This tale is a rather sad tale although there was no knowing that at the time, or even for almost a year after I got tattooed. However, I do not regret getting this tattoo for a second. Let me explain...
At A Glance Author Susi Contact Susi@bme.anon IAM candyfox When Two years ago Artist Ian Studio Black & Blue Tattoo Location Edinburgh
Twenty-one years old. This age is often seen as an important turning point as it marks the maturation of an individual as it is when a person is fully deemed to be an adult. Long after the festivities of my birthday had passed I started considering a tattoo to mark the occasion and it did not take me long to find my inspiration. In many societies a key is given to the person turning twenty one symbolising the bearer being able to unlock the door to their future. I decided, especially seeing as I never got presented with a key on my twenty-first birthday, I would get one tattooed.
Having decided what I would like to get tattooed on me, I then had to decide the details of the tattoo. I was sure that I wanted an old-style key and that it was to be in black and white, and shaded. It was to go on my forearm, which would make it the most visible tattoo I had. Presenting my preferred tattooist with a remit was simple and the rough outline that he had drawn was very close to what I wanted done. A week later I went back to the artist to see the finalised design. It was perfect. The design is approximately three inches in length. The top of the key resembles a 3-leaf clover and the teeth of the key partly resembles a heart. A week later I turned up at the appointed time.
I wasn't particularly nervous about the tattooing process. I have had an awful experience with my lower back tattoo but I had convinced myself that this would be a much more pleasant experience for a number of factors. The tattooist had previously tattooed me before and his was brilliant. I've had tattoos and a huge number of piercings before so I am well aware what to look for. My chosen artist had good hygiene practices and this is obviously hugely important. The tattooist also made me feel at ease which is, from a personal factor, also very important. A previous experience involved a tattooist making incredibly perverse comments towards me whilst getting tattooed (in addition to shouting at me!) so feeling comfortable with the tattooist is something I put a high importance on. Artistically I also admired the tattooist's work and he has a very good reputation.
The actual process was very quick. My other experience with the artist involved a very intricate (albeit very small) tattoo and he had emphasised then how important it was that I was happy with the placement, as he did with this tattoo. The stencil was placed on my forearm where I wanted it and I was told to make sure that the placement was correct. The stencil was in slightly the wrong position so the process was repeated and I was then completely happy with it. I then settled down ready to get on with the actual procedure.
The tattooing took less than 45 minutes and went very smoothly. The outline was the first part of the tattoo to get inked and this stage didn't take long. I find the outline to be slightly more painful than the shading part of a tattoo but it was completely bearable. The shading process was also fairly quick and I really enjoyed watching it being done. My other tattoos have a high amount of colour so I found it interesting to watch the grey shading being put on the tattoo as I had never seen it being done before. Generally I prefer being able to watch the tattooing process when getting tattoo although I've never quite understood why. I believe that it makes me feel calmer but there is also a spiritual side to watching it that I find difficult to explain.
I paid and tipped the tattooist when he had completed the work and I was incredibly pleased with the result. The tattoo was covered lightly in cling film and this was taped down to my arm. An hour after being tattooed this covering was removed and I lightly washed it with soap and water and applied a mild antiseptic cream that the tattooist had recommended.
The healing process went without a hitch. The tattoo scabbed up and I resisted itching it, and a couple of weeks later I was left with my beautiful key, which as far as I was concerned, was flawless. However, this tattoo experience doesn't quite end here...
About five months after my tattoo had healed I noticed was appeared to be hard skin on my elbow that seemed to keep reproducing itself as soon as it had shed. I did not think much of it at the time but it was to be the start of something that would affect most of my body, including my beloved key. Within a few months I had round, raised red patches covering much of my arms (and eventually much of my whole body.) I went to my Doctor and was diagnosed with plaque psoriasis. (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psoriasis for more information.)
With the diagnosis came the treatment which involved smearing an ointment with the consistency of Vaseline all over the affected areas. This was a horrible experience which unfortunately seemed to have little effect. I then started researching psoriasis online and found out that it has a tendency to appear at the site of an injury or a cut. Tattooing being as it is, my skin reacted as if this was an injury and within six months of my diagnoses my tattoo, roughly following its wide outline, it was covered in plaques of psoriasis.
During the time my tattoo was covered in psoriasis, it was so bad in that area that it wasn't even possible to tell I had a tattoo there. It was completely red, raised and flaky, and I began to wonder if I would ever be able to see the key again and if I did, if it had had an effect on the actual ink. As the psoriasis was covering my entire body at the time, which was emotionally very difficult to handle, I always covered it when I was in public. It was also unbearably itchy. Psoriasis is generally a lifelong illness involving periods of 'flare-ups' and no way of knowing when, how long and how bad a particular flare-up is going to.
Eventually (after a period of almost two years) this first 'flare-up' of psoriasis had mostly subsided and I found out the effect on my tattoo. Fortunately it seems to have recovered fine and there is no way of telling that I had even suffered psoriasis in that particular area. (I'll point out that I still have red patches on otherwise normal looking skin where there had also been psoriasis plaques.) It was such a relief to find out my tattoo had not been affected forever. However, if does leave me with questions about any future body modifications I may get.
It has been reported that people who also suffer psoriasis have had tattoos and have not suffered any ill-effects in the area they had been tattooed. Interestingly enough, one of my other tattoos was affected very slightly by my psoriasis (a tiny, circle-shaped, 2cm plaque formed on it) but none of my older tattoos were affected by it. Psoriasis is a complex condition that medical science does not understand fully, although there is a huge amount of information online. Everyone who has it seems to be affected differently. I would love to get another tattoo but I'm afraid that it will trigger another flare up, although unfortunately there is no way of knowing what will happen. I have designs I would like to get done but I am still undecided whether or not I'll decide to take a chance and get any tattooed on me. I personally find it awfully sad knowing that my key might be last of what I thought was going to be one of many. However, I do not regret for a second having got it done and I'm glad it's as beautiful now as when I first got it inked!
End Note:
As mentioned within this experience, there is a huge amount of information on psoriasis on the internet. I do not claim to be an expert, but merely someone who has suffered it and seen the effect it has on my own body and tattoos. If you are wanting to know more information on it please look it up on the internet. Like I said, not everyone with psoriasis has a problem getting tattooed so my experience is not necessarily relevant to anyone else.