5 Tattoo Myths That You Should Know

At some point or other haven’t we heard that, “It pains tremendously, It gets infected always. It damages the skin. It causes health issues.” Tattoos do this and tattoos do that. There are hundreds of issues people can come up with while thinking of a tattoo. While it's a good thing to always be cautious, it is also important to be practical and aware. There's no need to be positive and ignore the things which are to be taken care of when you're getting a tattoo but there's no need to be negative and completely eliminate the idea of getting tattooed when you really want to.

So, after a discussion with some tattoo veterans we got to know some myths surrounding the tattoo industry and things related to tattooing.

1. Color tattoos hurt More Than Black and Grey

Well as skin doesn't know what color the ink is, ie may it be black or orange or even cyan so IT DOESN’T MATTER. It depends on the size of the tattoo. If it's a big tattoo and there are a lot of fillings then yes, it would hurt more. However, if it's a small tattoo then it doesn't matter if it's a color or a black and grey tattoo.

So, in conclusion color tattoos don't hurt. It's the size that matters. You can start with a small one, if you're scared of the pain and it actually doesn't hurt that much. It's just like threading or waxing, for women. So they can relate to it. Women actually make better clients because their threshold for pain is much better. So all the women who are scared, they don't need to be. You can take it really well.

Result: Fake News, the pain is same in both cases.

2.            You can't take a shower or get the tattoo wet.

This is perhaps the worst thing that you can do. In reality, you should wash the tattoo as much as possible; at least 3 times a day in order to keep the tattoo clean. If you don't clean the tattoo, the blood and the plasma that's oozing out will form a layer and if you don't clean that then it can result in a wound or cause an infection so it is better that you wash your tattoo twice a day, at least, with lukewarm water and a mild soap and get the tattoo wet.

However, you can't submerge the tattoo underwater. That simply means that you can't go for a long swim because when the tattoo is submerged in the water, the whole thing, the whole scab which is drying up on the skin is going to come off and that will hamper the entire healing process. So, you can't take a bathtub bath or swim much but should definitely take a shower. Let the tattoo get wet twice a day. Pat it dry and then apply the aftercare ointment (details of which would be shared in the aftercare article).

Result: Fake News, in fact you should wash your tattoo carefully and regularly.

3.            You can't donate blood after getting a tattoo.

This is a frequently asked question and people think that they can't donate blood till the end of their life which, as the professional tattoo artists says, is a myth. It depends. Yes, you can donate blood, but after how long depends upon where you are going. If you go to Rotary Blood Bank, then there's a questionnaire which you have to fill which asks you whether you've gotten a tattoo in a period of 6 months before the particular day. If you go to AIIMS or somewhere else, there they ask if you've got a tattoo done within a year since then and if you have got it done in that time then they won't take your donation because there's a window period for which they check if there are any impurities in the blood or anything. If you've got a tattoo prior to a year then there is no problem or they have no problem in taking your blood.

So it's either a 6 month period or a 1 year period, depending on the blood bank you're going to. Hence you can surely donate blood after the stipulated period of time.

Result: Fake News, you can donate blood after 6 to 12 months.

4.            Tattoos can cause diseases like HIV or Hepatitis.

Best tattoo artists poses a general question here "why would you think it causes these diseases?"

You have to understand how these diseases can be acquired. It can be caused through infected needles. Everything that is used by professional tattoo artists is re-sterilized or used just one time. Everything that touches your skin - from the tissue to the glove to the needle to the grip to the dental bib in caps - everything is brand new.

It's like going to a doctor's place. They use everything new, similarly we do too. If you can't get these diseases through an injection from a doctor's place then you can't get these diseases here either because everything that we use is absolutely brand new.

Result: Majorly false, if you get your tattoo done by a good hygienic tattoo studio the chances are near to impossible.

5.            Painkillers help with the pain.

Artists told us that painkillers don't really help much because once you take the painkiller, it makes you sleepy and drowsy and after its effect is gone, it makes the process worse because you're not ready for the pain that's about to be felt.

What happens is that you're very drowsy and you suddenly wake up from your half-asleep state and then you feel the needle, that time you feel more pain. The pain isn't that much to begin with, so painkillers are just going to make your blood thinner which will cause you to bleed more and it'll not help with the pain. It is slightly painful but not as much as it's believed to be. So tattoo artist, don't usually suggest any painkillers or alcohol or anything. They will just make the things worse.

Also pain killer thins the blood which will cause you to lose more blood while getting a tattoo and even slow the healing process.

Result: Fake News, Don’t take painkillers/ alcohol/ blood thinners before getting a tattoo.

Most of these things which you hear from your friends or people around you are coming from those who most probably don't have a tattoo. They scare you with all these myths. It's better to go to a studio, contact an artist and have a one-on-one discussion about all your concerns and myths. There are millions of people who are getting tattoos, worldwide. It would not be the case had it been an unsafe industry. Just go to an artist to get your doubts cleared.

This article is presented by Alex Shimray a professional tattoo artist at Devilz Tattooz studion in Delhi.