Piercings and Tattoos

[madlodger]

One more non-writing related Poll, for Girls and Guys.

Body Art, yeah!

What do you have? Piercings, Tattoos, Scars etc

Is there a story or a deep meaning for some of that staff?

What does it look like? Multicolored or a solid color?

Describe your Body Jewelry and where it is.

Any regrets? Did you like the artist?

Did it hurt?

Did you get it on a spurt of a moment or wanted it for sometime before getting?

I voted for:

I have none but thinking about getting...

A custom 3D Tattoo on my stomach to cover up the scar from the mole removal. The mole turned out to be a false alarm, but I have a scar from 3 stitches. Strangely, the cut itself is almost invisible; it's the stitches what stand out. I don't think that doctors actually care about appearance of post-op scars if it's not on a person's face. They told me it's going to look better but it's been a few years and I still don't like the look.

Anyone tried to put Tattoos on top of scars? Does it work; is there a color difference between the scar tissue and normal skin? If there is, I might incorporate that into artwork.

Gross details about mole removal:

SPOILER :

They puncture the skin around it in a shape of a circle (bigger than a mole itself) They go pretty deep.  And then they pull the circle up and snip it. The circular cut is closed with stitches (3 in my case), the line is horizontal. The gross part is that the subcutaneous fat is YELLOW and CHUNKY! Why did I think that it would look like white bacon fat I'd never know, hehe. Gross but was fun to watch, though.

[Nanaea]

I'm boring. I just have my ears pierced. Two on the right, three on the left.

I wear a small sterling silver ball in the top left hole, ruby studs (set in sterling silver - custom made) in the middle/top holes, and the lowest set varies.

I can't wear anything other than sterling silver in my ears or bad things happen.

[Leonhart29]

I have a tattoo above my left breast of two Nordic Runes overlapping. I drew it about five years back and one of my friends tattooed it on for me. I chose Algiz and Wunjo specifically as they were the two that always came up when I got a wild hair and would play with the Rune Stones my sister gave me for Yule one year. And in case you're wondering - Algiz looks like a chicken foot and means Protection - Wunjo looks like a capital P and it means joy. I had it tattooed over my heart for obvious reasons - to protect my heart and bring joy into my life. I also chose to have it done in blacks and grays because life, love, joy and pain are never black and white. It's a reminder to me that I have to look for the good things in life - that they won't just pop up. (I did look for a pic to post here - nut I don't have one that isn't showing a bit more of my chest then what I want to share) I gave a lot of thought to it, and because of that I don't know if I'll ever get another one, but I might get the same dragon tat my Ginny-Ma had (and in the same place - right ass cheek) as an homage to her and everything she taught me.

I also have my ears pierced twice on each ear - but only because I love the way it looks. I used to have a belly button ring and a nipple ring - but after my first pregnancy 12 years ago I never put them back in.

[madlodger]

Nanaea - You couldn't be boring if you tried, Nanaea

Just from that description; your Piercings look pretty hot. I think that I am the only person left without pierced ears, now how sad is THAT?

Is Ruby a symbolical stone of special meaning? I bet it looks real pretty whan light hits it. Would sterling silver be non-allergenic then? That never occured to me.

Leonhart29 - I so wish you'd saved the original picture! Those tats sound totally cool. I can sort of imagine them from description. Don't blame you for not posting a pic, as it would be a bit revealing. Is there any 3D effect to blacks and grays?

Getting the dragon Tattoo like your mum's (or gran's) sounds like a good idea. There is a deep meaning to it and it may serve as a link between you in a way. Hope that you have a good picture to work with; to get it on a right spot and that it is the same design.

I've noticed that people have more than one ear Piercings. So, if you have two on each ear, would one of them be on the middle of ear lobe and another to the side and up? Or both centrally located?

[Nanaea]

Madlodger: The first set are centered on the lobe, the second set are centered just above those, and the third (on the left side only) is a bit closer to the edge of the ear just below where the cartilage starts. I used to have a fourth piercing at the top edge, in the cartilage, but it never properly healed so I let it grow over.

Ruby is my birthstone. 'Trae had the earrings made for me as a gift, so they also have sentimental value. I don't think that sterling silver is non-allergenic, since my maternal grandmother couldn't wear it (she could only wear gold - my mom can wear both gold and silver - go figure).

Piercings, in my family, are a right of passage. I wasn't allowed to get my ears pierced until I reached menarche, and neither will my daughter.

Leon: Ansuz and Berkano (Inspiration and fertility ) are what always came up for me. Laguz (flow) was also quite frequent, and I adopted it as my personal rune.

Edited August 9, 2007 by Nanaea

[ladydeathfaerie]

oh, you're just Mister Want To Know It All, aren't you?

so..... let's talk about piercings first. at present, i have ten holes in my ears. six in the left and four in the right. it sounds odd, but i wear ear cuffs and they all go on the right, so i left that one with a couple less holes. at the moment, all but one pair stays the same. i have titanium and onyx studs in both top holes, as well as a titanium and rhinestone in the second hole from the top on the left. then i have a Celtic knot in the third hole from the top. the next three holes are the same on both sides. i know this lady who makes earrings. i love them so much that i'm always wearing three pairs. right now, the first hole has long, clear quartz dangle earrings with a cuff on the right. the second hole has black onyx dangles with small Celtic crosses at the bottom. the third hole has purple dangles with a tear drop bottom.

for those who might be interested, Cynthia's work can be found at Starlit Skies

she also does prints and has expanded into very labor intensive necklaces. she's simply amazing.

i have my belly button pierced. it has a sterling ring with a hematite ball in it. i used to have my nipple done. sadly, it grew out. that one had a hoop with an onyx ball. i've never gotten it redone because i know it'll just grow out again. to give you an idea, my nipples are about the size of normal lipstick tube. so the ring that went through the left one was huge. rubbing against my bra was what killed the piercing for me. i miss it at times. but... eh. shit happens.

now, for tats..... how long do you have?

i have 15 total. some are in black and gray, some are colored. my first one was daggers and roses around my right ankle. black daggers, red and purple roses. the other ankle has a Celtic knotwork band around it. on my calves, on the inside, i have a tribal in all black as well as a black circle with four lightning bolt looking thingies coming out of it. one is green, one is red, one is white and one is blue. Earth, Air, Fire, Water. i have another Celtic knot on my left calf done in red and purple. hard to explain, but it looks cool. there's some white in it, too. i guess i'm one of those people who can take white. a kind of fast, cheesy set of bites under my left knee.

then i have one on each thigh. there's a wolf's head on my left thigh. he's all black and gray, with lovely, piercing blue eyes. he looks amazing. there's a wingless dragon around a dagger in black and gray on my right thigh, then i have one on each butt cheek. my son's initials in a heart on one side and a band's name on the other. this is worth a chuckle. Throbbin' Rodd. it was a local band and i found it amusing. so did they. and a couple of the guys from Pantera.

on my back, i have a faerie. she's in color. she rests over a chalice of water. there's ivy entwined around the chalice. there's also a small, crescent moon at the base of my neck in purples and white. then a tribal in black on my right arm and this nifty design on my left. i can't tell you what it is, but the artist who did it didn't leave behind any lines. its black, blue and purple. each section was outlined by the color he used there. its pretty sweet.

okay... my arms were done by two different guys. my thighs, butt cheeks, ankles and one of the two on each calf were all done by the same guy. he's been tattooing since before i was born. he's damned good. the other two on my calves were done by two different guys. the faerie and the chalice were done by the same guy and he was going to do an entire back piece for me, piece by piece. but he moved shops and then left state. it sucked because he was amazing. i still have the design he was going to put on my back next. all in all, i've not been under the needle and come out not liking the man who did the artwork. and i've liked all the art work, too. and most of it was picked at random, but most of it means something to me. like the dragon and the wolf. two of the animals i identify with the most. like wise the faerie. and the Celtic knots. i can't explain why i picked them and it not sound like i was just picking to get ink. it all means something to me, but that doesn't mean i can explain them away.

as for covering scars.... i work with a lady who just got her temple tattooed to cover a scar. the colors are vibrant and the artwork looks really good. so i don't see why you can't do the same, Madlodger.

[NightScribe]

Only pierced ears. One in the right, two in the left. Sort of a story behind that. Got them pierced (one each) when I was about ten. When I was in HS, (very early '80s) a guy with a pierced ear was a rare sight indeed (of course, I had a crush on the one guy I knew who did; he was an artist, go figure). Anyway, my younger brother wanted to get his pierced (such a rebel). Mom didn't have a problem with it, so, in order for him to get his money's worth, I got one of mine pierced again. Ain't I a great sister? I really don't do much by way of jewelry; three gold studs, or two studs with a small gold hoop in the odd numbered piercing.

[madlodger]

Nanaea -

'Trae had the earrings made for me as a gift, so they also have sentimental value.

That was sweet of him! Not only he knew WHICH TYPE of birthstone to choose, but had them custom made. Nan, you lucky girl!

Having more than one Piercing on the earlobe does make for an interesting effect when it sparkles.

ladydeathfaerie -Hey, not having one's ears pierced doesn't automatically make them a 'Mister' I DO Want To Know It All, no doubt

Wow, you've got so many, where do I start?

Piercings. I do like ear cuffs, some of them look just awesome. I've seen one guy who had his ear cuffed in strange wide rings. Those things were sort of gray with multicolored shimmer and the outer edge of his ear looked almost transparent when he moved his head. It was so cool, wish I knew what they were made of, some bizarre finish.

You seem to like Onyx and Celtic designs. And a pierced belly button! I wanted to do that forever and always chickened out.

now, for tats..... how long do you have?

me thinks till 3:00 am

15!!!

OMG

That is like having a personal Journal on your body. I bet that looking at each one does bring back the day when then it happen like it was yesterday. They say pain reinforces memories; it might be true for getting tats as well. Ancients used them in ceremonies; Nanaea mentioned getting Piercings as a Right of Passage which is a way of Ancients also (I am speculating here, of course)

The wolf Tattoo got my attention; I own three dogs and like them a lot. And blue is my favorite color. That is a one hot tat!

Throbbin' Rodd?!?

On a butt cheek?

That is the cutest thing ever, ladydeathfaerie and requires a light virtual spanking on above mentioned cheek!

However, the other cheek is going to be discussed here.

Your son's initials... Well, does he know about it? Because it's like giving him extra ammunition in the arguments. You'd say: "You are a pain in my butt, kid" and he'd answer:" Dah! Your own fault." "Well, technically...yeah."

Lovely. I like most of them and notice heavy use of blacks and purples. Really wish to see the one on the left arm. Sigh.

I am glad that you liked artists who did all artwork. I am a bit worried about that, as my tat (if I get guts to see it through) will be 3D. I want to have the effect that it's hovering above my skin, would be pretty cool.

Can't express how glad I am about you mentioning that lady from work. I am sad that she got one on her face - and temple is a dangerous place to get injured. However, having a nice Tattoo is much superior to an ugly scar, especially if some parts of it are raised or uneven. I worried that the solid inking might change its shade going from normal skin to scar and cause the outline to be seen. Right now I have lightly tanned stomach and that thing is white and stands out. Not cool.

NightScribe - I loved that story about your brother getting his ear pierced! Did he keep that piercing? It was nice of you to take him to do it. And getting yours pierced at the same time holds more significance than a simple 'getting worth one's money' deal.

Three gold studs make for a good conservative look.

[Guest Alien Pirate Pixagi]

I have neither. Nope, not even my ears are pierced... sorta...

I have had my ears pierced three times in the same exact spot on my lobes. The first time I was in second grade and they closed up, the third was in 5th grade and they got infected, then I found out I'm allergic to nickel, which is used to cut gold. The last time was when I turned 18, and nearly a year later they fucking closed up on me because my body decided that nope, no holes for me. Except, I still have the cores from the piercings.

As for tattoos, I want one so badly. I had one designed that I wanted to get, but now I want something different that I'm going to design. I don't want some stupid butterfly, 'cause I figure if I'm going to have something etched into my skin, it better be worth it and better be meaningful.

[dazzledfirestar]

Okay, well, I didn't vote because, well, my option isn't up there. I used to have several piercings, but I have since let most of them grow over. So, anyway, for interest sake, I will do the list of things I have had pierced. Ears (three on left, four on the right, and they're still in), nose (gone), tongue (gone), eyebrow (gone), and belly button (gone).

As for tattoos, I've thought about it time and time (and time ) again, but I can never decide what I want. I agree with what Pix said about it too, if it's permanent, I'd better be damned sure!

[madlodger]

Alien Pirate Pixagi - Should it be considered 'ex-pierced'? Because it WAS done three times? I suppose that it wasn't a good time to have them, so they closed. One day they'll stay

if I'm going to have something etched into my skin, it better be worth it and better be meaningful

I so agree on that point. This sort of thing is permanent. It would be funny to be an 80-year-old Granma looking at 50-year-old Tattoos on her body thinking: "What damn Anime was that character from? Gods it's revolting...I must of been drunk and my friends tattooed me...' and the Grankid would ask: " What's Enime, Granny?"

[Kyouryoku Senshi]

I just have my ears pierced, one in each ear, although I'm thinking of getting two more in the future. No major scars. Not planning on getting a tattoo anytime soon, but maybe in the future.

[EveKnight75]

Did I mention that I have a fear of needles?

The only piercings I have are one in each ear. That was done when I was 3 years old, so it obviously wasn't my choice. I'm not upset about it because I do wear earrings frequently.

I do get temp tats every now and then. I love playing around with mehendi (which is what you call henna tattoos).

Other than that, I don't think I could ever get extra piercings or permanent tattoos because I'm terrified of needles. It's bad enough that I have to use them on a daily basis and I'll leave it at that.

Perhaps I'd be willing to go so far as to get an extra piercing in each ear if I really wanted it that badly, or maybe a nose piercing (I could get away with that very easily). Too bad I don't really want it.

Permanent tattoos would be a sticky area for me because I can't think of any artwork that would represent me well for the rest of my life, outside of the lame zodiac sign or my name written in Sanskrit. I wouldn't worry about the skin that much if it's not my stomach (my waistline fluctuates year-round) because no one on either side of the family starts to look over 40 until they hit 70. That means that I'm pretty much guaranteed not to have wrinkles or sagging skin until I hit that age; and I have my own doubts about surviving to that age, much less past it.

[madlodger]

dazzledfirestar - Yours looks like:

I have Piercing(s) only

You do have Piercings currently, those what grew closed probably shouldn't count, since they are gone. If a person had a Tattoo and then removed it, for example, they would vote as no Tattoos

Wow, you had a pierced tongue!

Kyouryoku Senshi - You are braver than me, I havn't had my ears pierced One Piercing in each ear is a timeless classic.

EveKnight75 -

I have my own doubts about surviving to that age, much less past it

That is just sad, Eve. You mention death in passing as if it's OK. Not OK with me, though. I forbid you going untill you are well wrinkled and had your 100th BD. Take a note of that.

I can't think of any artwork that would represent me well for the rest of my life

The bar is raised impossibly high there because there is no point of getting a Tattoo on one's deathbed. The way I see tats - they represent a person at the time of getting them; it's like a record of it, really. The older the person gets, the higher nostalgic quality gets. Old tats can be endearing and cute.

On another hand, getting mehendi is an excellent option, especially if the person have had enough needles to deal with. Mehendi must look really good, I bet that you can get different shades as well, depending on timing. And they are always different, now that is a nice option Good thing I don't have any of that mehendi paste handy, or there would be some things written and drawn on my body for which that staff was never intended.

[Guest Madapple]

I have to say I have both.

I have ear piercings, three in each although I usually don't wear earrings, I am super allergic to most things and what I can wear is pretty much trial and error. I've been allergic to 18K and 24K gold but able to wear cheap quality silver. I end up giving nice things to the kids or away. It's frustrating. I have had my nose pierced three different times, but they never healed properly. The last one about 5 years ago. Then one week when I was visiting my mother, the damn thing fell out and closed up over night. I took it as a sign, so I never had it re-pierced.

As for the tattoos, I have 2 both on my right leg. Around my ankle I have the first line of the Iliad written in Ancient Greek letters. (Some of you won't find this surprising.) And on my right calf I have the Hogwarts shield, with the 'Hogwarts' banner above it. I absolutely love it, my friends tease me about being an uber-nerd, but since then one of them has gone and gotten one, too. I think I'm starting a hometown frenzy of Harry Potter Tattoo art.

[redsliver]

I don't have any tattoos and have never really wanted one entirely because they're permanent and I get the feeling anything that I'd love now would bore me in a decade or so.

AS for piercings, lets just say my goal is to leave this world with as many holes as I brought into it.

[Nanaea]

Around my ankle I have the first line of the Iliad written in Ancient Greek letters. (Some of you won't find this surprising.)

That's so cool (and fitting)!

We want to see a picture of the Hogwarts tat!!

[ladydeathfaerie]

Madlodger:

Hey, not having one's ears pierced doesn't automatically make them a 'Mister'  I DO Want To Know It All, no doubt

i beg your pardon. Mister was the first thing that popped out. you are welcome to properly chastise me for such an error.

Wow, you've got so many, where do I start?

Piercings. I do like ear cuffs, some of them look just awesome. I've seen one guy who had his ear cuffed in strange wide rings. Those things were sort of gray with multicolored shimmer and the outer edge of his ear looked almost transparent when he moved his head. It was so cool, wish I knew what they were made of, some bizarre finish.

You seem to like Onyx and Celtic designs. And a pierced belly button! I wanted to do that forever and always chickened out.

the earcuff has sort of ended up being something i almost don't dare go without. my ear feels naked, yes.. i know that sounds so strange. but its true.... if i don't have an earcuff dangling off my ear, its naked. Cynthia's designs are supposed to have inspired the ear cuffs worn by the.... crap, not even going to try and spell it... one group of aliens on ST:DS9. the ones that are listed on her website are rather old and, compared to what she makes now, simplistic. her new designs are so elegant and smooth. they practically flow like water. i'm probably one of her biggest customers. i have something like 4 dozen pairs of her earrings and purchase more all the time. i still have the first pair i bought from her, too.

well, black is my favorite color. the only other black you can get on jewelry is pretty much jet. glass beads aren't as..... significant to me. i prefer onyx. it has weight and depth and its supposed to be one of the strongest natural stones when it comes to catching and storing energy. this is why i have an onyx crystal around my neck. along with moonstone and garnet and a small amount of amethyst. and i'm drawn toward all things Celtic. knots, music.... i'd love to learn to speak Gaelic. i have a book and tape, but i've never started. i understand it can be difficult. especially since there's Scots Gaelic and Irish Gaelic. i've heard it spoken. i think, though, that i can learn Gaelic if i can learn German.

15!!!

OMG

That is like having a personal Journal on your body. I bet that looking at each one does bring back the day when then it happen like it was yesterday. They say pain reinforces memories; it might be true for getting tats as well. Ancients used them in ceremonies; Nanaea mentioned getting Piercings as a Right of Passage which is a way of Ancients also (I am speculating here, of course)

The wolf Tattoo got my attention; I own three dogs and like them a lot. And blue is my favorite color. That is a one hot tat!

oddly, i've had them with me so long.... some as long as fifteen years.... that i don't remember the days so much. i sometimes forget i've got them, if you can believe it. but i can tell you that the pain was, for me, minimal. only a couple of them were so bad that i can recall it. a friend and i used to tell people when asked 'Didn't that hurt?' that it feels kind of like a burn before the pain stops all together. the tip of the dagger or sword on my leg is high enough that it hit my thigh bone. that hurt. as did the moon on the back of my neck. again, for the same reason. most of them, though, i barely remember getting. when i look at them all, though, the whole picture they paint is very accurate of who and what i am. faeries, images of the Goddess, tribal (thought popular with many of the trendy tat people, to me they seem very spiritual) animal totems and the ancient Celts.... these are all things that i am in to. that i'm about. they define me in some way that i don't think words ever can.

i'm so pleased with the way the wolf came out. most animal faces tend to look as if they've been pushed in. the artist who did it was just amazing. the tat is done in such a way that it seems you're looking right up the length of the wolf's muzzle into his eyes. its really just.... words cannot describe it.

Throbbin' Rodd?!?

On a butt cheek?

That is the cutest thing ever, ladydeathfaerie and requires a light virtual spanking on above mentioned cheek!

However, the other cheek is going to be discussed here.

Your son's initials... Well, does he know about it? Because it's like giving him extra ammunition in the arguments. You'd say: "You are a pain in my butt, kid" and he'd answer:" Dah! Your own fault." "Well, technically...yeah."

Lovely. I like most of them and notice heavy use of blacks and purples. Really wish to see the one on the left arm. Sigh.

Throbbin' Rodd was one of those spur of the moment things. it was, and is, still a source of amusement for me. and i know there's a picture or video of it floating around somewhere.

thanks for the spanking. i won't tell you how badly i need one. now if only i could find the right person to give it to me.....

no, my son doesn't know about the tat with his initials. maybe, when he's older and all, i might consider letting him know. right now, he's still at the age where he doesn't want to discuss stuff like that. never mind he's been with to several of my tattooing sessions.

again, black is my favorite color, followed closely by purple. so yes, there's lots of those colors. and i don't know that i have a picture of my left arm. if not, i can probably snap one with the webcam and share. would that be acceptable?

I am glad that you liked artists who did all artwork. I am a bit worried about that, as my tat (if I get guts to see it through) will be 3D. I want to have the effect that it's hovering above my skin, would be pretty cool.

Can't express how glad I am about you mentioning that lady from work. I am sad that she got one on her face - and temple is a dangerous place to get injured. However, having a nice Tattoo is much superior to an ugly scar, especially if some parts of it are raised or uneven. I worried that the solid inking might change its shade going from normal skin to scar and cause the outline to be seen. Right now I have lightly tanned stomach and that thing is white and stands out. Not cool.

if you do decide to get your tat, do lots of research. most places now are required by law to have an autoclave on site. they have to be clean and sterile. a good artist will never use ink from the same cup for more than one person. if he stops what he's doing, he should change his gloves before starting again. yes, they wear gloves. protection goes both ways. talk to the artists themselves, tell them what you want. some will allow a dry run with the gun before you get inked. you can stand in the shop and watch them work. and just remember, never trust a tattoo artist who doesn't have any ink showing on himself. that's never a good sign in my book. check for pictures of work they've done. if the tattoo shop has a website, visit it. you can't be too careful because it is something you have to live with for the rest of your life.

she got a dagger tattooed over the scar and its very well done, very bright and quite covers the parts of the scar that it sits over. you can't tell that there's a scar beneath it unless you look really close. so i don't see why you can't get what you want and have the ink do what you want. unless you just can't find the right artists. some will tell you that it can't be done.

keep looking.

and keep in mind that some will be more willing to do their work for less than the usual rate. because they want people to see their work and come in.

[dazzledfirestar]

Mad, very cool about the Iliad tat, and I second Nan's request for a pic of the Hogwarts tat!

Anyhoo, yes, madlodger, I had my tongue pierced for about six years... there's still a bit of a dint in the middle of my tongue where the piercing once was.

[Guest Agaib]

I have neither. I prefer being fairly natural so I avoid cutting My body, coloring it, or putting holes in it. Not to say I look down on those who do, but doing those things kinda gives Me the heebie jeebies. You could call Me a nature lover I suppose (in more ways that one).

[DarkCabaret]

I have both piercings and tattoos!

I've got four in each ear ... though I don't normally wear earrings. I used to have five in each ear but part of my ear is thin and the earring goes straight through it leaving a gaping hole.

I've got my eyebrow pierced. Picture

I've got two tattoos:

One on my wrist. Designed it myself, Picture

One on my ankle. I found it somewhere online and fell in love lol, Picture

So yeah .... it's awesome!

Oh and I've pierced my OWN nose about four times and it never stays because I lose part of the jewelery.

[madlodger]

In regard of posting pictures of Tattoos and Piercings:

Pictures are very welcome for both!

I have a condition, though:

For modesty sake and because most of us are not exibitionists enough to post nude body parts on Internet - have all body parts around the pic blurred or cut out or colored over by a black marker. A good close-up probably might not need to be edited, but many pics most likely would. No private parts or butt hair, please, hehe.

Madapple - allergic to gold but not silver? Metal allergies were mentioned by other people, seems like it happens more often when we want to beleive.

My main worry about getting piercings was getting them infected. Type of metal used for jewlery is another thing to consider now.

Madapple dear, I really want to see that Hogwarts tattoo! Sighning the Show That Tat Petition right under Nanaea and dazzledfirestar.

redsliver -

I get the feeling anything that I'd love now would bore me in a decade or so

Or ten months, eh?

I have none as well but am considering getting a custom tat done.

ladydeathfaerie - I can't express how helpful your posts are. I contemplated getting that Tattoo for a few years now, ever since getting that scar. Your posts helped me solidify the decision to go through with it. Pain was not high on a list of concerns, but the final look of the tat was. The local shop does sterilize their needles, but the artists there are Tracers, sadly. Their work looks solid but not quite what I'm looking for. I need to come up with the final design and than go from there. It's not anything spiritual, although is significant. There is a guy in the area who does custom work, I want to go and look at his staff sometime. I am not in a hurry to have it done tomorrow, but will get to it in a good time

Any chance of posting at least some of your Tats and Piercings? Maybe the Wolf one and the left arm?

At what age would you let your son to get a Tattoo or a Piercing? He is too young now, but one day he might want one.

dazzledfirestar - Tongue piercings are hot! You are a brave girl to have had it, even if it's gone now.

Agaib - nature lover! Tarzan, yeah! (that was inspired by your avatar for some reason) We have a few nature lovers around here, so join the club. I'll be leaving the club at some point, but it was good while it lasted.

DarkCabaret - Liked the Piercing. The spiky ones do send a message, hehe.

Both tats are adorable, the one on the wrist looks very good and I can't get over the look on the Little Demon's face. Sweet!

[Guest Alien Pirate Pixagi]

My main worry about getting piercings was getting them infected. Type of metal used for jewlery is another thing to consider now.

It's my understanding that what most people are allergic to is not the gold itself (which is hypoallergenic) but what is used to cut the gold. Primarily, nickel. Every reaction to nickel specifically has been the same: Causing the ear to literally push it out, lowering the piercing until it drops out.

Usually, people catch it before then.

And silver is a metal that a LOT of people are allergic to, including myself. It's irritates the hell out of the skin.

Copper oxidizes and turns your ears green. Very attractive, the veggy look.

The following are safe metals: Surgical steel, titanium and platinum. They're all hypoallergenic, and are not cut with anything that 'causes a reaction if at all.

[dazzledfirestar]

You know what? Everyone told me that the tongue piercing would hurt more than any of the other ones I had done, but it didn't! In fact, the worst of the bunch was my eyebrow!

[madlodger]

Alien Pirate Pixagi - Eww, you mean the ear lobe swells up enough to push them out? That can't possibly feel good. I had no idea that that could happen. The one piercing I used to want was a bellybutton one, because I've met someone with a gorgeous bit of jewlery. It was way hot, so I wanted one. But then I sweat a lot and worried about getting it infected or getting yanked on. Never thought about metal allergies before, will get platinum or titanium if ever get one

dazzledfirestar - what about the belly button one? You used to have that as well, right?