Perhaps you want to mark a special occasion in your life, are feeling impulsive or rebellious or just want one because everyone has got one. It is important to remember that tattoos are permanent and although they can look amazing, and be a lot of fun, there are plenty of reasons that a tattoo is not for you – or at least not right now.
If you don’t know your tattoo artists
Scarily, you can buy a tattoo gun online, and some people do! Before you let someone permanently ink your skin, do your research. Look at their portfolio and check out reviews and references. Most importantly, check out their credentials and make sure their studio is clean and safe. At the very least you’ll end up with a dodgy looking tattoo, and at the other end of the spectrum, you can become very ill from bad equipment.
If it might not work with your career
Of course, a tattoo shouldn’t really affect your ability to do a job, but some employers are strict on this. For example, you can’t work at Disneyland with visible tattoos. Research whether the job you want will be negatively affected by a tattoo. At the very least, get it somewhere that is easy to cover it up, just in case. Face tattoos are not recommended!
If you are not 100% sure
Again, tattoos are permanent, and if you haven’t entirely thought it through, you are asking for regrets! Make sure you have decided on a design that you will love forever – a meme might be funny now but will you still love it in 20 years? When it comes to names, a good rule of thumb is that you should only get the names of someone who is deceased or maybe your own children – these are the only people that your relationship is unlikely to change with.
If you are planning to get pregnant
If you are planning on getting pregnant in the future, at the very least consider where your tattoo is going to be. Try to avoid areas that will grow (and then shrink!) during your pregnancy as your tattoo will likely be changed forever, and you may regret the placement. Some places are pretty safe, such as the top of the foot, so opt for somewhere that will keep your ink looking the same if you think pregnancy is on the cards in the next few years.
If you haven’t checked the spelling or style
Before you get words tattooed on you, get several people to read over it and check that everything is correct before getting it permanently inked on your skin. Poorly spelled tattoos are the worst, second only to those whose font or kerning make them unreadable (or even worse, obscene!). An example of someone who didn’t do their research is Jennifer Lawrence who got H2O tattooed on her hand on a whim. The ‘2’ in H2O is supposed to be lower than the other letters, but on hers, it is higher (which actually means squared!). It is a silly mistake that is stuck with her forever now!
If you have read through this list and are sure that you have considered everything that needs thinking about, then go ahead and get that ink! However, if you are not 110% certain about anything, hold off and think about it a little longer!
