Tattoo Industry Myths

The internet is full of stories about tattoos, and not all of them are true. However, as a tattoo artist, it’s important to know what the myths are in order to properly answer your customers’ questions and better understand your craft.

Getting a tattoo seems like a very mystical process, which is why there are a lot of misconceptions about the tattooing and healing process.

Below are some of the most common misconceptions we hear from clients and why they’re just not true.

Some people believe that tattoos can cause disease or cancer. This myth may stem from fears of spreading blood-borne pathogens, which can happen if tattoo artists don’t use sterile equipment. Additionally, some tattoo customers have allergic reactions to the ink.

At this time, there is no evidence that simply having a tattoo causes any health problems — in fact, studies have shown that having a tattoo can increase the number of antibodies in your blood, helping to ward off illnesses like the common cold.

All tattoos hurt, and colored tattoos aren’t necessarily more “painful” than black or gray, but there are reasons why people believe this.

Artists must use different techniques for inks of different densities. Thinner inks can take extra passes or longer to apply, adding an extra step to the tattooing process. Although it varies by brand, color inks tend to be darker than black inks. This is why color tattoos appear to be “more painful.”

Many people think that having a few drinks before an appointment will ease the pain. However, alcohol actually causes the opposite reaction. In fact, most artists warn against drinking the night before or the day of an appointment.

Alcohol thins your blood, which can lead to more bleeding during the procedure. It also dehydrates your body, which can make the tattoo more painful.

The same is true for painkillers, especially ibuprofen, which have blood thinning properties, meaning you may bleed more during the procedure, making it harder for your tattoo artist to work.

If you have tattoos, you can still donate blood, but states have different regulations regarding how long you must wait after getting a tattoo before donating blood.

While keeping your new tattoo “moisturized” with lots of ointment may seem like a good idea, using too much can prevent your tattoo from healing properly.

A thick layer of ointment on top will not allow your new tattoo to breathe and the ointment will suck the ink out of the tattoo, so it’s best to apply a thin layer to help the skin’s natural healing process.

This is partially true: Many clients jump into a pool or go to the beach right after getting a tattoo, but most people know that swimming can remove ink from an unhealed tattoo, which means that swimming in a pool with chlorine can make your tattoo appear faded.

Once your tattoo has healed, swimming in a swimming pool will not fade your tattoo. The high chlorine levels in swimming pools may cause minor damage (redness and irritation) to the top layer of skin. However, your tattoo ink is on the second layer of skin and is not affected by the chlorine.

Tattoos are more likely to fade with prolonged exposure to sunlight, whether you’re in a pool or not.

The tattoo industry began as an “underground” art form and wasn’t always legal. Because tattoos weren’t always in the public eye, stereotypes about the industry can easily be exaggerated.

For a while, this was actually true: people who were “outsiders” to mainstream society got tattoos.

However, today this is a myth: tattoos have become so popular that many different types of people from different industries get tattooed.

This is another myth that was once (at least partially) true. There’s an old stereotype that tattoo artists are intimidating and rude. Tattoo customers were originally “rough” people, and tattoo artists were a scarce resource, so many artists didn’t care about customer service.

However, as the number of tattoo artists increased and tattooing became more mainstream, customer service became a very important part of the job.

Well… this may be true.

Sailor Jerry is an iconic figure in the tattoo world and is known as the originator of the American Traditional tattoo style, but mastering the art of tattooing and refining a new style takes a lot of practice.

Rumor has it that Norman Keith Collins (Sailor Jerry) has connections to the local morgue, allowing him to sneak in and practice on the corpses inside.

There are two reasons why people believe this.

Firstly, many people consider tattoo shops to be dramatic places to work, mainly due to TV shows that constantly pit tattoo artists against customers, many of which are scripted to keep people interested and interested in watching.

Although all tattoo artists have outlandish stories every now and then, most days are just a normal “work day”: they show up to the shop, get their tattoo done, talk to a customer, and go home.

The second reason people think getting tattoos is a “crazy” lifestyle is because they think tattoo artists are always partying. Of course, there are plenty of artists who go out and spend their time, but most artists go home after work to work on their tattoo designs, spend time with their families, and get some rest.

That was the case 10-15 years ago. Tattooing is a complex process and aspiring artists need to be able to understand the process step by step. Before the internet, the only place to do that was by working under a tattoo artist in a tattoo shop. Instead of getting this education, new artists would work full-time for free to help run the shop.

However, recent advances in technology mean that even new artists can now learn online through video, meaning traditional apprenticeships are no longer necessary and artists can learn in the way that best suits their schedule and financial situation.

Working as a tattoo artist is not only rewarding but also the most stable way to make a living as an artist. However, for decades, the process of becoming a tattoo artist has been known to be extremely difficult.

The apprenticeship process requires aspiring tattoo artists to work 50-60 hours a week unpaid for two to four years, which, combined with a toxic culture of mistreatment of apprentices, makes it nearly impossible for newcomers to break into the industry.

That’s why we created our Artist Accelerator program. Our online courses offer a simple, structured way to learn tattooing that’s proven to be effective with over 2,500 students, many of whom have gone on to open their own shops all over the world.

The program takes you through every step of the tattooing process in nine clear, easy-to-follow modules and supports you along the way within the Tattooing 101 Mastermind online community.

In Mastermind Groups you can collaborate with other students, get your questions answered, and receive personalized video feedback on your artwork and tattoos from professional tattoo artists. With this friendly community of new and experienced tattoo artists, you’ll never be stuck again.

When you join the Artist Accelerator program, you’ll get instant access to the full course and mastermind community, as well as a 30-day flash challenge and recorded interviews with tattoo artists from around the world.

For more information on the Artist Accelerator program, click here.