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How to care for a new tattoo                                           The word Tattoo                                                   Danish Law on tattooing

Answers to Frequently Asked Questions about Tattooing

Table of Contents

1. Does it hurt?
2. Where does it hurt the most?
3. What does it cost?
4. Is it safe to get a tattoo?
5. What happens as I get older?
6. Who is getting tattooed?
7. Where is tattooing originating from?
8. What is the latest Fashion?
9. Can I bring my own design?
10. When can I get a tattoo?
11. Other Questions - and YOUR comments.
12. Answers to some of the mailed-in questions
13. How to care for a new Tattoo

1. Does it hurt?

Yes! It always hurts to be tattooed. After all, the colour is being inserted into your skin by using needles.

BUT. Tattooing never hurts so much that you can not manage. It is very difficult to explain just how much it hurts, as it is different from person to person, from the place on the body, and even from time to time. The more relaxed and easy you feel, the more easy the process.

Remember that the pain is part of the process! A tattoo is not a simple transfer. It marks you (also) as a person who is special, and who has some degree of endurance.

So do not bother about anesthetics of any kind, and never mix tattooing with alcohol. Being drunk while being tattooed is just an old myth, and absolutely no good.

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2. Where does it hurt the most?

It hurt most on the places of your body, where you are most sensitive. And again this is different for different people.

NEVER bother about where it hurts the most, when deciding where to place a tattoo. The hurting is limited (mainly to the mere process). And it is much more important that you place the tattoo where you want it, and where it feels most natural to you. After all, you shall enjoy it for the rest of your life.

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3. What does it cost?

The price is depending on time, size and complexity. Our starting price is DKr 800. Pieces that take more than one session, will be paid by the session. All tattoos are paid in cash. On the spot.

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4. Is it safe to get a tattoo?

Yes it is safe to get a tattoo. We are always using new, sterilized needles, etc. Disposable colours, Vaseline, gloves, etc. You can see that we use this.

The skin is not lastingly affected by the tattoo (- apart from the tattoo, that is!). Where the needles have penetrated your skin, it will form a light scab, and peel off. Once the tattoo has healed (the healing process takes about a week, depending on your personal healing ability), it is protected by a new layer of skin and is a part of you for the rest of your life.

We have never experienced any allergic reaction to our pigments, which are all special pigments for tattooing. If you are hypoallergenic, you may want to make a small test dot before undertaking the main tattoo.

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5. What happens as I get older?

The tattoo will be with you for the rest of your life. If it is placed well on the body, it will not change much. Off course it will look older -as will you.

Do accept ageing!

Colours will change slightly. Lines will get slightly fatter, and close lines will tend to blend (that is why we like to avoid fineline, detailed work). Do accept that an old tattoo is part of your history. It should not be covered or altered, if it is otherwise ok. Times and fashions change. A tattoo is permanent.

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6. Who is getting tattooed?

Everybody is getting tattooed. I do believe that the urge to get tattooed is a basic human need. Since tattooing has been around since time began, and in every kind of society. Even YOU will get a tattoo - if you do not have one already!

Everybody may not DARE - but the NEED is there! That is one of the reasons why so many react negatively to a tattoo. They feel the fascination - but it scares them as well.

Do look at our questionnaire pages, where you will see a lot more about who people are!

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7. Where is tattooing originating from?

Tattooing does not come from any particular place or country. Tattooing has been practiced as long as human beings has been. Every culture on Earth and every society has its own tattooing practice.

If you believe in The Bible - God created the first tattoo! When he put "the Marc upon Cain". Cain was one of the sons of Adam and Eve, and you can not get much further back than that. If you take this "picture" a little figuratively, it is a tattoo. The Bible contains several other references to tattoos.

The sign upon Cain was not a very good thing in the story, but that is beyond the point of this image. The idea of it is to make you understand that tattooing goes way back.

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8. What is the latest Fashion?

Tattoo is not fashion. Fashions change. Tattoos are permanent (some tattoos have lasted for millenniums (the Iceman, the mummies, etc)). Some tattoo designs have been around for hundreds, and even thousands of years.

At Kunsten pa Kroppen we even make a virtue out of exploring history and cultures to find inspiration - and renewal. Because of course technique and execution and composition change. We are not static. On the contrary we strive to develop. Both our abilities, and the public's view on what is possible.

It seems that every new generation thinks they have discovered this "new fashion". Alas! That is not so. At Kunsten pa Kroppen we have articles from the previous century, also talking about this new fashion (that has even spread to the ranks of aristocracy!). Maybe this is just due to journalists' lack of imagination, and need to find the easy way out.

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9. Can I bring My Own Design?

Yes you may bring your own design! We even encourage this, since it gives US new ways of seeing things.

But we reserve our right to say no! We do not tattoo anything. We do not tattoo negative images or politically reactionary statements. And if it is too small or too full of teeny weenie details, we will simplify it. Do remember our motto:

Bold simplicity and enhancing the body.

You must accept that a tattoo is different from a drawing on a piece of paper. And we are supposed to be the experts on tattooing. At Kunsten pa Kroppen we even reserve our rights to have our own ideas and values and thoughts on this artform. But in the end we do it all in order to achieve the best possible for you. The more you let go, and let us do the best we can, the better the result (if you ask us!). Sit back, shut up and relax - and let us do the creative work.

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10. When can I get a tattoo?

If you want a tattoo at Kunsten pa Kroppen - you will have to make an appointment. Preferably by telephone. Do it well in advance! You have to be over 18 years of age.

Telephone number is (+45) 33 14 48 26 And remember that opening hours are Mon-Friday 11.oo -18.oo (local European time).

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11. Other Questions

If you have other questions, or comments, you are welcome to send us an e-mail or use the telephone. Use the form at the Feedback Page to send an e-mail.

We would also like to open a discussion group - if the need is out there.

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12. Answers to some of the Mailed-in Questions:

We have got many questions like: "How can I become a tattoo artist?".

Well, there is no fixed way you can go. We would like to suggest that you get as good an artist education as you can. So you get a very good artistic base to work from. After that, you will have to find a Tattoo Artist, who will take you on as an apprentice - and that may be the hardest part. And do realize that all tattooists are different and work different. So do try to find one that is good and thorough.

We have had many questions like: "can you recommend me a tattooist near where I live?".

No. To give a short answer. We do not know all "local" tattooists. And besides all tattooists work differently. And not everyone is what we would call an Artist. We know that WE do the things as thoroughly and carefully as possible. But we will not be responsible for how others work. Besides we have our own style. And we will not be responsible for how others express themselves. By far the most of what is being made in the world of tattoo, is mere copying. You can find exactly the same designs in all the shops. Of course there are exceptions, and some who also work carefully and originally.

We are also getting a few requests like: "Will you make me a design like such and such, and send it to me?".

No. Of course we will not make special designs for people to go to some other tattooist to have it done. Besides we will not vouch for how another tattooist will do our designs. Finally we are Tattoo Artists - not designers. We need to see the body onto which the tattoo is meant to go, so that we can fit it to that particular person.
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There is a new thing that is extremely irritating:

Do you make tattoos that disappears after 3-5 years?

NO! They do not exist. This is nonsense that has surfaced in the media, and somebody is even advertising that they are in fact doing this.
How would you imagine it to work?

1. After 3 years: Puff - the tattoo disappears?
2. or is it simply looking worse and worse all the time?
3. Is there a guarantee for clean skin after the 3-5 years? Or will there in reality always be traces after something that has been there?
4. Someone claims that they use special pigments that is being absorbed by the body, and thus disappears. I will just repeat: Consider points 1-3 once again....

5. It is simply not true! This kind of tattooing does not exist. Either a tattoo has been done right, and it will last the rest of your life (with the usual provisos that always exist: A tattoo will change with time. It will grow older with the body. A tattoo is a living work of art, and not a dead line on a piece of paper... etc.). Ore else it is badly done, and will fade, and disappear with the scab that will always appear on a new tattoo.
6. Henna (or Mehendi) is another thing. It is an age old natural thing that leaves a trace on the skin for a few weeks, and then disappears completely. But is has nothing to do with tattooing.

7. You may try to consider the following:
IF it was possible to make tattoos that disappeared completely after 3-5 years, don't you think that all the tattooists would jump the possibility, and make much more money by doing the tattoos over and over again? 

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After we have finished a tattoo, we apply a layer of "liquid sealing" to it (sprayed on). It may sting a bit, but that passes soon. It just needs a few minutes to dry, before you put your clothes on again.

The liquid sealing will wear off by itself when you wash. Not to worry.

You may wash and shower as normal. The tattoo will not be harmed by soap and water - on the contrary.

Within a few days, a scab will form, that starts to peel off. Do not pick it! If you do pick it, you may remove some of the colour, and your tattoo will get white spots. This it of course a special problem with solid coloured tattoos.

It is fine to apply some crème or salve to the tattoo while the scab is on. It does not matter much what you use. Use whatever brand you normally have. Otherwise, in Denmark, we recommend the brand Helosan (or Bepanthen) or Aloe Vera lotion. But different people will prefer different stuff. What matters is to keep the wound moist and smooth, so it will not crack and drop off too soon. That might result in white spots.

Whenever the tattoo itches (during the healing process) - scratch around it! Or apply some salve to it - that soothes it as well.

Your skin is very sensitive just after you have had a new tattoo done, so avoid excessive sun for the first few weeks while it heals. This goes for artificial sun as well. If you stay/lay in the sun, keep the tattoo covered up.

Do not wear wool directly on the bare tattoo as long as it has not healed properly. The woolly hairs may penetrate the wound and cause an infection. If you wear wool (like in the winter), just wear something else underneath it. When the tattoo has healed, of course it is no longer a problem.

After a few weeks (this is very individual, how fast you heal up), the tattoo has healed, and you can enjoy it for the rest of your life!

Do remember that a tattoo is a living work of art. It will change over time. As you get older - your tattoo will get older. That is no problem.We give no guarantee for how the tattoo may end. Even though it is very seldom that anything goes wrong, we have no influence on how YOU treat your tattoo or on how you react to it. All we can say is that WE do everything as good as we can - to give you the best.

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If you want to make a print of our Care suggestions, you may go to the Care Page
How do I care for my new tattoo?

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Author Erik Reime
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