Myths and Facts About Tattoos
It’s bad luck to get a tattoo of someone’s name… Light colors hurt more… Tattoos bleed a lot… A tattoo needle is only one needle… Tattoos turn blue when they are old… Red ink fades quickly… Anyone who can draw can tattoo… Only sailors, bikers, circus people and tough people get tattoos… Tattoos cost a lot of money… Tattoos are forever…
Many of these urban legends were started a long time ago, when basically some truth did exist in them. Everything from the types of folks who would venture into a tattoo parlor, to the kinds of skin dyes used caused the myths to become popular in the first place.
Modern tattooing however is much more about the art form, hygiene, and appealing to people from all walks of life, than about maintaining any outdated stereotypes and falsehoods. Let’s take a few of these myths about tattooing and turn them into factual statements instead.
Having someone’s name tattooed on your body, while not necessarily bad luck, is a personal choice. And while any relationship can fail, if you already believe that getting their name tattooed on you is a guarantee one way or the other about the outcome then you’re doing it for the wrong reasons anyway. Relationships fail for all kinds of reasons, getting someone’s name tattooed on you is not one of them.
Tattoos do hurt, and depending on your tolerance to pain, some will feel more pain, some less. The light colors are typically done last when the skin is most tender, so to most, these will be the most painful colors. As to other ink colors, tattoo ink innovations have come a tremendously long way. During the 50s and 60s, tattoo ink pigments were not as refined as they are today, so bright colors like red or blue would fade under the elements and normal wear. That is no longer the case however, and all tattoo colors resist fading if properly cared for when healing.
Tattoo needles are clustered together in soldered groups of odd numbers, 3, 5, 7, etc. While most tattoos bleed minimally during the outline, and up to as much as 10 minutes after the shading is done, by the time you leave the shop, the bleeding will have stopped. Your tattoo will be bandaged for hygienic reasons only.
With modern medical advances in dermatology and skin care, tattoos are no longer a forever commitment. Laser tattoo removal and fade creams can remove a tattoo leaving behind no trace.
Stereotypes for tattoos came about at a time when tattoo parlors were rare, unregulated, and often located in seedy areas. Many sailors obtained tattoos according to the myths and legends that said that tattoos and piercings were thought to ward off evil spirits and bring good luck to the wearer. The prevalence of motorcycle enthusiasts who enjoy tattoos is merely a cultural bias. Today, anyone can have a tattoo and no one would even know, and conversely simply because someone does have a tattoo, does not mean they are part of a seedy sub-culture. The prevalence of tattoos in society and among more publicly notable figures has also done a great deal to bring tattooing into its place as a mainstream form of art and personal expression.
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Inflicting Ink is a Rhode Island Tattoo Studio that embodies quality, consistency and pride, and offers a sterile, safe, comfortable, artistic environment to its customers. Nominated multiple times for the Best Tattoo Parlor in Rhode Island and Best Tattoo Artist in RI.
You may contact them for an appointment for a tattoo at (401) 683-5680 and of course walk-ins are always welcome.
For more information, please visit our home page at www.inflictinginktattoo.com.
