"foot tattoos"
Have you ever wondered why there are people who have every inch of their arms and legs tattooed in the most breathtaking designs and colors, and that their tattoos stop short of their hands and feet with a suddenness that is equally breathtaking?
The simple truth is that both hand and foot tattoos are rarely requested and even more rarely done. Part of the reason for their rarity is that new tattoos need to be kept clean, dry, and free of irritation while they heal completely, which can take from two to three weeks.
That lets hands out; but foot tattoos are still in the running. That is, if you can figure out a way to avoid irritating them with shoes and socks while they are healing, and simultaneously keep them clean.
Okay, you might have a hard time getting and caring for a foot tattoo. But why do so many tattoo artists have such a hard time agreeing to do them?
First, foot tattoos don't like to stay where they are put, and their inks tend to "migrate", meaning that your sharply defined new tattoo may eventually become blurred and faded. Tattoo artists are almost always willing to do free touchups for tattoos on any other part of the body, but the likelihood of foot tattoos needing touchups is so high that the artists will either not do the foot tattoos, will not offer to do touchups at all, or will charge for the touchups.
Tattoo artists, at least the good ones, are true artists, and they don't like to take on work which won't let them do their best. One of the things you may not know about your feet is that they have reflex points, just like the one in your knee which the doctor hits with the little hammer to see if your nerves are still talking to your brain.
In spite of your best efforts to keep still while getting a foot tattoo, your foot may engage in some twitching and jerking, and the tattoo artist may have difficulty controlling the needle when it does. If the tattoo artist is good enough, he or she may be able to cover up any resulting squiggles, but that's a chance you'll have to take.
Another thing: You have a lot of nerve endings and capillaries in you feet, and not much cushioning between the skin and bones. Most people who have had both foot and body tattoos done report that the foot tattoos are far and away the more painful; and those nerve endings can also make some people very ticklish. If your feet are ticklish, pass on trying to have a foot tattoo done; and all those capillaries are so close to the skin's surface that foot tattoos tend to bleed more profusely than body tattoos.
But if you can find a willing artist, and after assessing all the potential negatives decide go ahead and get a foot tattoo, using a pre-inking anesthetic ointment to numb your foot is a good idea. You can still expect to have swelling and soreness for a few days afterwards. If your work requires you to be on your feet for any length of time, consider holding off on the tattoo until your vacation.
The Beautiful: Because there just aren't a lot of souls brave enough to face having their feet tattooed, your tattoo is sure to get extra attention. And you'll have some stunningly beautiful foot tattoo designs, both simple and highly stylized, to choose from. The foot provides a small but nearly flat canvas on which the artist can work and the results, like garlands of flowers or stars, or tarantulas or frogs poised to leap, can be amazingly three dimensional.
The simple truth is that both hand and foot tattoos are rarely requested and even more rarely done. Part of the reason for their rarity is that new tattoos need to be kept clean, dry, and free of irritation while they heal completely, which can take from two to three weeks.
That lets hands out; but foot tattoos are still in the running. That is, if you can figure out a way to avoid irritating them with shoes and socks while they are healing, and simultaneously keep them clean.
Okay, you might have a hard time getting and caring for a foot tattoo. But why do so many tattoo artists have such a hard time agreeing to do them?
First, foot tattoos don't like to stay where they are put, and their inks tend to "migrate", meaning that your sharply defined new tattoo may eventually become blurred and faded. Tattoo artists are almost always willing to do free touchups for tattoos on any other part of the body, but the likelihood of foot tattoos needing touchups is so high that the artists will either not do the foot tattoos, will not offer to do touchups at all, or will charge for the touchups.
Tattoo artists, at least the good ones, are true artists, and they don't like to take on work which won't let them do their best. One of the things you may not know about your feet is that they have reflex points, just like the one in your knee which the doctor hits with the little hammer to see if your nerves are still talking to your brain.
In spite of your best efforts to keep still while getting a foot tattoo, your foot may engage in some twitching and jerking, and the tattoo artist may have difficulty controlling the needle when it does. If the tattoo artist is good enough, he or she may be able to cover up any resulting squiggles, but that's a chance you'll have to take.
Another thing: You have a lot of nerve endings and capillaries in you feet, and not much cushioning between the skin and bones. Most people who have had both foot and body tattoos done report that the foot tattoos are far and away the more painful; and those nerve endings can also make some people very ticklish. If your feet are ticklish, pass on trying to have a foot tattoo done; and all those capillaries are so close to the skin's surface that foot tattoos tend to bleed more profusely than body tattoos.
But if you can find a willing artist, and after assessing all the potential negatives decide go ahead and get a foot tattoo, using a pre-inking anesthetic ointment to numb your foot is a good idea. You can still expect to have swelling and soreness for a few days afterwards. If your work requires you to be on your feet for any length of time, consider holding off on the tattoo until your vacation.
The Beautiful: Because there just aren't a lot of souls brave enough to face having their feet tattooed, your tattoo is sure to get extra attention. And you'll have some stunningly beautiful foot tattoo designs, both simple and highly stylized, to choose from. The foot provides a small but nearly flat canvas on which the artist can work and the results, like garlands of flowers or stars, or tarantulas or frogs poised to leap, can be amazingly three dimensional.
Tattoos are the new 'must have' - everyone wants them and you are definitely not cool if you don't have at least one. Trouble is not everyone wants to be obvious about it and so you have to be careful about placement. One way round it is to go for a foot tattoo. Tattoos for women are notoriously difficult to place appropriately bearing in mind the problems associated with skin stretching during pregnancy (and ageing) and the unfortunate social stigma of lower back tattoos leaves little choice. Foot tattoos are generally regarded as being cute, sexy and discreet. There was a reluctance among Tattoo Artists to work on feet because of potential pain and fading problems but modern techniques have alleviated both of these problems.
Foot tattoos are less showy than those in other areas which is important for those who don't want to be too obvious about their body art. Foot tattoos are perfect to show off when you want to, and cover when you need to. They are less common than those on other parts of the body though that is changing as they are particularly popular with career orientated women who seem to prefer them as they don't compromise their professional status but still keep up with the social trends outside the workplace. Another large factor is that a skilfully designed tattoo on the foot looks good with modern shoe designs - especially open toes and strappy sandals. Men do have foot tattoos but not as often as women, mainly because so many areas of the male body are easier to work on.
Design is important when choosing any tattoo as you will be living with it forever, you should be sure that it means something to you and you must consider how you feel about it being on public view! Foot Tattoos are ideal for small or flowing designs and you should always get guidance from the Artist who will be doing it for you. Most designs can be reduced in size if necessary and you can be sure that a good artist will only want to do a tattoo that will look good on you and reflect well on them. If you want a personal design you may have to pay a small deposit to cover the design time but you will end up with something that is unique and special.
Foot Tattoos are generally a little more painful than those on more fleshy areas of the body, for this reason some Artists are still reluctant to do them. There is little flesh over the bones in the foot so any work done on that part of the foot is likely to cause discomfort, especially if you have sensitive feet. Because blood vessels are closer to the surface they can also bleed a little more but a good artist using good equipment will minimise this.
You must be prepared to take extra care of a foot tattoo, both during the healing period and in general. They are more prone to infection which is another reason why some Artists are occasionally unwilling to do them. Your new tattoo needs to be kept clean, dry and free from any irritation whilst it heals. This means that shoes, stockings or socks are to be avoided if at all possible for at least one, and preferably two weeks after the tattoo has been done. This will give time for any swelling to go down and stop rubbing on your new artwork which would blur it or worse still, partially rub it out. If you have any pain or signs of infection in a new foot tattoo get in touch with your Doctor without delay. Even when a foot tattoo has healed well it still tends to get rubbed more by shoes and may fade more quickly that other areas. You should always use a good moisturiser and even then it may need to re-coloured. Sun block is just as important for foot tattoos as it is for those on other parts of the body.
Tattoos are far more of a fashion item now and are accepted as an art form in their own right rather than a social 'badge'. Foot tattoos are more and more becoming the choice of someone who wants a tattoo that is both different and discreet.
Foot tattoos are less showy than those in other areas which is important for those who don't want to be too obvious about their body art. Foot tattoos are perfect to show off when you want to, and cover when you need to. They are less common than those on other parts of the body though that is changing as they are particularly popular with career orientated women who seem to prefer them as they don't compromise their professional status but still keep up with the social trends outside the workplace. Another large factor is that a skilfully designed tattoo on the foot looks good with modern shoe designs - especially open toes and strappy sandals. Men do have foot tattoos but not as often as women, mainly because so many areas of the male body are easier to work on.
Design is important when choosing any tattoo as you will be living with it forever, you should be sure that it means something to you and you must consider how you feel about it being on public view! Foot Tattoos are ideal for small or flowing designs and you should always get guidance from the Artist who will be doing it for you. Most designs can be reduced in size if necessary and you can be sure that a good artist will only want to do a tattoo that will look good on you and reflect well on them. If you want a personal design you may have to pay a small deposit to cover the design time but you will end up with something that is unique and special.
Foot Tattoos are generally a little more painful than those on more fleshy areas of the body, for this reason some Artists are still reluctant to do them. There is little flesh over the bones in the foot so any work done on that part of the foot is likely to cause discomfort, especially if you have sensitive feet. Because blood vessels are closer to the surface they can also bleed a little more but a good artist using good equipment will minimise this.
You must be prepared to take extra care of a foot tattoo, both during the healing period and in general. They are more prone to infection which is another reason why some Artists are occasionally unwilling to do them. Your new tattoo needs to be kept clean, dry and free from any irritation whilst it heals. This means that shoes, stockings or socks are to be avoided if at all possible for at least one, and preferably two weeks after the tattoo has been done. This will give time for any swelling to go down and stop rubbing on your new artwork which would blur it or worse still, partially rub it out. If you have any pain or signs of infection in a new foot tattoo get in touch with your Doctor without delay. Even when a foot tattoo has healed well it still tends to get rubbed more by shoes and may fade more quickly that other areas. You should always use a good moisturiser and even then it may need to re-coloured. Sun block is just as important for foot tattoos as it is for those on other parts of the body.
Tattoos are far more of a fashion item now and are accepted as an art form in their own right rather than a social 'badge'. Foot tattoos are more and more becoming the choice of someone who wants a tattoo that is both different and discreet.
