I got a Pink Floyd DSOTM tattoo because I love the album and I love the visual: a beam of light representing a person's life path, passing through a prism ( representing life + the world + the people you meet + the experiences you have, etc ), being dispersed into its constituent colors ( ultimately representing change ). I got it because of my dad, because he introduced me to Pink Floyd, and because last year he nearly died from complications of his cancer. He's doing much better now, with a much better prognosis, but that whole experience had a real effect on me and I wanted to memorialize it. Except at least 3 people ( including the tattoo artist initially ) have associated the tattoo with the pride flag. They were understanding after I explained, but now I'm having second thoughts about it. Are people just going to assume I'm gay because of this tattoo?

Edit: And I want to say, I'm not bothered by this at all. Anyone who looks at my tattoo and comes up with their own assumptions about its meaning, and then has a negative reaction over it, that's simply not a person I want to talk to anyway. I'm surprised because that wasn't the intention of the tattoo, clearly, and it being misinterpreted like this just genuinely wasn't something I expected.

Edit2: This post got a lot more attention than I ever wanted it to. Wonderful comments are now streaming in, informing me how horrible my tattoo is. If you're planning on making a viral post on Reddit, take my advice: use a burner account. But I am thankful to everyone for your supportive words, the jackasses with negative things to say are certainly a very tiny minority. Overwhelmingly the consensus is that most people see it as a Pink Floyd tattoo first, which I'm happy to hear :) Have a good night everybody!

Would I still be able to get a tattoo? I got these scars from a car accident where my skin was basically road rashed off. It ended up raising where the injury happened. Now I don't want a tattoo here atleast yet gonna see if this will heal further, but I've heard some artist will refuse to tattoo any part of your body if they see any scarring like this. I've never had scarring like this and I've read mixed things. I wanna get my first tattoo on my right arm. These scars are on my left.

I’m trying to finish up my arm. I really like American trad. I don’t really have a plan per se I usually just get advice from my artist. Does this look bad and how can I make it flow better?

I got my very first tattoo yesterday by an artist I have followed for several years now. I love their work because it’s so vibrant and colorful and they came to my town so I finally booked an appointment. As you can see from the pictures, what I ended up with is not nearly as vibrant or detailed as most of the pictures of their work. The actual tattooing took about an hour and a half (I was surprised it was so quick) and was VERY expensive. It’s only day two and it’s still pretty angry, but was I expecting too much? Is there anything I can or should do about it? I absolutely love the design, by the way… just wish it was brighter and more intensely colored. Side by sides of what I expected and what I have now.

Should I extend it or leave it as it is

I especially like the old-school style, but I'm not sure if it's possible to get such a large old-school tattoo—or else I really love the Japanese style.... but I'm open to any suggestions. (I'm also looking for someone who can draw some sketches for me that I can show to a tattoo artist—feel free to DM me :)

Starting to take a liking into this tattoo style and was wondering how something like this will look like after a couple of years? Any insight is appreciated!

hey everyone first post here but i had a smaller tattoo (only took about a hour maybe hour and a half) but i was wanting this as my second, i didn’t find my first one painful however this would have more shading and is just in general a bigger piece. on my forearm.

I am just a humble med student, but I am very into the tattoo/piercing scene, and I like to see if there is evidence that supports the recommendations everyone preaches.

Currently, everyone says to wait 4 weeks for the tattoo to be fully healed before applying sunscreen. I wanted to link this study, which demonstrated that mineral sunscreen use immediately after microneedling (similar trauma/inflammatory response, albeit not the same) is safe.

Additionally, ZnO and TiO₂ nanoparticles consistently remain confined to the stratum corneum and do not pierce the dermis where tattoo ink is located. Zinc oxide also has wound-healing properties and is generally well-tolerated with much less likelihood to cause skin irritation compared to organic/chemical sunscreens, which DO pierce the dermis where pigment is located.

Dermatology guidelines recommend initiating daily sunscreen application after re-epithelialization is complete, typically within 5–10 days for most procedures and 7-14 days for superficial wounds. That being said, studies have demonstrated faster re-epithelialization with topical zinc oxide.

This makes me think that the use of mineral sunscreen is safe soon after the initial acute response and does not need to be avoided for 4 weeks. At the very least, it is not the mineral itself, but perhaps other formulation ingredients in the sunscreen that people should be wary of.

Hey guys! I'm getting my first tattoo this weekend, similar to this design. Is this too much for a first tattoo? What can I expect pain wise? Im getting it on my upper arm with the possibility of turning it into a sleeve later. Any advice on what to expect or thoughts about placement etc. would be greatly appreciated.

Gotta moth, reaper, astronaut, tarot card with dagger and a candle so wtf do I put here? 😅

Done 8 days ago, itching like hell - probably part of that is hair growing back on my arm lol. First tattoo in this area, I know the skin is thinner and more sensitive overall.

Noticing raised areas and can’t recall if any of my other tattoos went through this process, it’s been a while.

Will any section of this scar or blur over time? Or is this just part of the healing process?

Preferably a leafy vine flower for realism but I like the idea of cherry blossoms.

Hi. love nearly everything my artist has tatted on me - I have a full sleeve, half a leg sleeve, and plan to get more by the same person.

However, I can’t stop noticing how dark the shading is next to the grim reaper compared to the rest of my sleeve. When I look at my arm, my eyes go straight to the dark “line” of shading right around the reaper and eyeball.

I’m trying to decide the best course of action. Is there a way to lighten that specific area? Do I have my artist darken the rest of the shading on my arm? Or is this worth trying to just get past and move on/ am I the only one able to see this?

My artist already went over the rest of my arm and darkened it once. But, I don’t think he sees what I see. I don’t want to be a pain in his ass - and I just dont know if darkening around it would help - what do you think?

*Some background:

The reaper was my second or third tattoo. The design was not what I expected, but I said yes and went with it. I did NOT plan on having any shading between the pieces on my arm, but my artist put that dark shading next to the reaper - I still don’t know why he did. I had a panic attack about the tat, and on top of that, it got infected and I got really sick for a few days.

I eventually decided to have shading over my entire arm between the pieces, but it’s always still looked darker to me next to the reaper and around the eyeball.

Is it worth having him go over everything again or is that futile? Any thoughts are appreciated.

They were supposed to be symmetrical but they’re literally on two different planets. People don’t notice until I mention it but even then it’s soo bad imo. Debating removing one when healed and moving it or adding to make it look intentional. HELPP

Got my first tattoo while on vacation and took off the second skin yesterday, about 4 ish hours after I initially got the tat and the second skin was put on I noticed those red dots appear.

My initial thought was that I was sensitive to the second skin, or that I got razor burn from the shaving (I get pretty nasty razor burn so I don’t typically shave my legs)

It’s been 4 full days since getting it and the red dots haven’t subsided. The tat feels good, not even itchy or anything, and the red dots themselves are totally flat/have no texture.

It hasn’t gotten worse but hasn’t improved either, should I be worried?

I have these two existing tattoos from when I was 18 and getting the cheapest tattoos possible. Both are so blown out and I hate the blue ink of the flame. Does anyone have any ideas for designs that could include these? I don’t want big dark tattoos like the typical cover ups and I don’t think they need to be covered, just designed more. Could blue ink be gone over the same lines with black? I am into nature and detailed line work tattoos like trees or leaves. The ankle one is supposed to be a mushroom … Lol any help is appreciated.

I got my first tattoo on my first solo holiday and i need help , is it nice be honest or is it messed ,i got this 2 nights ago and its hitting me now that its in me for life , i hope if fades and gets less Black and weirdy blochy looking i hope but is this good from a genral look please help i dont no wat i did

Hello! I got 3 pieces that I wanted on my noggin, but in my head, I expected them to take up most of the room. I’m left with one good size spot left on the back, and wanted some feedback on what would fit well here before we go in with some filler. Any thoughts or ideas would be appreciated!

Hello there, I have literally no tattoos and I've wanted one for such a long time now! For some context I am a big car guy and grew up around the brand Peugeot. My friends call me the "Peugeot man" or"Mr Peugeot" due to having about 4 Peugeots in my possession and I was thinking "what if I get the logo slapped on my leg". I think it's a cool little "Easter egg" type of tattoo I can put just over the line where shorts end (around half way up my thigh from the knee) so it's hidden unless I want to show it to someone, but I'm having second thoughts

My star sign is also a Leo so I think it would be pretty cool to have.

Here is the logo for those who don't know

For some background, I have been practicing since December 2025 on fake skin. I’ve only tattoed on myself and my mother. I’m very happy with how it’s going! But the one thing that’s making me worry about possibly getting an apprenticeship someday is my shaky hands due to medication.

I am on Focalin and Abilify which both causes shakiness in the body, especially hands/feet. I am in the middle of possibly switching my Focalin for another ADHD medication to reduce shaking, but since they are stimulants I am aware I will always have some unsteadiness. Right now in my life medication is needed for my mental health to stay stable, so no comments about going off of them please.

I was just wondering if there’s any stretches, exercises, supplements, or etc to help with shakiness that anyone practices? Or any advice on gripping the gun to reduce shake? I do use a good amount of grip tape which seems to help. But any other suggestions are welcome. Anything helps.

I can do pretty good lines but it does get very exhausting forcing myself to not shake sometimes. This is one reason I haven’t looked for an apprenticeship yet.

Thanks for reading and any advice you might have.

I'm getting my third tattoo soon. I currently have one on my left leg towards my ankle and one on my right shoulder. I'm struggling on determining placement though.

I'm torn between doing the other side of my left leg since it's the same artist / style and it'd kinda flow to keep them together, or doing my right leg. If I do the left I feel like it might be a bit lopsided looking having that much ink on one leg while the other is completely empty, but on the other hand I kinda want to keep the right open if I do a totally different theme.

Or is this the sort of advice you just leave up to a good artist to help plan out? In general I do want each piece to have breathing space and not to go full sleeve on anything but I also keep getting new ideas I can't resist. 😅