14 year old wanting to get a tatto?

Question

i'm a 14 year old male living in Pennsylvania and i want to get a tatto on my right wrist of a small green cross maybe a celtic one but i want to now if i can get one at my age with a parent with me when i get it and if i can how much does a small tatto usually cost? and will it hurt?

Answer 1

No way will a reputable artist do untill you are 18. Most artists charge a min of 45 for an hour.

Answer 2

Good idea...listen to that derek clown and enjoy your hepatitis.

No reputable artist would risk their career to do a $100 tattoo on a minor. If they do, they're an idiot.

Wait until you know exactly what you want...you used the work 'maybe'. That indicates you don't know what you want yet. Take time and figure that out first. THEN worry about cost.

Does it hurt...yup! I'm assuming 'someone' who posted earlier hadn't cleaned their crack pipe for a while when they say it's not painful. A needle going in and out of your skin many times per second is gonna hurt, some places more or less than others, but it will hurt.

Answer 3

kiddo you are only 14 and this is something that will stay with you for the rest of your life.

i think that you are way way WAY to young to be deciding thoose things out. that is one of the reasons that you have to be 18 anyway. and do not try and make your own machine. that guy who said that is some idiot.. you could get seriously infected.

talk to your parents about this and i am sure that they could give you some great reasons on why it is a good idea to wait until you are old enough...

i am sure that it will hurt.. unless you like getting poked hundreds of times with needles. and the cost isnt too too bad. i mean compared to gas theese days.. LOL...

well good luck in a few years. and be a little more patient you do have a lot of life before you!

Answer 4

The age restrictions are different for each tattoo parlor...It really depends on the person doing them. One of them in my area, when I was 16, didn't want to do them on underage people because he said "they don't know what they want." Which is kind of true, but hey. If you get it and hate it that much, you can remove it. But I can tell you, no matter who does it, you will have to have a parent sign for you.
Also as for the price, it depends on what you get, the size, the colors, and sometimes where you get it (geographic location.) I got a black 1"X1" kanji in Panama City. Cost me $100. But then I got a very colorful moon and clouds, about 2"X3" in a small town where I live, and it cost me $85. Just little things like that make a difference. So talk to your parents, talk to tattoo artists, and kind of shop around!
Also, I think a green celtic cross would be awesome. If you really want it, and you can get it, go for it! Just make sure you look at their portfolio. If you ask and they don't have one, forget them. (I have actually come across that before.)
As for the age...I've come across artists who will do people under 18. So don't let people get you down on that. They will just require a parent to sign.
I think that's it...I'm not an expert, but that's my experience with them.
Oh yes...pain. Forgot about that for a sec. Depends...the one on my ankle hurt...scale of 1-10, I'd say 8. But the one I got on my spine felt really good, kind of like a massage with a pen tip. I've heard other people didn't have that reaction and they think I'm weird, maybe I am. But it depends on your pain threshold.

Answer 5

It might smart a little bit on your wrist, but not too much. My advice though? Wait till you're old enough to get one without your parent's permission. If you still want the same tattoo then go for it, but if you change your mind then maybe you should reconsider the whole tattoo thing in the first place. I was 18 when I got my tattoo (a small scorpion on the top of my arm). I turn 31 next month and for the last few years I wished I'd picked something else! Please remember that you can't erase a tattoo, they are for life!

Answer 6

It sounds like a tattoo may be a no go, according to the other posters. Can I offer some consolation?

How about drawing it on with a sharpie or magic marker? That way, you can "live" with your tattoo, and if you hate it (or change your mind), it'll be gone in a week. Once you find a pattern you like, you could try mehendi (a kind of henna) which will last for weeks.

One thing about getting a tattoo at age 14 -- your skin is still growing. I don't know what it would do to your tattoo, but maybe it would stretch it out of shape.

Answer 7

You generally have to be at least 18 in order to get a tattoo, but (at least in Pennsylvania) you can get one under 18 if you have a parent's consent.

http://tattoojoy.com/tattoo_laws/united_states,pennsylvania,1.htm


The price of a tattoo depends on the artist, the area, the size of the tattoo, and how elaborate it is. You'll have to actually consult a tattoo artist, describe the design you want, and get an estimate. Expect a price in the $50-150 range.

I wouldn't suggest that you get a tattoo now; wait a few years and see if you still want it then. You might grow between now and then, and you might decide later that it's a bad idea.

Oh, and by the way, yes, it hurts a LOT. They're sticking you with a needle (repeatedly!) and injecting ink into your skin, after all. The skin gets irritated really easily right after you get the tattoo, and you have to remove the bandage to wash the area very carefully several times a day for the first week or two. My fiance got a tattoo once, and after watching what he went through with that thing, I quickly figured out that I didn't want one anymore.


------

Mechanism

"Tattooing involves the placement of pigment into the skin's dermis, the layer of connective tissue underlying the epidermis. After initial injection, pigment is dispersed throughout a homogenized damaged layer down through the epidermis and upper dermis, in both of which the presence of foreign material activates the immune system's phagocytes to engulf the pigment particles. As healing proceeds, the damaged epidermis flakes away (eliminating surface pigment) while deeper in the skin granulation tissue forms, which is later converted to connective tissue by collagen growth. This mends the upper dermis, where pigment remains trapped within fibroblasts, ultimately concentrating in a layer just below the dermis/epidermis boundary. Its presence there is very stable, but in the long term (decades) the pigment tends to migrate deeper into the dermis, accounting for the degraded detail of old tattoos."

Procedure [excerpt]

"The most common method of tattooing in modern times is the electric tattoo machine, which inserts ink into the skin via a group of needles that are soldered onto a bar, which is attached to an oscillating unit. The unit rapidly and repeatedly drives the needles in and out of the skin, usually 80 to 150 times a second. This modern procedure is ordinarily sanitary. The needles are single-use needles that come packaged individually. The tattoo artist must wash not only his or her hands, but they must also wash the area that will be tattooed. Gloves must be worn at all times and the wound must be wiped frequently with a wet disposable towel of some kind."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tattoo

------

"When it comes to tattoos, you get what you pay for. Yes, there are plenty of people tattooing out there that will ink you cheap, and you'll be crying to a real artist to have it covered up. Look for quality, and be willing to pay for it. NEVER haggle over the price of a tattoo. It is disrespectful to the artist. If you can't pay for quality, don't bother. This is not a bargain bin. It is a piece of art you will wear for life.

http://tattoo.about.com/cs/tatfaq/f/tattoocost.htm

Answer 8

not even with your parent kid, trust me.

under 18 = no tattoo

*thinks* so young and naive haha


cost - places usually have a minimum like around $40-$50 (basically thats for a line) yours will probably be around $75-$100

pain - on a scale of one to ten, its an 8 but it only lasts an hour or two

~best of luck ...in 4 years~

Answer 9

no..u think it looks cool it would be getting ugly..when u get older it would look old and ur gonna be tired of it n it would look bad u would regret it..get a eye brow piercing or something it looks better ...it would hurt alot and it would also cost alt.,.and a green tattoo get uglier faster but im just telling u..my sister gots a green tattoo and it looks bad now cuz the years just wait till ur older to see if thats what u want

Answer 10

What kinda parent would say yes to a 14 year old who wants a tattoo? Anyway if you get one your gonna regret it later (at a job interview). My advice, if you want a tat, wait a few years, and get one on your shoulder, or back, or somewhere that you can easily cover.