| you ever wondered why there are people who | | | | getting a foot tattoo, your foot may engage in |
| have every inch of their arms and legs tattooed | | | | some twitching and jerking, and the tattoo artist |
| in the most breathtaking designs and colors, and | | | | may have difficulty controlling the needle when it |
| that their tattoos stop short of their hands and | | | | does. If the tattoo artist is good enough, he or |
| feet with a suddenness that is equally | | | | she may be able to cover up any resulting |
| breathtaking? | | | | squiggles, but that’s a chance |
| The simple truth is that both hand and foot | | | | you’ll have to take. |
| tattoos are rarely requested and even more | | | | Another thing: You have a lot of nerve endings |
| rarely done. Part of the reason for their rarity is | | | | and capillaries in you feet, and not much cushioning |
| that new tattoos need to be kept clean, dry, and | | | | between the skin and bones. Most people who |
| free of irritation while they heal completely, which | | | | have had both foot and body tattoos done report |
| can take from two to three weeks. | | | | that the foot tattoos are far and away the more |
| That lets hands out; but foot tattoos are still in | | | | painful; and those nerve endings can also make |
| the running. That is, if you can figure out a way | | | | some people very ticklish. |
| to avoid irritating them with shoes and socks | | | | If your feet are ticklish, pass on trying to have a |
| while they are healing, and simultaneously keep | | | | foot tattoo done; and all those capillaries are so |
| them clean. | | | | close to the skin’s surface that foot |
| Okay, you might have a hard time getting and | | | | tattoos tend to bleed more profusely than body |
| caring for a foot tattoo. But why do so many | | | | tattoos. |
| tattoo artists have such a hard time agreeing to | | | | But if you can find a willing artist, and after |
| do them? | | | | assessing all the potential negatives decide go |
| First, foot tattoos don’t like to stay | | | | ahead and get a foot tattoo, using a pre-inking |
| where they are put, and their inks tend to | | | | anesthetic ointment to numb your foot is a good |
| “migrate”, meaning that your | | | | idea. |
| sharply defined new tattoo may eventually | | | | You can still expect to have swelling and soreness |
| become blurred and faded. | | | | for a few days afterwards. If your work requires |
| Tattoo artists are almost always willing to do free | | | | you to be on your feet for any length of time, |
| touchups for tattoos on any other part of the | | | | consider holding off on the tattoo until your |
| body, but the likelihood of foot tattoos needing | | | | vacation. |
| touchups is so high that the artists will either not | | | | The Beautiful: Because there just aren’t a |
| do the foot tattoos, will not offer to do touchups | | | | lot of souls brave enough to face having their |
| at all, or will charge for the touchups. | | | | feet tattooed, your tattoo is sure to get extra |
| Tattoo artists, at least the good ones, are true | | | | attention. And you’ll have some stunningly |
| artists, and they don’t like to take on | | | | beautiful foot tattoo designs, both simple and |
| work which won’t let them do their best. | | | | highly stylized, to choose from. |
| One of the things you may not know about your | | | | The foot provides a small but nearly flat canvas |
| feet is that they have reflex points, just like the | | | | on which the artist can work and the results, like |
| one in your knee which the doctor hits with the | | | | garlands of flowers or stars, or tarantulas or |
| little hammer to see if your nerves are still talking | | | | frogs poised to leap, can be amazingly three |
| to your brain. | | | | dimensional. |
| In spite of your best efforts to keep still while | | | | |