Tattoo and Piercing Q&A

Hey gang.

So, after spontaneously getting a third tattoo this week (don’t ask, I’m clearly repressing something, oh and it’s pictured below lol), and recently getting new piercings and what not, I often get asked the same sort of questions on them. They are the kind of questions that I was always intrigued about before I had any tattoos or piercings, because whether you like them or not, they certainly do spark some interesting talks and opinions. So, I asked my Instagram followers for some questions on this topic and this is what everyone wanted to hear (please don’t take my opinions as gospel, I really know nothing). Thanks for sending your questions in dudes, hope you find this helpful!

Did you always want multiple tattoos or was it something that you decided after you got your first one?

For sure I thought that it was going to be one and done. I was so intrigued as to what the process of getting a tattoo would be like, and had had the same idea (my hand of God one) in my mind for a long long time before I committed to it. I thought that after getting it the curiosity would be satisfied and I’d be content to leave it at that. Nope. All it did was make me realise that I was more than capable of handling the pain and suddenly I had a million more ideas for future ones. Luckily I’ve only given in twice more, but honestly, I doubt I’ll be stopping just yet. 

What’s the healing process like?

I’ll answer this one for both tattoos and piercings just in case. For tattoos, the healing process is extremely straightforward and pretty difficult to get wrong. As long as you’re cleaning it, moisturising it, and not picking at it, it will be likely to heal just fine if it was done well in the first place. All a tattoo really is is a scabbed over wound (nice), so just treat it like that, the only difference being that you’ll be left with some sick ink when it’s healed.

As for piercings, I’ve had mixed experiences. I won’t get into too much detail of all twelve because I’ve already done some more in-depth posts on them (shameless plug), but on the whole I find it worse than tattoos as there are more things that can go wrong. With all of my piercings being constantly visible, there is more opportunity for them to be knocked or caught on clothes or my hair. Piercings also require much more cleaning for a longer time, the suggested being salt water for at least 3 months. It helps to stick to this time, as I have cut it short in the past and definitely paid the price - infected piercings are not fun.

If you had to get a tattoo on both your boobs or your forehead which would you pick?

Shoutout to my delightful flatmate Imogen for this one that she definitely did not think I’d answer. I’d definitely pick my boobs! For one they could genuinely look good and secondly you could hide them if they didn’t. I already have tattoos around them so why not on them lol. I don’t think a forehead one would particularly fit my aesthetic to be honest. 

Where in London do you recommend getting a tattoo?

Having gotten two out of three of mine in London I definitely have to shout out both of those places, as I had positive, straightforward experiences in both. My hand of God one was done in Black Garden Tattoo on Drury Lane near Covent Garden, and my most recent Venus symbol one was done in Hell To Pay on Camden Highstreet. Whilst I do recommend both of these shops, it is also difficult to recommend places when it’s unclear what the person wants, because different artists offer very different styles and are therefore based all over the place. So, my advice would be to base your choice on the artist, rather than the shop itself.

Controversially though, I would also recommend that if you do not permanently live in London or can get elsewhere easily, the price will be significantly less drastic. If you know you absolutely want a particular style from someone based in London then yes do go for it. But, my Radiohead tattoo, done in Liverpool and substantially sized, cost the same price of £60 as my tiny Venus symbol one on my ankle that was done in London. I would definitely bare this in mind, and if you can find an artist that you like outside of London or at least central, then definitely go for that option to save yourself some cash.

How conservative are your parents about tattoos/piercings?

In short; VERY. With piercings, I didn’t even get my lobes done until I started uni and they were not bothered by that at all, but I just kept getting more because I lived away from home and just waited for them to notice when I came back for holidays. With the piercings, while my parents would never actually compliment them or say they looked cool in any way, a part of them knew they could be taken out and that that lowered the permanence of them. Basically; she’s going through a phase, let her have this. The nose piercing caused a bit more of a stir because it was facial and therefore more prominent, but again, reassuring them that it wasn’t permanent eased their minds a lot, and let’s not forget that I am 21 mum and dad!

As for tattoos, they are pretty much whole-heartedly against them, so much so that they are only aware that I have one, and had someone not told them about that, I’m confident that they still wouldn’t know. When they found out about the first one my mum was not best pleased at all. She looked at it once and then was slightly reassured that it was not visible under most clothes, and hasn’t really cared to mention it since, but asked that I get no more (lol). My dad was so annoyed that he wouldn’t even humour it at all and didn’t want to see it even once, and has not ever seen it to this day. Now that I have two more, I am apprehensive that they will be cross if they discover them, but I myself am aware enough of the social stigma around tattoos in terms of getting jobs etc, that still none of mine are visible under clothes. I have always had strict conservative parents and I do understand that they come from a different generation where tattoos just were not common and far more taboo, but I hope that if they do discover my other two they will recognise how little of a big deal it is and realise that I am keeping my future in mind when I get them. 

Do you have a favourite tattoo?

I can easily answer this - it just has to be my Radiohead one. Not only is it a dedication to my favourite band and album of all time, but I am also so pleased with how unique it is. It was such a rewarding process coming up with the idea and watching it come to life thanks to the amazing artist Jessica Brown from L1 Ink, who totally got what I wanted and made it perfect. I am always apprehensive that they will never come out exactly how you want them to, but this one really really did and I still feel immense joy when I see it on myself in the mirror. So many tattoo designs are terribly generic in my opinion and this one in particular just feels like it’s mine and only mine. 

Can you describe tattoo pain?

This is always such a frequently asked question and I am always so nervous to answer it. Whilst I don’t want to tell people it’s painful to a point where they are scared off from ever getting one, I also don’t want to downplay the pain which could result in someone getting a nasty surprise when they do finally feel what it’s like. As annoying as it is to say, it is a difficult sensation to describe and I do think that it will largely be dependent on a person’s pain threshold. I myself was very pleasantly surprised the first time I ever felt the sensation and genuinely felt like it was more than bearable to endure. The pain will also differ depending on the area of the body getting tattooed, but as I have experienced both rib and foot, both considered some of the more painful places to be tattooed, I can confidently say that it really isn’t that bad at all. It feels pretty much how a needle on your skin would feel and has a hot, vibrating sensation to it. Of course it isn’t exactly pleasant, but I myself have never flinched away in pain or made noise or anything that extreme.

I read on one tattoo shop’s FAQ about pain that the body tends to numb the area to a degree as a defence mechanism for the pain and I have experienced this myself also. What I will also say though is that the pain gets a little more arduous when the needle is focused on one area for a long time. I don’t usually find lines a problem because they are over with quickly, but with shading there is more attention given to the same spot with the needle over and over and that can certainly be quite uncomfortable. I would not use the pain as a reason to not get something you really want because it really is worth it, and I am proof that it can’t be too awful if I have happily gone back to get more.

Thanks again everyone who humoured me this week and sent questions in - I really enjoyed writing this because I love talking about this stuff. If you sent a question in I hope I answered it helpfully and if not I still hope you learned something! Let me know if there’s any other tattoo related content you’d like me to right on or any content in general- my head is whirring with ideas at the moment but more are always welcome.

See ya soon,

H x