Tattoos are forever, choose your design carefully. Make sure you pick what you really want. Never choose something second best just because it's cheaper. If you do you'll most likely be sorry later on that you did not get the piece that you really wanted. Never place a tiny tattoo in a prime tattoo location, because as time goes on it will be the curse that keeps you from getting an awesome piece in that location.

Always get tattooed by a professional. Never get tattooed by a scratcher! What is a scratcher? A scratcher is someone who is learning and most of the time they are learning on their own without any help from a professional. They may think their work is good when actually they are putting bad tattoos on people. A scratcher is usually found working underground and is not a legal tattoo artist. They may be safe and using clean sterile methods, or they may not be. What does this mean for you? This means you are taking a big chance . You could get an infection, or you could be risking your very life! Don't be a bargain hunter, get the very best.

A professional tattoo is safe and clean. It will be done under sterile conditions. Unless you want to spend more money getting a bad tattoo covered up or get it reworked by a professional, do it right the first time. Get your tattoo done by a professional. Remember, it is illegal to tattoo in the state of Maine without a license, as well as most other states.

How do you pick an artist? Go see him and look at his or her work. Any good artist will have photos of his or her work, so you can judge for yourself how good they are. Check how clean the shop is. Is there a clean sterile work area, do they have an autoclave sterilizer? Do they use clean sterile new needles out of a sterile package? Do they use all new disposable items on each customer? Do they use cross contamination control (are all the things touched while tattooing the customer covered with a plastic barrier, and removed after each tattoo to prevent spreading of germs to the next customer?) Do they wear gloves to protect themselves? Once you know the artist does great work, and that they are clean and sterile, you can begin to pick the tattoo you want. Don't rush the process! Make sure the piece you choose is what you really want to wear permanently. Remember, a tattoo is forever and it will still be there even after you are gone. Also remember that all good art is expensive! This also applies to tattoos. A good tattoo is not cheap, a cheap tattoo is not good, You get what you pay for! The price you pay and the artist you choose can make all the difference in the world, so when your friends say, "Gee that cost too much!", just remember you have to live with your choice the rest of your life.

A great tattoo brings smiles and conversation and a bad tattoo brings regrets and more cost. Think ink! Tattoos are like the people that wear them, large, small, all shapes and sizes. A great deal of the time they represent a certain part of their life, and have a story behind the tattoo, like a souvenir of a place, person, or thing. Tattoos are not new, they date back to prehistoric man and they were also used to identify tribes. Tattoos are a personal statement made by you as an individual. Take time and care when making your selections.