people, but they can also not be specialists in what you want. Every tattoo artist has their own particular style and training, and generally speaking you'll want one who has a waiting list, some very good testimonials, and a large portfolio of work similar to your design.

You may love the tattoo, but are you prepared for some people in your life whom you potentially love and respect to hate it. Be sure you're emotionally prepared for it. This is the big one for some people who move in conservative circles.

If you have thought about all the points carefully, you are good to go. After selecting the artist, thorougly check his/her portfolio as well.