New freedoms could lead to regrets
No longer will there be any midnight curfews. No longer will you be told what to wear or who to be friends with. The freedom must be exhilarating.
It is so exciting that you may want to take advantage of your newfound independence with tattoos and piercings.
Before you go buck wild and dive head first into a vat of ink and needles, take a step back. You are going to need a few ground rules to manage your liberty. Otherwise, you may just self-destruct due to a lack of personal responsibility, and nobody wants that. So let us review.
Tattoos
While your rebel instincts are going to be pushing you to get one of these bad boys immediately, there is a formula to follow in order to not make a mistake that will cost you later in laser surgery fees.
Local tattoo artist Josh Corlin of Pirate Tattoo has done tattoos for many college students and learned a few things from his experiences.
“While tattoos are a very impulsive business, you want to be careful when slapping something on your body, especially when it’s going to be there until you die,” Corlin said.
It is important to take your time with the process and think hard about what you want, he said.
“There are plenty of people who get tribal designs and Chinese or Japanese characters,” he said. “But any true, talented artist will tell you they prefer to do custom designs.”
Examining the parlor’s credibility, the artist’s portfolio and the artist’s experience are thing you need to look into. However, originality and art are not all you need to be concerned with.
Make sure the parlor isn’t dirty, Corlin said. A clean work area and sterilized needles are key to avoiding infection or spread of disease. But after the smoke clears and your tattoo is done, the health risk is determined by you.
“Each artist will give you instructions on how to take care of your tattoo when it’s done,” he said. “But whatever you do, don’t go swimming after.”
Piercings
While piercings are the curly fries to accompany the cheeseburger of the tattooing industry, the rules are a little bit different. Rather than artwork, piercings are enhancements that accentuate certain features on a person’s face or body.
The first rule is to play to your strengths. Josh Dubon of Lotus Body Piercing said piercings are all about appearance.
“The most common piercings are lip and nose,” Dubon said. “But a septum piercing is a good substitute since it can look good on guys or girls.”
The next thing to look out for is pain. Nose and lip are popular because they’re virtually painless, Dubon said.
For placement, the earlobe, nostril and lip are ideal for many but can be too visible. Dubon recommends the
septum piercing because it can be turned upwards into the nose.
“I have people come in all the time asking for something they can hide from their work or parents,” he said.
Areas like the nipples, the sternum or sexual areas are good alternatives, Dubon said.
“If you’re going to do something because it seems crazy, why not go all the way?” he said.
Like tattoos, piercings have a chance of health risk. Dubon said the only way to combat this is to investigate the place you are going.
“Make sure the shop is legit and ask about needle sterilization, technician experience and jewelry reusage,” he said. “Techniques vary from shop to shop.”
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on Wednesday, August 20th, 2008 at 1:40 am and is filed under AE CP, Arts & Entertainment.
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