Here is a short question and answer list of frequently asked tattooing questions.

I just recently got a tattoo and my friend said she used Neosporin on her tattoos and it helped them heal faster. My after care card says to use fragrance free hand lotion only So I was wondering which do you think is best?

In my own healing, I have used both. When a tattoo is fresh, that is to say when the surface is still "open" apply a thin layer of antibiotic ointment. This aids healing quickly and cleanly. Persons with allergies to antibiotics should take care and not use them if they may have adverse reactions. Once the tattoo has scabbed and fallen off, use unscented and uncolored body lotion. Never pick at tattoo scabs as that can cause the ink to 'heal out' leaving a blank spot in the tattoo! Applying lotion to the healing skin can ease itching and feelings of tightness.

Can you tattoo over scars? Can you tattoo over stretch marks?

Yes, and yes. Tattooist Greg Kulz commented "scar tissue is easy...feels kinda like plastic." In the vast collection of tattoo books and magazines, there are a few photos or interviews where people speak specifically of getting work done over both scars and stretch marks. The tattooing shouldn't be done if the skin is still healing or changing following whatever caused the dermal trauma.

I am about to get a tattoo but now I don't know if I should because many of my friends say it is a lot of pain. Excruciating pain... Does it hurt or does it depend on the person?

It's a motorized needle puncturing your skin at a rate of up to 200 times per minute. Yes, it hurts. But, there are an awful lot of people who have tattoos. Being tattooed is a complex sensation, IMHO, combining the feelings of pinching, scratching, and sun burning. Then there's the repeated wiping with paper toweling, and the tenderness of any tattooed area that gets shaded over or retattooed while still fresh.

Is there anyway to fix an existing tattoo? Can it be gone over and changed or will it just look worse?

In general, some tattoos can be reworked or covered up. I myself have a coverup on my left shoulder. What can be done is a ratio of what the original work is, what "needs to be done to it", and how skilled your tattooist is with coverups. There is no way of erasing existing ink and much depends on the size and available negative space around the present tattoo.

I have a tattoo on my neck. I love my tattoo, but at times it's not appropriate. Is there any such thing as a tattoo cover up?

If you need to hide a tattoo temporarily (weddings, family gatherings, job interviews, etc.), there are makeup kits for that too. Kits include makeup and application instructions. Be sure to give this a test run before that crucial day so you can make sure you know what you are doing! Choose by shade of skin tone.