When to get your first tattoo?

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  • nlwilliamson
    nlwilliamson Posts: 225 Member
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    I got my first tattoo for my sixteenth birthday. I'm twenty one now. You get your first tattoo whenever you're ready. I don't understand what you mean by maintenance,haha. There really isn't any "maintenance". There is aftercare, ofcourse, but they'll explain that to you when you get your ink done.

    OP was talking about maintenance of the goal weight, as it seems that they want a tattoo to remind themselves of how far they have come, how long into "maintenance" until you reward yourself with a tattoo.


    I would say whenever you want to, I plan to get mine mid way through my journey as a reminder of how far i've come and as motivation to keep pushing :)
  • Pudgebrownie
    Pudgebrownie Posts: 73
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    Thanks for sharing your thoughts!


    I'm a control freak, and certainly won't get one until I'm 100% convinced it's right for me. I just wanted ideas on how long people have waited before getting inked. I'd hate to gain or lose a lot of weight AFTER getting a tattoo and it becoming a mess.. That's my only concern.
  • ladybarometer
    ladybarometer Posts: 205 Member
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    I got mine when I was 21 on top of my foot.
    I knew there was little chance of my gaining or losing a signifcant amount of weight in that area.
  • Ely82010
    Ely82010 Posts: 1,998 Member
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    I assume that the ideal time to get your first tattoo would be once you achieve your weight loss goal. That said, how long would you recommend "maintenance" before getting inked? Six months? A year? A year and a half? Two years? Any personal experiences or thoughts on the matter?

    Never, respect your skin!
  • Fictionista
    Fictionista Posts: 23 Member
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    I had wanted one for a long time (like, 10 years), so I was absolutely sure of what I wanted and where I wanted it. But I didn't actually pull the trigger until I had something in my life that I wanted to commemorate. For me, it was starting my MFA program and getting serious about something I really love. That way, whenever I look at it, it reminds me of the steps I am taking to make my life what I want it to be.

    I'm itching to get a second one, but I am making myself wait until I graduate from the MFA. Same logic. I love the philosophy of connecting the act of getting the tattoo with something worth celebrating and remembering!
  • paintlisapurple
    paintlisapurple Posts: 982 Member
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    I would assume once you are "of age" you could have one whenever you like! I went and got my first tattoo at the age of 40. LOL
  • tom_olech
    tom_olech Posts: 139 Member
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    May 15th, 2005....i remember the exact date because i accidently got it on my ex-girlfriends bday (she was only a friend at the time)
  • tom_olech
    tom_olech Posts: 139 Member
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    May 15th, 2005....i remember the exact date because i accidently got it on my ex-girlfriends bday (she was only a friend at the time)

    Oops, i totally misread the thread title....i thought it was asking when i got my first tatoo
  • MikeyD1280
    MikeyD1280 Posts: 5,257
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    do you mean maintenance as your work out schedule? I got the tribal that wraps around my arm, back and my pec, and I had to cut out the workouts due to the scabbing and healing time. So if you are talking about that type of maintenance (workout schedule) what I would do is do cardio and hit up areas that will not affect the tattoo area.:drinker:
  • emkinsella2012
    emkinsella2012 Posts: 7
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    i have lots of tattoos...gotten when ive been thinner and thicker. Ive been pretty lucky that none of mine have been transformed during my losses and gains...mind you none are on my stomach or thighs. but i do have them on my arms, shoulders, calves, and all over my back. if you are planning on getting one in those areas i wouldnt wait till you lose all your weight. if its a bigger piece i would start now and everytime you reach a goal, go in for a session. that would be a cool treat for yourself.
  • mgmlap
    mgmlap Posts: 1,377 Member
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    Tattoos are extremely personal. Its up to you...My husband was 25 I was 30..
  • Lisah8969
    Lisah8969 Posts: 1,247 Member
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    I was 20 when I got my first one...a small butterfly on my left breast. It still looks the same through weight gains and gravity, but I think it being small to begin with helped with that. I got another one when I was about 30 and the next when I was 42. My second and third ones are on my shoulders where I don't have to worry about weight gain (or loss!) changing the shape.

    Good luck with your decision and, as one other poster advised, they are addicting! I know I will be getting another one sometime around age 50.
  • angmarie28
    angmarie28 Posts: 2,798 Member
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    I got my first 1 1/2 years ago, my 2nd 6 months later, and im itching for a new one, Im getting one for my birthday :) its going to say "dont let your dreams be dreams" (unless I can think of something better) to symbolize my weightloss and healthy life style, I should be at about my goal by my birthday Nov. 15, 11 lbs to go, but im working hard for it

    ETA: I was 23 when I got both
  • iluxoxo211
    iluxoxo211 Posts: 241 Member
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    I got my first tattoo when I was 18.. my 2nd when I was 20.. my husband and I got matching ones.. I got mine on my lower leg and now that I have lost almost 130lbs my tattoo has shifted a little due to the amount I have lost.. it still looks the same it is just in a diff place (sorta) I think you should get a tattoo when you are ready and know 100% what you want.
  • RainHoward
    RainHoward Posts: 1,599 Member
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    That is a very personal question that only you have the answer to. I will say a couple things to you on the subject though. Make sure you get something YOU want, not what a friend thinks you should get, not what looks cool on someone else, not something you saw in a magazine. A tattoo is something you have pretty much forever unless you have it surgically removed so be sure it's something you want on you forever. Make darn sure you go to a good artist. There are plenty of tattooists in the world, not nearly as many artists. Nothing worse than a bad or mediocre tattoo you're stuck with for life.
  • TheRealParisLove
    TheRealParisLove Posts: 1,907 Member
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    I got a tattoo around my navel at the age of 27. I was about 20 pounds less than I am now, but the tattoo doesn't look stretched or anything. It's a little faded, as that was 15 years ago, but having it on my abdomen is a good reminder to value my body and maintain a healthy weight.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,248 Member
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    I got mine on my stomach at my high weight. That and my naval piercing a month later is part of what inspired me to lose. I wanted to show them off.

    About 30 pounds later, the tattoo that was "on my stomach," I've found is actually more on my hip bone. I forgot I had hip bones. :blushing:
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    Wait until you are over 30! (That's what my mom said! :laugh: :laugh: ) I was 35 when I got mine.

    I will definitely wait until I lose my weight, unless I get one on my other calf.
  • throgmar
    throgmar Posts: 16 Member
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    >> When to get your first tattoo?

    At exactly the same time you want to disqualify yourself. Unless your shipmates, or cellmates, guilt you into it, don't do that.

    Chick with a tattoo? Turd on a pizza.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,248 Member
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    >> When to get your first tattoo?

    At exactly the same time you want to disqualify yourself. Unless your shipmates, or cellmates, guilt you into it, don't do that.

    Chick with a tattoo? Turd on a pizza.

    How embarrassing for you. You accidentally posted your opinion in a thread where no one cares about your opinion. :embarassed:

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