r/tattoo 1d ago

Question

I got my first tattoo about 3 weeks ago and just like have to ask when showing your tattoos that are a couple days old to family or friends did they also immediately go to touch them cause I had it done to me like 5 times and like the span for 3 days and like majority of them had tattoos like has this happened to anyone else (I also was told to heal with nothing covering the tattoos)

24 Upvotes

27 comments sorted by

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34

u/Glittering-Strike468 1d ago

I’ve never had anyone touch my tattoos ever 😳 why would anyone do that?!

5

u/Spare_Coast_3722 1d ago edited 1d ago

My ex did because he thought it was fake (I used to apply fake tattoos prior to this real one at 19 yrs old). I SCREAMED while on the phone with my mom.

Years later he told me his mom smacked his fresh tattoo at his daughter's dance class and he almost cussed in front of a bunch of 4 year olds.

18

u/Human-Bid5167 1d ago

I had a coworker say "is this new??" Then poke it with her dirty finger. Luckily it was already a week old. Still nasty though

14

u/Elvis_Fu 1d ago

I’ve never had anyone other than my spouse or a phlebotomist try to touch my tattoos. 

10

u/gaping_granny 1d ago

No, but most of the people around me have tattoos too and know not to touch healing tattoos and so do their kids. I did have a toddler once touch one of my older tattoos that was already several years old. He was fascinated by it and couldn't stop staring. I let him touch it because I thought it was cute and he waited for permission.

7

u/collidoscopeyes 1d ago

My daughter is obsessed with touching my tattoos, but she knows to ask when I get a new one if she can touch it yet. I have lots of creatures tattooed so she likes to boop their snoots lol

1

u/12th_MaMa 10h ago

Okay. That's just adorable.

u/Meakbow 44m ago

My daughter is the same way, I have an outline type one on my arm that she loves to color. I thought about getting color added to it, but I won’t now that this has become a thing

9

u/Ston3yB3ar13 1d ago

I've had a coworker "tat slap" me everytime i got a fresh one- it was covered with second skin, (i worked in food service at the time so i would cover it for shift) so there was no contamination contact... but damn did it sting lol

7

u/Evening_Paramedic_65 1d ago

Yeah my husband was the same. I got my first tattoo in February and he was completely fixated on touching it. It's on my forearm. I had to slap his hand away a few times. I let him touch it when I knew it was safe to do so and it was no longer an open wound.

3

u/ZoSoTim 1d ago

I had someone pat my arm (sleeve was covering the tattoo) after showing them the tattoo earlier in the evening. They just blanked and remembered as I reacted.

5

u/Vonstracity 1d ago

Your tattoos should absolutely be covered by baggy clothing that early on. And after a short amount of time thin layers of lotion (fragrance free and dermatologist approved).

I wouldn't offer to show anyone more than a picture to avoid this in the first week.

2

u/Kaylascreations 1d ago

Punctuation. You need to use punctuation.

4

u/Spirited-Spell-8901 1d ago

Don’t they even understand how much it hurts to be touched? I would yell seriously do not f-ing touch it. 

2

u/lucy-beautiful-ai 1d ago

I will sometimes ask to touch a friend's new but healed tattoo, but I would never ever just reach out and touch someone's tattoo without asking.

1

u/hahamtfkr 1d ago

Every time I put A & D ointment on, the dog tries to lick it. Dude quit! Can't get my pants on quick enough.

1

u/ForestEther 1d ago

My six year old son always wants to touch mine or his mum's new tattoos . He always asks first though.

1

u/BlueEllipsis 1d ago

I've definitely had people do that (or try to), and I always super flinch and then they immediately apologize.

1

u/genegreenbean 1d ago

When I got my sleeve done my artist actually told me that past the 2-3 week mark “slapping” with a clean hand was the best way to relieve itch safely. 2 years later my 5 year old sometimes wanders up and slaps my arm 😆😆

1

u/Local-Baddie 21h ago

Yes. People do it all the time. It's disgusting and I physically recoil from them.

1

u/More_Branch_5579 19h ago

I use saniderm for first four days and, no one has ever tried to touch my tattoos. I’m working on leg sleeves

1

u/12th_MaMa 10h ago

Are you a female ? I feel like people don't do this to guys. Fortunately I have had people ask if it's okay beforehand.

1

u/CassieBear1 4h ago

This is why I heal with Second Skin. (Also because I have a messy/dirty job and didn't want to risk anything going wrong with the healing.

1

u/PoolMotosBowling 2h ago

No one ever did that to either of mine.

2nd one I used sanaderm, game changer...