Tattoo Care

Tattoos can be really hard to care for. I know this because I have witnessed a few tattoo care mishaps. In this blog, I am going to talk about some care tips for new tattoos. The first step would be to always keep your tattoo clean! This is good to do so you keep all of the germs and bacteria out of the fresh ink. KEEP OUT OF SUNLIGHT!!!! Burning your fresh tattoo and keeping it in heat definitely can infect and fade the tattoo. To keep some of the scabbing down, use some oil base substance, like petroleum jelly. It help the scabbing and it will enhance the color.

After you finish getting your tattoo, your tattoo will leak out a clear substance called plasma. Make sure you always keep it wiped down and don't let it crust over. Another care tip, make sure the substance you put on your tattoo for coloring and swelling is not bad for you. Meaning, make sure your not allergic to the substance because it can cause a lot of damage to your skin and tattoo.

ALWAYS CARE FOR A TATTOO :)



This is a picture of a man who lost his arm in a surf accident. He made his "stub" into a dolphin tattoo and he took excellent care of it. I thought this would be an interesting picture. :)





This is a picture of a tattoo that has not been properly cared for. This proves that you need to care for your new tattoo at all times!

Tattoo Myths

I really want a tattoo. But, I'm also scared of the pain just like most people. I always find myself asking everyone with tattoos if it hurts, where does it hurt the most, and what it feels like. Well, I found some myths about tattooing that made me feel a little bit better about getting one. One myth would be that tattooing the outline of a tattoo hurts the worst. It's a myth because the whole tattoo is usually done with the same kind of needle. Another one would be that dark ink hurts worse when applied, which I have heard from some people. My favorite myth would be that tattoos hurt. Many people find tattoos less painful than expected, which is a good thing. One of the most common myths is that tattoos are forever. LIE!!!! In the last 15 years or so, tattoo removal has made dramatic improvements. Where in the past tattoos were forever and removal could amount to  thousands of dollars in medical expenses. Now with tattoo removal cream, that makes the tattoo fade quicker and laser tattoo removal cost has gone down greatly.


This is the removal of tattoo with the work of removal cream.


This is the removal of tattoo with the work of laser removal.

Needles and Guns

Tattoo artists have been using tattoo guns and machines for years. It is a safer way to tattoo then with just ink and needle like how they used to do it. Kat Von D's favorite gun is the rotary tattoo machine, mostly because of the type of shading it can create.

I really dont believe that tattooing is quite as safe as it says, only because some people have been known to get a sickness after getting a tattoo, the most common one is a tattoo staff infection. You may get ink poisioning, you can sometimes be allergic to the ink and not know it, or the needle may not be sterile.



These are the types of machines and guns. I got the information from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tattoo_machine

• Rotary tattoo machine: A rotary tattoo machine, built in 1978 by Manfred Kohrs of Germany. Rotary tattoo machines were the original machines, based on rotary technology, which was invented by Samuel O'Reilly and improved by the tattoo artists through the years. Rotary type machines use an electric motor to drive the needles. Some recent upgrades include using an armature bar to increase efficiency, a characteristic of coil machines. Recently, there have been improvements to make this type of machine pneumatic, in place of the electric motor used now.

• Coil tattoo machine: Coil tattoo machines are the most commonly seen and used. These machines use an electromagnetic circuit to move the needle grouping. There are many variations, from single-coiled machines to triple-coiled machines. They can be made from many different materials and in many different sizes and shapes. Dual-coiled machines are considered to be standard. The coils generally range from 8 to 10 wrap. The coils create the ohms,or resistance, used to properly regulate the machines speed and power. Causing less trauma to the skin.

• Liner tattoo machine: The purpose of a liner machine is to lay the ink in the skin in one single pass to create a dominant line. It uses a short contact circuit (about 1.5mm–2mm), which causes the machine to cycle faster.

• Shader tattoo machine: The shader machine is commonly used to shade black or variants of black ink. Also Color is used in this type of machine, the saturation level of this machine is low. It uses a bigger contact gap than a liner (about 2mm–3.5mm) to make it cycle slightly slower. This machine is also used for sculpting lines. Some artists will use this type of machine for all lines, as it allows the lines to be retraced with less trauma to the skin.

• Pneumatic tattoo machine: Tattoo artist Carson Hill in the year 2000 invented the first pneumatic tattoo machine and began the patent process. A pneumatic tattoo machine is powered by an air compressor, and they are extremely lightweight. Pneumatic tattoo machines use pressurized air to power the tattoo machine and drive the needles up and down. These tattoo machines are entirely autoclavable, so that the entire tattoo machine can be placed in the autoclave and sterilized fully without any major disassembly. Unlike traditional coil machines, which require complete disassembely to be placed into an autoclave.

About Kat Von D's Art

Kat Von D was the husky voiced star of the hit reality show LA Ink. Set in her West Hollywood studio ‘High Voltage Tattoo’, the series was TLC’s most popular show ever broadcast and has helped bring the tattoo culture to a much wider audience. Kat began her television career as the only female artist on original show, Miami Ink. After a now legendary falling out with fellow cast member Ami James, Kat left to return to her beloved Hollywood and was approached to star in LA Ink.


Despite her success Kat has faced criticism from fellow artists and tattoo enthusiasts who claim she has glamourized the business in order to promote her show and various other business endeavors.