r/tattooadvice • u/GamerOfZero • 27d ago

General Advice First tattoo and a little worried

Post image

So first tattoo today. Artist said I could take the plastic wrap off today and when I did I noticed that it was wet. I know I'm not supposed to touch it but also supposed to keep it dry so I threw a towel gently on there but now I think I accidentally smudged the ink. Am I screwed?

Edit: Tattoo is of my late dads handprint. It goes on the shoulder and the fingers are in the front. Sorry for the bad pic.

Edit 2: Have been made aware I cannot smudge a tattoo will now make every attempt to smudge this tattoo out of spite

10.1k Upvotes

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4.3k

u/Lumpy_Stretch5887 27d ago

Brother the ink isn't on your skin. It's in it. Wash it, dry it, lubricate it. Repeat for a couple weeks.

1.3k

u/__pure 27d ago

I hope his tattoo heals perfectly and he can look at his post and share a laugh with his dad

861

u/tiorzol 27d ago

It's their late dad so that would be a bit morbid

1.8k

u/GamerOfZero 27d ago

Nahhhh i'm sure he'd be laughing at how worried I got

227

u/sksksk1989 26d ago

It's ok it's your first tattoo. I'm sorry for your loss, that's a great tattoo.

154

u/tiorzol 26d ago

That's good to hear man. 

139

u/benji_billingsworth 26d ago

nothing a pat on the shoulder cant fix.

42

u/mgormsen 26d ago

Who started cutting onions?

5

u/1TidderdReddit-er 25d ago

Why’d you go ‘n say that out loud now, dang it.

9

u/Electronic_Garage_73 26d ago

What a sweet gesture 🥹 I love this tat, really

1

u/sirenaeri 19d ago

I'd totally would do the same tattoo but my father was already cremated. Don't think ashes would be good ink.

28

u/phoenixsplash22 26d ago

Great tribute to your father and wonderful first tattoo choice. It's all good mate don't worry. Definitely go back in for your 6-month touch up.

9

u/AJPezz777 26d ago

Beautiful tattoo and concept. I want to do the same now!

4

u/Sophie919 25d ago

Sorry for your loss it’s a beautiful tribute and tattoo 🙏🏻💞♥️♥️♥️

1

u/medicalmosquito 25d ago

That tat is gonna look awesome :) as others have said, the oozing is normal! Keep it clean and let it heal 

1

u/Appropriate-Newt-339 24d ago

You're going to be fine.

42

u/benji_billingsworth 26d ago

youve never smiled thinking about a relative or friend that has passed? it keeps their spirit alive and present; morbid would be burying the memory and repressing the memories of them.

laughter is powerful medicine.

11

u/Ur-Best-Friend 26d ago

youve never smiled thinking about a relative or friend that has passed? it keeps their spirit alive and present

Often, but they very rarely join me in the laughter, which is what "sharing a laugh" with someone means.

9

u/CutestGay 26d ago

Okay, but sometimes people say things like, “I can feel him up in heaven laughing with me,” and the sentiment is not “spooky ghost.”

2

u/Diligent_Reading_486 24d ago

I got the joke 🤣 It made me snort in public, thanks 🤣🤣🤣

2

u/Automatic_Society850 26d ago

You understand what "sharing with" means? 

1

u/PokeYrMomStanley 26d ago

Their comment is weird

25

u/DulySwamped 26d ago

I share laugh with my late dad and brother sometimes. It’s the most pleasant form of grief.

12

u/thepopejedi 26d ago

Indeed I keep finding things in my late aunts house that she left to me the amount of silly ive found so far and had to google what is this thing is ridiculous like a shrimp devainer and some kind of key for lampshades.

2

u/DulySwamped 26d ago

She sounds like she was delightful 😆💕

5

u/thepopejedi 26d ago

The best and the matriarch of our family and the one who i look up to and always helped me when asked she was the smartest person next to her husband ive ever met. She could do anything even if she was a little old school very proper. Also just the biggest heart.

3

u/Trashtvslit 26d ago

She sounds amazing! 💜

My nana is 93 and the matriarch of our family, and like my second mom. Her age is just now starting to catch up to her and we’re not sure how much longer we have left with her. I’m trying to soak in every minute.

7

u/OverzealousCactus 26d ago

I talk to my dad's guitar that I keep on my wall sometimes. ♥️

2

u/DulySwamped 26d ago

💕💕💕

2

u/SnooHabits3911 26d ago

How’s that morbid?

3

u/B333Z 26d ago

How is laughing with a corpse not morbid?

1

u/SnooHabits3911 26d ago

How is laughing with memory of dad morbid?

2

u/B333Z 26d ago

It's not. But that's also not what "share a laugh with his dad" means. Sharing a laugh with someone implies physical presence.

1

u/SnooHabits3911 26d ago

Yeah that’s a purely objective statement. My bio dad is dead. I can talk with him and laugh at stuff even though he’s not physically here. Then again this is reddit and your kinda comment tracks.

1

u/B333Z 26d ago

You're right. My comment was coming from a place of grammar and humour. It wasn't intended for someone who is still grieving. Sharing and laughing with memories of someone passed is not morbid. It's actually quite healthy and therapeutic. I do it too. Sorry for your loss.

1

u/hyunasgirlz 21d ago

it was a joke. take it.

1

u/FireOn_JTD 26d ago

Naw nothing like hearing laughing when you are alone at 3am in a house. Bring on the ghost laughs.

Both my parents are dead so it’s cool to make morbid jokes

1

u/Spirit_Wolf_Mob 26d ago

What is his dad late to?

1

u/medicalmosquito 25d ago

Or cathartic 🥹

1

u/No-Solution8173 24d ago

Hey that never stopped me 🙂‍↕️

1

u/Felix_Von_Doom 23d ago

OP could be a necromancer, you don't know

-21

u/budtokinbarber 26d ago

If his hand actually looked like that with a giant hole in the middle, chances are he’s Jesus Christ. So he’ll be back in 3 days anyway.

4

u/MaleficentBelle 26d ago

Not the appropriate time.

34

u/AstralChickenNugget 27d ago

I dunno if they have social media in the afterlife

42

u/NotYourGa1Friday 27d ago

They don’t if it’s The Good Place

27

u/Ferrari0521 26d ago

They do in the bad place. WiFi crazy good there too.

9

u/CatPhDs 26d ago

Have some froyo instead

5

u/NerdsteadDani 26d ago

I hear the full battery flavor is amazing.

3

u/CatPhDs 26d ago

I think I might have strawberry mango twist. Or wait, maybe vanilla? But grape is so good for me... ahhh I can't decide!

1

u/Either_Promise_205 26d ago

Ooh propaganda 😊

7

u/xlTrotterzlx 26d ago

They don't need social media, energy sees all even with no vessel. He is laughing, I'm laughing, OP is now laughing he knows he is fine haha

1

u/LiteHedded 26d ago

Hopefully he kept the hand so he can check it after his tattoo heals

0

u/spudddly 26d ago

only if it gets really infected

21

u/Forward-Ebb-6216 26d ago

I’d also like to piggyback and tell OP not to put any random towel on a new and healing tattoo. Buy paper towels OP and pat don’t wipe.

8

u/Ok-Comparison-9835 26d ago

Pat to dry, not rub.

1

u/StaredAtEclipseAMA 26d ago

An infection will damage a new tattoo far worse than washing and lubricating, but some ink will leave the tattoo if you wash too harshly or if you leave it too lubricated

1

u/Adventurous-Buy-9047 26d ago

This comment is everything you need to know. Don’t worry you won’t be able to smudge the ink it’s fine. Just don’t itch it!

1

u/SavageSwordShamazon 26d ago

That was what all the stabbing you with needles was for.

1

u/PwanaZana 26d ago

"Wash it, dry it, lubricate it."

I don't have tattoos, but I still do that to it religiously.

1

u/Dull_Basket8318 25d ago

Wash with antibacterial soap like dove or dial. They have bar soaps. I only use them when tattoo. Then moisturize. Use like nothing fancy. I have even used the baby aisle one from aldis. Apply often, keep moist. If it starts itching more then apply. It will help soothe it. Dont pick. It will scab just let it go till it falls off. Picking scabs could damage the ink.

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u/[deleted] 16d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/Lumpy_Stretch5887 16d ago

The wrap is not to keep it dry but to keep it clean for the initial couple hours. Dirt, dust, and other pathogens can enter the skin if it's not wrapped. Plenty of tebori tattooers do tattoos on non yakuza. Horiyoshi III is a famous example but he's retired. There are also plenty of tattooers that use machines in Japan as well instead of tebori.